Best Frank A Von Hippel Podcasts (2024)

1
Episode 81. Nuclear Disarmament: Steve Fetter 1:40:27

2d ago1:40:27

1:40:27

Today I speak with Steve Fetter about his work on a variety of nuclear disarmament efforts, including the Black Sea Experiment, nuclear archeology, the risks associated with a single person having the ability to start a nuclear war, ballistic missile defense, the weaponization of space, nuclear energy, and climate change. Steve received an SB in ph…

1
What should we do with all the ray cats? with Matt Caplan 52:18

12d ago52:18

52:18

What if you discovered warning signs of something very dangerous buried deep underground from an ancient civilization? Would you believe the item was dangerous or would you think it was valuable treasure? Would you continue exploring? Find out what could be buried and what Drs. Caplan and Lesher would do with the knowledge. Send an email us to My N…

1
Episode 80. Soviet Nuclear Program: Thomas Cochran 2:07:46

1M ago2:07:46

2:07:46

Today we focus on the Soviet nuclear program with Thomas Cochran. Tom directed nuclear disarmament projects at the Natural Resources Defense Council from 1973 until his retirement in 2016. He has received numerous awards for his work on nuclear disarmament, including the public service award from the Federation of American Scientists and the Szilar…

1
Episode 79. Endocrine Disruption: Patricia Hunt 44:57

2M ago44:57

44:57

Today we explore the history of the field of endocrine disruption with Patricia Hunt. Pat is a Regents Professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences at Washington State University. She is a distinguished researcher and the recipient of many awards; additionally, she works at the forefront of initiatives to communicate complex scientific findings…

1
The journey of a citizen scientist with Frank von Hippel 51:23

3M ago51:23

51:23

Physicist and activist, Frank von Hippel discusses his career in arms control and what the future may hold for the world. Two corrections – 1) The Nuclear Weapons Freeze march was from the UN to Central park and 2) The banner in the Freeze march said 177 out of 195 towns voted for the Freeze in Vermont, not 193 out of 197.…

1
Episode 78. Szilard After The War: William Lanouette 46:56

3M ago46:56

46:56

In episode 77, I interviewed William Lanouette about Leo Szilard's work on the atom bomb, with a discussion of the roles that Szilard played until the end of World War II. Today, in part two of my interview with Bill, we focus on Szilard's achievements after the war. Bill is a writer and public policy analyst who has specialized in the history of n…

1
The Black Sea Experiment: Data taking and legacy 42:21

4M ago42:21

42:21

Our team returns to the Soviet Union to take data on the Slava. We hear about the spectroscopy of a nuclear weapon and the legacy of the Black Sea Experiment.

1
Prelude to the Black Sea Experiment: Soviet Scientists Reach Out 38:08

4M ago38:08

38:08

This episode sets the stage for the Black Sea Experiment. We are introduced to Tom Cochran and Frank von Hippel, two people who had a hand in changing the way the US viewed arms control verification. This episode introduces seismic verification, used to verify nuclear tests for decades.

1
Episode 77. Szilard's Chain Reaction: William Lanouette 1:44:37

4M ago1:44:37

1:44:37

Perhaps the most overlooked scientist who played critical roles in the development of the atomic bomb was Leo Szilard. With us to explore Szilard's numerous contributions to science and society is William Lanouette. Bill is a writer and public policy analyst who has specialized in the history of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. He received an A.…

1
Adventures in Nuclear Risk Reduction - Georgia Pt 2 52:44

5M ago52:44

52:44

Shelly continues her stay in Tbilisi, Georgia and speaks to two Physicists, Giorgia Japaridz (Illia State Univ.) and Revaz Shanidze (Tbilisi State Univ). They discuss what life as a physicist was like under Soviet rule and after Georgian independence. Along the way we learn about scientists who protected nuclear material when security fled, why the…

