Podcasts by Big Lick of Science

Which came first? The gene or the behavior: Talking brain behavior with Dr. Kenneth Harris from 2023-04-04T20:01:11

Have you ever wondered what actually creates your behavior? How do the cells in your brain shape who you are? Paras sits down with leading computation and experimental neuroscientist Dr. Kenneth...

Virginia Tech ComSciCon Wrap Up Finale from 2023-01-10T19:11:48

The flagship ComSciCon has come and gone, but do you crave a little more? In April, Virginia Tech students came together to talk about what science communication means to them and why it is esse...

Virginia Tech ComSciCon Wrap Up Part 2 from 2022-12-13T19:04:05

The flagship ComSciCon has come and gone, but do you crave a little more? In April, Virginia Tech students came together to talk about what science communication means to them and why it is esse...

Virginia Tech ComSciCon Wrap Up Part 1 from 2022-09-06T15:00:06

The flagship ComSciCon has come and gone, but do you crave a little more? In April, Virginia Tech students came together to talk about what science communication means to them and why it is esse...

COVID-19 and mental health: Dr. Robert Trestman, Chair of Psychiatry, delves into our health during the pandemic from 2022-04-13T16:00:01

In our final episode of BLoS in conjunction with the American Society for Neurochemistry 2022 here in Roanoke, we speak with Dr. Robert Trestman, Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Cari...

Do viruses dream of electric potentials? Drs. Smyth and Padget discuss SARS-CoV-2 infection and your body from 2022-04-12T16:00:11

In episode 2 of our Public Podcast Series in conjunction with the American Society for Neurochemistry conference we meet with Drs. Jamie Smyth and Rachel Padget (your beloved communications dire...

That I may serve: Dr. Carla Finkielstein, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, and Virginia Tech serving Southwest Virginia during the pandemic from 2022-04-11T16:00:45

Big Lick of Science presents a public interest series in conjunction with the American Society for Neurochemistry.

Episode 1: That I may serve: Dr. Carla Finkielstein, Fralin Biomedical R...

Who makes the rules around here?: Science policy and change with Dr. Sarah Parker from 2022-03-02T15:08:35

How does a system change based on scientific information? And why does change sometimes seem to conflict with previous information? Paras visits with Dr. Sarah Parker, an expert on studying clinica...

Do you understand me?: Patty Raun and Carrie Kroehler communicate science communication from 2022-02-15T18:05:04

Rachana visits with Patty Raun and Carrie Kroehler, directors of the Virginia Tech Center for Communication Science about why proper science communication is important and how scientists can be ...

Affairs of the heart: the right balance of salt create exciting results from 2021-12-03T17:00

Paras interviews a previous post-doc at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Ryan King. They chat about Ryan's long-lasting interest in how the heart functions and what was it like being a ...

SURFing his way into a lifetime of science from 2021-09-08T18:16:01

Big Lick of Science brings a first for us, we sit down with a summer undergraduate research fellowship (SURF) student at the Fralin Biomedical Research Insititute at Virginia Tech. Gabe focused ...

Forgetting what you know: an Inside Out approach to understanding how we think with Dr. György Buzsáki from 2021-07-08T19:06:38

We bring you a special episode today with Dr. György Buzsáki, Biggs Professor of Neuroscience at New York University School of Medicine. Paras and Dr. Buzsáki discuss his Inside Out approach and...

Astrocytes, the real star stuff? Dr. Robel explores the cosmos of our brain cells from 2021-06-11T16:00

Dr. Stefanie Robel is a primary investigator at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech who focuses on these little star-shaped cells within our brains called astrocytes. These...

A pannexin for your thoughts: Dr. Johnstone communicates about cell channels and US/UK academia from 2021-05-22T16:00

Big Lick of Science sits down with new Principal Investigator, Dr. Scott Johnstone to discuss his research into cellular communication via pannexins and connexions and his unique experience work...

(Peer) Pressure, pushing down on me from 2020-12-02T14:49:24

"If all of your friends were to jump off of a bridge, would you do it?" Peer pressure can be a powerful social influence, but can this phenomenon be used to help people to better decision-making...

