Best Stanford Engineering Podcasts (2025)

1
#92 – What's the REAL purpose of science research? Knowledge? Training opportunity? Intellectual property? 58:03

1h ago58:03

58:03

My down-the-hall colleague Marc Porosoff and I sit down to discuss the public perception of scientific research done in universities and its value to society. Want more of Marc? He is the co-host of PodCAT, available on your favorite podcast apphttps://open.spotify.com/show/0tzTnMlZNcgBQfVUbvgchA

1
AI & Copyright: Pipe Dreams & Legal Screams 7:31

42m ago7:31

7:31

So you typed “a cat smoking a pipe in Van Gogh’s style” into your favorite AI tool, cool flex, but don’t try to copyright it. In this episode, host Emily Laird is slicing into the meat of the AI copyright mess: who owns AI-generated content, what the U.S. Copyright Office actually said about it, and why your clever prompt won’t get you a ribbon (or…

1
220. How Popcorn Popped an Idea for Sustainable Manufacturing 15:00

1d ago15:00

15:00

(2:05) - What do popcorn and sustainable synthesis have in common? This episode was brought to you by Mouser, our favorite place to get electronics parts for any project, whether it be a hobby at home or a prototype for work. Click HERE to learn more about the importance of PTC thermistors and their critical role in the automotive industry! Become …

1
AI & Copyright: ...Yikes. 7:02

5h ago7:02

7:02

Generative AI crashed the copyright party in 2023 and it didn’t wipe its boots at the door. In this episode, we break down the chaotic, caffeinated debate over who owns what when machines start getting “creative.” From the U.S. Copyright Office’s tough love (no human, no copyright) to courtroom showdowns like Thaler v. Perlmutter and the cautious a…

1
The future of geriatric care 34:49

3d ago34:49

34:49

Deborah Kado is a geriatrician who believes her field is misunderstood. Her interest in the science of aging began with a childhood encounter in a nursing home but recently resulted in intriguing work in which Kado linked microbes in the gut to vitamin D metabolism and poor sleep. Kado refuses to blame aging alone for health problems, advocating fo…

1
The secrets of resilient aging | Beth Mormino & Anthony Wagner 36:30

4d ago36:30

36:30

This week on the show, we're have our sights set on healthy aging. What would it mean to be able to live to 80, 90 or 100 with our cognitive abilities intact and able to maintain an independent lifestyle right to the end of our days? We're joined by Beth Mormino and Anthony Wagner who lead the Stanford Aging and Memory Study, which recruits cogniti…

1
#91 – Health and wellness for grad students (panel discussion) 49:47

7d ago49:47

49:47

I was invited by the School of Medicine and Dentistry to participate in a panel discussion on Health and Wellness for Graduate Students. The panel was organized by Jeff Koslofsky, who has a large catalogue of excellent resources for graduate students in the sciences, engineering, and medicine.Original postings here so you can subscribe/follow: http…

1
Abolish AI!!: Decomputing with Dan McQuillan 1:20:29

7d ago1:20:29

1:20:29

On this episode of the Anti-Dystopians, Alina Utrata talks to Dan McQuillan, a senior lecturer in Critical AI at Goldsmiths University and the author of "Resisting AI: An Anti-Fascist Approach to Artificial Intelligence.” They talk about the state of AI adoption in the UK since our last conversation (spoiler alert: it’s bad), why the Starmer govern…

1
Best of: The future of educational technology 29:44

12d ago29:44

29:44

It's teacher appreciation week and along with schools across the country, we here at The Future of Everything want to send out a heartfelt thank you to the teachers who make a difference every day in the lives of our children and in society as a whole. In light of this, we’re re-running an education related episode, and more specifically one on the…

1
#90 – When a scientist gets an award from the White House: Personal reflections 21:52

11d ago21:52

21:52

The story behind my trip to Washington DC in 2019 to get an award from the White House (PECASE, class of 2017). Intersection of science, politics, and personal beliefs. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.