1
Episode 76. Malaria & Reminiscences: Nobel Laureate Peter Agre 1:46:56

5M ago1:46:56

1:46:56

Peter Agre received the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of aquaporins. Peter is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and he also directed the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute until 2023. Today we discuss the history of malaria researc…

1
Adventures in Nuclear Risk Reduction - Georgia Pt 1 58:03

6M ago58:03

58:03

Spend time with Shelly and two guest as she travels to Tbilsi, Georgia. First she discusses storytelling and Georgian’s atomic Odyssey with Shorena Lortkipanidze from the Civil Council on Defense and Security (Tbilsi, Georgia). Next, Mariam Chabashvidi explains her love for computer programming after Georgian independence and how she became an inva…

1
Episode 75. Retrospective: Oliver Sacks 1:26:12

6M ago1:26:12

1:26:12

In 1994, while attending graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley, I had the pleasure of seeing a lecture by Oliver Sacks in which he discussed his work on sleeping sickness and various other neurological disorders. He also discussed his thoughts on the economy of a life. Today's episode is that lecture in full, with all the insigh…

1
The new face of the nuclear nerd - Miss America (2023) Grace Stanke 40:16

7M ago40:16

40:16

Start the New Year off with a bang. Join Shelly & Miss America 2023, nuclear engineer, and fellow Badger Grace Stanke to discuss a range of topics.

1
Episode 74. Novichok: Vil Mirzayanov 1:55:36

7M ago1:55:36

1:55:36

Novichok is the most deadly chemical weapon ever developed. With us to discuss the history of Novichok is Vil Mirzayanov. Vil worked in the secret Soviet chemical weapons laboratory that developed Novichok. He revealed its existence to the world in 1991 and was then arrested by the Russian counterintelligence service and prosecuted in a secret tria…

1
Episode 73. Pascual Jordan's Duplicity: Ryan Dahn 1:08:56

8M ago1:08:56

1:08:56

How could a brilliant scientist and mathematician, an innovator in quantum theory, who worked closely with Jewish colleagues, become an ardent Nazi? How did this man, who has a field of mathematics named after him, escape the scrutiny of his colleagues? And what happened to him upon the collapse of Nazi Germany? The scientist who straddled this str…

1
Understanding Edward Teller with Istvan Hargittai 58:33

9M ago58:33

58:33

What makes Edward Teller tick? Find out with physical chemist and author Istvan Hargittai on this episode.

1
Episode 72. Scientific Espionage: Eli Lake 1:46:14

9M ago1:46:14

1:46:14

Many of the most important secrets held in international contests are technological or scientific in nature, and wars are often settled due to technological superiority of one side over the other. This leads spy agencies to employ all manner of trickery and tools to obtain those secrets. With us to explore the history of scientific espionage is Eli…

1
For the love of lasers with Donna Strickland 42:00

10M ago42:00

42:00

Physics Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland talks about all things lasers, how lasers relate to nuclear physics, and explains why she had to pay the long-distance bill to Sweden.

1
Episode 71. Retrospective: The Franck-Hertz Experiment 38:20

10M ago38:20

38:20

A retrospective on the Franck-Hertz experiment, which resulted in James Franck and Gustav Hertz receiving the 1925 Nobel Prize in Physics. Image credit: By Infoczo - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35281920By Frank A. von Hippel

1
Are radiation limits based on a lie? with Ed Calabrese 50:15

11M ago50:15

50:15

Meet Dr. Ed Calabrese, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, School of Public Health & Health Sciences. Ed has spent years diving into the history of dose response and the Nobel Prize awarded to Hermann Muller for this work.

1
Episode 70. Retrospective: James Franck 1:21:44

11M ago1:21:44

1:21:44

A retrospective on James Franck, recipient of the 1925 Nobel Prize in Physics.By Frank A. von Hippel

1
How to identify Manhattan Project Plutonium with Cody Folden 48:48

12M ago48:48

48:48

How can you find the age of Plutonium? Why is it important? What are the applications? Find out the answer to these questions and more on this episode of My Nuclear Life when Cody Folden joins Shelly Lesher to discuss his paper in the Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry.