What's in a name?: from linguistics to botany from 2020-09-25T14:24:08

Today on Big Lick of Science, we do something a little different and discuss the history of one of the most famous Black scientists, George Washington Carver, who created 105 recipes for the use...

Step-by-step: COVID-19 vaccine prep with Dr. X.J. Meng from 2020-08-07T13:00

Rachana virtually sits down with Dr. X.J. Meng, vaccine expert, and professor at Virginia Tech to discuss the ins and outs of vaccine creation. They get into the specifics of the making of the C...

You R0 going to believe this episode: Dr. Smyth, virologist, unpacks it all from 2020-07-26T16:00

Our host, Paras, virtually sits down with Dr. Jamie Symth, virologist and cellular communication expert at Virginia Tech to talk about his work, how viruses can ruin everything and how different...

Microscopic aliens and you: what are viruses and how the Covid-19 pandemic came to be from 2020-07-22T15:03:47

Today's introduction delves more into viruses, how they cause pandemics, and humanity's tepid history with these microscopic aliens. Rachana and Paras muse and discuss more details about the cur...

With Dr. Read Montague: Why choose this interview from 2020-05-29T17:34:47

Computational neuroscience has experienced a super-nova like explosion of growth in recent years. Tune in to hear from Dr. Read Montague, director of the Human Neuroimaging Laboratory at the Fra...

The (ir)rational choice to listen from 2020-05-27T18:16:40

Your life is made up of everyday decisions, but what drives you to make the choices that you do? What's the science behind rhyme or reason? We delve into the world of choice.

Sex Differences with Dr. Hodes from 2020-04-07T00:14:02

Tune in to the second part of our fascinating series on the role of sex-specific differences in science and disease. Listen to Dr. Georgia Hodes discuss her transition from a career in theater a...

It's not all about Corona. Sex matters. from 2020-03-20T23:02:13

What role do sex-specific differences play in scientific studies and disease models? Tune in to part one of this series to learn about how the sex of an organism is an important consideration in...

Health Science Careers in Roanoke from 2020-03-06T15:57:54

Tune in to hear our first live podcast! Listen to the question and answer session from our Health Science Career Panel to learn about careers as a doctor, physical therapist, dental hygienist, b...

Health Science Career Panel from 2020-02-26T02:10:36

Tune in for a special announcement about Big Lick of Science's first live podcast! 

Poopcast! Round 2 from 2020-02-26T02:00:40

Join us for the second part of our gut microbiome series as we interview Dr. Michelle Theus, a scientist studying the role of the gut-brain axis in the development of autism. Learn about her jou...

Poopcast! Round 1 from 2020-02-07T22:20:59

Did you know? You have trillions of microorganisms living in your gut right now! Tune in to part one of our gut microbiome series to learn the difference between good and bad bacteria, how our b...

Meet your Co-host: RDS and the Life of an International Graduate Student from 2020-01-10T23:04:08

Join us as we interview our very own co-host, Rachana Deven Somaiya, about life as an international graduate student. Tune in to learn the differences between working in industry and academia, a...

2020 Vision: Stop, Look,&Listen from 2019-12-06T16:00

Ever wondered how our eyes connect to our brain? How do connections in our brains form in the first place? And why do we blink so much? Check out our latest episode to hear the answers to these ...

When a Virus Attacks your Heart from 2019-11-01T18:54:32

What happens when our hearts are infected with a virus? And how do we study such a phenomenon? Tune in to hear third-year Ph.D. student Rachel Padget discuss her research in the cardiac field an...

Lub Dub: A Hearty Podcast from 2019-10-18T18:10:55

How exactly does the heart beat? How is electrical activity passed from one heart cell to another? And how can this go wrong in diseases like heart failure? Does drinking red wine really help pr...

Exploring Parts Unknown: Vision&Grad School from 2019-10-06T02:03:57

Tune in to hear graduate student Ubadah Sabbagh as he discusses his path to a Ph.D. program and his research into how light can impact much more than what we see, including jet lag and mood diso...

Unzip your genes: Traits, DNA,&RNA from 2019-09-20T15:39:28

Have you ever wondered what RNA is, or how it differs from DNA? And how exactly does DNA relate to our traits, such as eye color or height? Tune in to learn the answer to these questions and mor...