1
H2-Oh No! Why Your ChatGPT Habit Is Drying Out the Planet 7:13

13d ago7:13

7:13

Think AI runs on math and magic? Try 66 billion liters of water. In this episode, host Emily Laird exposes AI’s dirty little secret: data centers are chugging water like it’s spring break in Vegas. From Microsoft draining cities to Google raising eyebrows in Oregon, we break down how training your favorite chatbot might be leaving the planet parche…

1
Your Chatbot vs. the Planet 7:36

14d ago7:36

7:36

AI isn't magic; it's math and metal, and it has a monster appetite for electricity. In this episode, host Emily Laird digs into the eco-footprint of Generative AI, from training models that suck down enough power to juice 120 homes, to chatbot sessions that drain half a liter of water per flirty Q&A. Emily also unpacks why your helpful bot might be…

1
219. Edible Robots Bring Tech to the Dessert Table 14:41

14d ago14:41

14:41

(3:00) - Robotics meets the culinary arts This episode was brought to you by Mouser, our favorite place to get electronics parts for any project, whether it be a hobby at home or a prototype for work. Click HERE to learn more about the rise of soft robotics in applications like 3D printing, rescue missions, and more! Become a founding reader of our…

1
The LMSArena Illusion 6:44

16d ago6:44

6:44

Ever wonder who’s really winning the Chatbot Arena and whether those wins mean anything at all? In this episode of Generative AI 101, host Emily Laird's blowing the lid off the leaderboard. Turns out, the top bots might’ve had a little… help. Like submitting 27 secret versions and quietly deleting the losers help. We break down The Leaderboard Illu…

1
#89 – How to get RICH with a PhD 18:19

17d ago18:19

18:19

There are no get rich quick schemes, but if you have a PhD or are getting one, you knew that already. However, there are some ways of developing financial security that are open to PhDs that may not be so available to others, even though you spent most of your 20s earning very little income. In this quick monologue, I say some things that may be co…

1
The future of children’s health 31:47

17d ago31:47

31:47

Lisa Patel is a pediatrician and an expert in environmental health who says that pollution is taking an increasing toll on children’s health. Pollution from wildfires, fossil fuels, and plastics can cause asthma, pneumonia, and risks dementia in the long-term. But, she says, all hope is not lost. Solutions range from DIY air filters to choosing ind…

1
Building AI simulations of the human brain | Dan Yamins 32:56

18d ago32:56

32:56

This week on the show: Are we ready to create digital models of the human brain? Last month, Stanford researcher Andreas Tolias and colleagues created a "digital twin" of the mouse visual cortex. The researchers used the same foundation model approach that powers ChatGPT, but instead of training the model on text, the team trained in on brain activ…

1
I, Chatbot: Does Your LLM Dream of Electric Angst? 7:21

19d ago7:21

7:21

Let's crack open the philosophical piñata known as machine consciousness. Can an LLM feel pride? Regret? Existential dread when you close the browser tab? Host Emily Laird explores the messy, mind-melting debate over whether AI might actually feel something—and why Anthropic, the buttoned-up AI lab behind Claude, is tossing around numbers that sugg…

1
Dario Amodei's Latest Essay 5:50

22d ago5:50

5:50

Let's crack open Dario Amodei’s latest essay, The Urgency of Interpretability, and ask the big, slightly terrifying question: do we actually know what our AIs are doing? (Spoiler: not really.) Host Emily Laird, your unofficial AI mechanic, is here to poke at the greasy guts of Amodei's latest thriller. We’ll talk haunted vending machines, rogue cof…

1
AI as Therapist, Yep, It's Happening. 7:04

23d ago7:04

7:04

AI therapy apps are popping off, but should you really trust a chatbot with your late-night existential crisis? In this episode, we crack open the weird history of therapy bots (starting with one that was dumber than a Magic 8-Ball), explore how today's AI can spit out legit CBT tips, and unpack why your Tamagotchi probably gave better advice. We’l…

1
#88 – Cuts to federal grants for science & engineering research in universities: Reactions of 2 professors 39:28

23d ago39:28

39:28

I don't usually make videos/podcasts specific to a time, but given the magnitude of the crisis in academic research, I made an exception. To try to add light to the heat, I took some time to chat with my colleague, Prof. Marc Porosoff, co-host of the PodCAT also at the University of Rochester, to discuss our reactions to cuts in federal funding for…