1
Episode 69. Ancient DNA: Maanasa Raghavan 1:13:21

1y ago1:13:21

1:13:21

The ability to extract DNA from ancient fragments of biological material has revolutionized our understanding of recent evolutionary history, including human evolution and phylogeography. Analysis of ancient DNA in tandem with radiocarbon dating, along with traditional archeological techniques, has led to a flurry of discoveries. With us to discuss…

1
Trying to stay alive at the Diefenbunker with Nathan Radke & Lee Kuhnle 1:04:01

1y ago1:04:01

1:04:01

My Nuclear Life and The Uncover Up visit the Diefenbunker: Canada's Cold War Museum. Join Shelly, Nathan, and Lee as they journey 75 feet underground to compare how the Canadian Government planned to prepare for their survival versus the Civil Defense measured intended for their citizens.

1
Episode 68. Pandemics: Leslie Reperant 1:10:02

1y ago1:10:02

1:10:02

The world just experienced a devastating pandemic, yet in the context of historical pandemics, COVID-19 was a relatively minor event in the history of disease. What do we know about the history of pandemics, including before written records, and what can we learn from this history? With us to answer these and other questions about the origins of ep…

1
J. Robert Oppenheimer with Kai Bird 1:03:02

1y ago1:03:02

1:03:02

Get ready for the summer movie by joining Oppenheimer biographer Kai Bird (author of American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer) as he discusses Oppie's life and science.

1
Episode 67. Lazaretto: David Barnes 1:43:09

1y ago1:43:09

1:43:09

Before the advent of the germ theory of disease in the 1870s, quarantine provided one of the few effective means to prevent or alleviate epidemics. The Lazaretto quarantine station in Philadelphia illustrates the history of quarantine both before and after the discovery of pathogenic microbes. With us to explore the history of 18th and 19th century…

1
The 3rd Nuclear Age with Ankit Panda 50:33

1y ago50:33

50:33

What is the 3rd Nuclear Age? Wait, what about the 1st and 2nd? Join Shelly as she speaks to Stanton Senior Fellow Ankit Panda about how the world is grabbling with nuclear proliferation and what challenges we face.

1
Episode 66. Climbing, Chemistry & Policy: Arlene Blum 1:04:11

1+ y ago1:04:11

1:04:11

What are the commonalities between scaling the world's highest peaks and tackling the most challenging pollution problems? What was it like to enter the worlds of climbing and chemistry as a woman in the 1960s and 70s? With us to answer these questions is Arlene Blum. Arlene completed a bachelor's degree at Reed College in 1966 and a PhD in biophys…

1
The Origin of the Elements with Artemis Spyrou 40:30

1+ y ago40:30

40:30

Chemical elements make up the matter we observe in the universe but how did they form? How did scientists figure this out and what is left to learn? Artemis Spyrou joins Shelly to discuss the evolution of the elements and the nuclear processes that govern stellar nucleosynthesis. Find the B2FH paper, Visit us at: mynuclearlife.com Patreon: www.patr…

1
Episode 65. Ideology & Science: Lee Jussim 1:30:01

1+ y ago1:30:01

1:30:01

Any intellectual endeavor runs the risk of bias. Today we explore ways in which political ideology interferes with scholarship, particularly in the social sciences, with a focus on social psychology. My guest is Lee Jussim, a distinguished professor of social psychology and the leader of the Social Perception Laboratory at Rutgers University. Lee i…

1
NIF fusion was a breakthrough, but what kind? with Bob Rosner 43:38

1+ y ago43:38

43:38

In December 2022, Lawrence Livermore's National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved ignition. Join Shelly as she speaks with Bob Rosner about what this milestone means to Stockpile Stewardship and to physics. Also - learn how cool it is to focus 192 lasers onto a tiny little capsule. Patreon: www.patreon.com/mynuclearlife email us Article: Bulletin Ar…

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