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 director of BLoS) talk about what infection with SRAS-CoV-2 does to your body, why many people lose their sense of taste and smell, and what being a virologist has been like over the past two years.

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 Research Institute, and Virginia Tech serving Southwest Virginia during the pandemic

Paras visited with Dr. Carla Finkielstein, cancer biologist at Virginia Tech, who answered “What am I positioned to do to serve others during the pandemic?” by being the driving force and director of the Virginia Tech Molecular Diagnostics lab, the Covid-19 diagnostic lab that serves Southwest Virginia.

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 clinical setting effectiveness, such as reducing infection during operations. They discuss topics like science policy and how scientists create change on a large scale. 

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 on addiction research during his summer months in Roanoke and also talks a little bit about his educational background, including his time being homeschooled!

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 philosophy to how brain rhymes support cognitive function. Dr. Buzsáki is the author of over 300 papers and 2 books, the latest titled “The Brain From Inside Out”.

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 cells are important for brain health and function, but that can all change during traumatic brain injury, as her group studies. Additionally, we chat about her interests outside of the lab, including team building and mentorship.

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 working in academia in both the United States and the United Kingdom, along with opening a new lab during the pandemic.

“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?

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 of peanuts and was an advocate for environmentalism.

Additionally, Paras gets to enjoy one of his passions, linguistics, by highlighting the research into African American Vernacular English (AAVE) by Dr. Lisa Green at UMass Amherst.

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 COVID-19 vaccines and answer our listeners’ questions. 

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 viruses have been so successful at integrating into our lives and are tightly woven into the human experience.

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 current COVID-19 pandemic. Wear your mask, folks!

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 Fralin Biomedical Research Insitute, to explore the past, present, and future of this exciting field along with details about his career and the book he authored: Why Choose This Book?: How We Make Decisions.

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.

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 and design to science. Learn about her research exploring the intersection of sex-specific differences in depression and the immune system. 

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 scientific experimentation, and how sex-specific differences can impact the biology of the brain, the development of diseases such as depression, and the response to treatments. 

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, biomedical scientist, entrepreneur in science, and more from our expert panelists. Hear advice about how to pursue these careers and avenues to pursue them right here in the Roanoke Valley!

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 journey through the research world, venturing from stem cell therapies to the mechanisms by which the gut microbiome may influence our brain and behavior. 

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 brains are connected to our gut, and everything you need to know about fecal transplants.

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, as well as Rachana’s research in synapse formation and the visual system. 

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 questions from Dr. Michael Fox, an expert in the visual system and circuit development within the brain (interview begins at 30:50.) 

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 and her life as a graduate student! 

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 prevent heart disease? Hear the answer to these questions and more in this episode featuring Dr. Steve Poelzing, an expert in cardiac dysfunction. 

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 disorders. 

Scientists call DNA the blueprints for life. What does that even mean? 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 more. Dr. Shannon Farris, an expert in RNA, joins us in our first episode to discuss the importance of RNA and how it contributes to memory formation in the brain.