1
The future of wildfire management 33:44

26d ago33:44

33:44

Michael Wara is a lawyer and an expert in wildfire policy who says that solutions are out there, but face financial, political, and cultural resistance. What’s needed, he says, are “whole-of-society” approaches that raise wildfire risk to the community level. In this regard, the devastation in Los Angeles in 2025 could provide the spark needed for …

1
Image Prompt Like a Pro, Yo! 6:03

28d ago6:03

6:03

Image generation isn’t magic, it’s a recipe. In this episode, host Emily Laird is stirring up the flavorful world of AI image prompting using keywords and modifiers. From “chalk drawing yoga teacher” vibes to full-blown Rembrandt drama, Emily's breaking down how to fine-tune your prompts like a pixel-powered chef. We’re talking mediums, moods, ligh…

1
#87 – Federal research funding: How $10 million becomes $100 million 13:06

27d ago13:06

13:06

There is a lot of incorrect information out there on the role of research funding in the economy. Does it waste money or create it? Here, I use some data and back-of-the-envelope projections from my own lab at UC San Diego and University of Rochester to argue that a $10M investment in the form of grants & contracts will generate many hundreds of mi…

1
A1 Art: How to Feed Your Prompt Like a Pro 7:17

28d ago7:17

7:17

Image prompting isn’t just “describe it and pray”, it’s ordering a gourmet dish at a snobby robot diner. This week on Generative AI 101, Emily Laird returns with a delicious breakdown of how to write image prompts that actually work. Learn the golden trifecta of Subject, Details, and Style. Get tips on word order (yes, it matters), prompt length (t…

1
218. Organ-on-a-chip: Our Best Shot At Beating Cancer? 14:15

28d ago14:15

14:15

(2:40) - Cancer-on-a-chip technology advances our understanding of how cancer operates This episode was brought to you by Mouser, our favorite place to get electronics parts for any project, whether it be a hobby at home or a prototype for work. Click HERE to learn more about the role of field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) in the medical world! …

1
Dude, Where's My Job? 6:01

30d ago6:01

6:01

AI isn’t just flirting with your job anymore, it’s taking it out to dinner and meeting its parents. In this episode, host Emily Laird digs into the eerie silence on student job boards and the explosion of AI-generated everything, from Studio Ghibli avatars to fully automated sales calls. With OpenAI spinning up a social network and businesses shedd…

1
The future of pediatric development and disability 31:42

1M ago31:42

31:42

Physician and psychologist Heidi Feldman is a pioneer in the field of developmental behavioral pediatrics who says that the world’s understanding of childhood disability is changing and so too are the ways we approach it. Where once institutionalization was common, today we find integrative, family-centered approaches, charting a more humane, hopef…

1
Rob Ettema on River Ice, Ice-Sediment Interactions, and Sediment Scientist Biographies 56:05

1M ago56:05

56:05

I grew up in one of North America’s great snow belts…and started my career in Buffalo NY So, that background and my fascination with sediment transport primes curiosity in ice transport. I’m sure my ice friends would cringe at this, but I sometimes call ice transport as upside down sediment transport. But despite the symmetry of ice and sediment tr…

1
What ChatGPT understands: Large language models and the neuroscience of meaning | Laura Gwilliams 42:31

1M ago42:31

42:31

If you spend any time chatting with a modern AI chatbot, you've probably been amazed at just how human it sounds, how much it feels like you're talking to a real person. Much ink has been spilled explaining how these systems are not actually conversing, not actually understanding — they're statistical algorithms trained to predict the next likely w…

1
Scientists Cooperate while Humanists Ruminate (EF, JP) 41:46

1M ago41:46

41:46

Back in 2021, John and Elizabeth sat down with Brandeis string theorist Albion Lawrence to discuss cooperation versus solitary study across disciplines. They sink their teeth into the question, “Why do scientists seem to do collaboration and teamwork better than other kinds of scholars and academics?” The conversation ranges from the merits of coll…

