PODCAST · science
The Lab Beat
by Cutting-edge science and engineering labs
The Lab Beat is an award-winning podcast that offers an inside look at cutting-edge science and engineering labs at UC Irvine. Natalie Tso visits the labs, interviews professors and presents their innovations and inspirations in cool short features. From biomedical engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, materials science and engineering, civil and environmental engineering, electrical engineering to computer science, The Lab Beat gives a fascinating look into the newest research at the UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering. The Lab Beat won Best Podcast/Audio Storytelling at the 2026 OC Press Awards.
Episodes
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AI and Drones
Guinness World Record holder Peter Burke is integrating AI with drones. He won the Guinness World Record for farthest distance to control a drone when he managed it from halfway around the world at Réunion, a tiny island in the Indian Ocean. Burke talks about how drones are transforming warfare…
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The Punch of a Mantis Shrimp
The fists of mantis shrimp are faster than a speeding bullet. The architecture of that powerful punch has inspired materials for hockey sticks, airplanes, wind turbines and more. [Sound: Anaheim Ducks game broadcast] NATALIE TSO, HOST: Professional hockey and mantis shrimp — there's an important...
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The Female Heart
The female heart has been vastly understudied. Naomi Chesler is a leader in researching the female heart and how sex hormones like estrogen affect the heart's function. Her research is helping prevent heart failure in women and men. Naomi Chesler is a UC Irvine professor of biomedical engineering...
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Self-healing Cement
Mo Li is out to transform the cement industry which creates 8% of the world's carbon emissions. Li has created concrete that can heal itself and a process to produce cement with clean energy. Find out more about her concrete innovations in this episode. Mo Li is a Professor and Chair of the...
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Revolutionizing Gyroscopes
Andrei Shkel revolutionized the production of gyroscopes by miniaturizing them and using a glassblowing technology he observed from glass artists in Barcelona, Spain. Step into one of the most high precision gyroscope labs in the world and learn about how they're helping firefighters in this...
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Curing the Brain
Dion Khodagholy is trying to cure epilepsy by implanting a neural interface on the brain. Khodagholy is a UCI associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science and has created the NeuroGrid which maps the brain's activity once it is placed on it. Listen to the sound of the brain...
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Methalox Rockets
The UCI Rocket Project Liquids team is one of the few undergraduate teams that launched a methalox rocket in 2023. Methalox is the leading-edge fuel companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin are using to get to Mars. Join this visit to the rocket lab as they prepare to launch their second-generation...
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Becoming Invisible
Alon Gorodetsky is creating materials that mimic the camouflage capabilities of squids that can change color, transparency and temperature. Learn how he figured out the secret of their skin and how it can be used for medicine, the military, smart fabrics and more. Transcript: [sci fi music]…
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Hydrogen Fueling the Future
Can hydrogen energy change the world? UCI Clean Energy Institute Director Jack Brouwer thinks so. His institute is creating sustainable hydrocarbon fuels for aviation and shipping. Listen as he shares his vision for how hydrogen energy can bring more equity and peace to the world. Transcript…
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Can a Robot Love?
Top roboticist Magnus Egerstedt explores whether robots can love in the UCI Robot Ecology Lab, where his altruistic robots take cues from animals. Egerstedt is the dean of the UCI Samueli School of Engineering and the creator of the SlothBot, RaccoonBot and the Robotarium, a swarm robot lab which...
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The Power of Glowing Color
Stacy Copp's lab is using glowing light and color to see deep inside human tissues which could replace the need for X-rays. Listen to Copp, an associate professor of materials science and engineering, share her inspirations and ground breaking work at her UCI lab. Transcript: [Sci fi music]…
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National Fuel Cell Center
National Fuel Cell Research Center Director Iryna Zenyuk is striving to enable clean hydrogen to power everything from Olympic buses, trucks, the cement industry and more. A former chess champion, Zenyuk is a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at UC Irvine. Transcript: [Sound of...
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Upcycling EV batteries
Diran Apelian found a way to recycle EV batteries and co-founded the billion-dollar company Ascend Elements, one of TIME'S America's Top Ten Green Tech companies of 2024. Find out about the cutting-edge technology his lab uses to upcycle metal at UC Irvine's Samueli School of Engineering....
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The 100 Year Starship Project
Ronke Olabisi is healing wounds without scars and making bone grow from seashells as she works on the 100 Year Starship Project which aims to enable travel beyond our solar system. Learn how Olabisi, UCI associate professor of biomedical engineering, is helping humans stay healthier in space and…
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From Flush to Future
David Kisailus is turning urine into medical-grade material for bone and teeth implants and water purification. Learn how Kisailus is making bone implants more affordable through this new process of producing calcium phosphate from urea. Kisailus, a UCI professor of materials science and...
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3D Stem Cell Engineering
Quinton Smith's 3D approach to stem cell engineering could revolutionize how we test drugs and do organ transplants. Learn about his innovative approach and why Popular Science named him a top 10 scientist on the cusp of changing the world in 2023. Smith is an assistant professor of chemical and...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Lab Beat is an award-winning podcast that offers an inside look at cutting-edge science and engineering labs at UC Irvine. Natalie Tso visits the labs, interviews professors and presents their innovations and inspirations in cool short features.
From biomedical engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, materials science and engineering, civil and environmental engineering, electrical engineering to computer science, The Lab Beat gives a fascinating look into the newest research at the UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering.
The Lab Beat won Best Podcast/Audio Storytelling at the 2026 OC Press Awards.
HOSTED BY
Cutting-edge science and engineering labs
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Lab Beat have?
The Lab Beat currently has 16 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Lab Beat about?
The Lab Beat is an award-winning podcast that offers an inside look at cutting-edge science and engineering labs at UC Irvine. Natalie Tso visits the labs, interviews professors and presents their innovations and inspirations in cool short features. From biomedical engineering, mechanical and...
How often does The Lab Beat release new episodes?
The Lab Beat has 16 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Lab Beat?
You can listen to The Lab Beat on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Lab Beat?
The Lab Beat is created and hosted by Cutting-edge science and engineering labs.
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