1
GPT-4.1: All Hail the Lord of the Tokens! 7:03

1M ago7:03

7:03

GPT-4.1 is here, and it’s not messing around. In this episode, Emily Laird breaks down why this model is smarter, faster, and hungrier than any AI we’ve seen before, able to process 1 million tokens in one go (yes, that’s your codebase and your therapist’s notes). With flavors like Mini, Nano, and Full Spicy (not really called that), GPT-4.1 is doi…

1
AI’s Hot Girl Year (According to Stanford) 7:43

1M ago7:43

7:43

AI isn’t some distant overlord plotting in a lab; it’s already writing your emails, diagnosing your cough, and maybe deciding your loan approval. In this episode, host Emily Laird tears into the 8th Edition of the Stanford AI Index Report to see what’s actually going on. From record-breaking benchmarks to billion-dollar investments, Nobel wins to r…

1
ChatGPT Knows What You Did Last Summer. 6:02

1M ago6:02

6:02

ChatGPT just got a memory upgrade, and no, it’s not just remembering your favorite pizza toppings. OpenAI’s newest update means the chatbot can now remember entire conversations, across multiple chats, to customize responses more personally and (potentially) creepily. There are now two memory modes: one where you tell it what to remember, and a new…

1
Best of: The future of female athletic health 30:25

1M ago30:25

30:25

The world of women’s sports is experiencing unprecedented growth, attention, recognition, and investment. Elite athletes including Simone Biles, Caitlin Clark, Serena Williams, and many others are having a significant impact on culture, and more women than ever are participating in both professional and recreational sports. Earlier this year, Russ …

1
The AI Futures Project: Part 4, The End 7:29

1M ago7:29

7:29

It’s 2027, and things are getting... spicy. This episode, host Emily Laird breaks down the summer-to-fall chaos from The AI Futures Project—a quarterly update that reads like a Black Mirror writer took over The Economist. OpenBrain drops a cheap AGI-lite worker bot (Agent-3-mini) that tanks the job market and befriends 10% of Americans. Cute? Maybe…

1
The AI Future's Project Part 3: 2027 6:18

1M ago6:18

6:18

AI’s gone full sci-fi and it’s only January. In this episode, host Emily Laird walks us through the first half of 2027 in the AI Futures Project, where fictional megacorp OpenBrain builds Agent-2 (think: ChatGPT on a CrossFit bender), survives a digital brain heist by China, and counters with Agent-3, a code-writing monster that might also be a pat…

1
The AI Future's Project Part 2: 2026 6:13

1M ago6:13

6:13

It’s 2026 and AI isn’t just helping out, it’s taking over the whiteboard and your white-collar job. In this episode, host Emily Laird breaks down the AI Futures Project’s bold predictions for 2026: OpenBrain’s Agent-1 is coding faster than the people who made it (with better manners, too), China’s plotting a digital Oceans Eleven to catch up in the…

1
The AI Future's Project Part 1 8:15

1M ago8:15

8:15

AI agents have officially stopped playing assistant and started acting like your over-caffeinated junior dev—occasionally brilliant, mostly chaotic, and somehow costing $500 a month. In this episode, host Emily Laird breaks down the AI Futures Project’s vision for 2025, where agentic systems are no longer fanfic but crashing your Slack channel in r…

1
217. Meet the World's Smallest Walking Robots 15:24

1M ago15:24

15:24

(2:30) - Smallest walking robot makes microscale measurements This episode was brought to you by Mouser, our favorite place to get electronics parts for any project, whether it be a hobby at home or a prototype for work. Click HERE to learn more about another micro-topic - micro-mobility - and how it will/already is changing our urban infrastructur…

1
AGI is Coming. There, I Said It. 7:22

1M ago7:22

7:22

AI’s not just playing Jeopardy anymore, it’s coming for the Mensa crowd. In this episode, host Emily Laird spirals (productively) over Humanity’s Last Exam, a monster test built to measure whether AI is creeping past human-level intelligence. Spoiler: It is. With OpenAI’s research team clocking in at 26.6% and forecasts showing models might hit 50%…

1
The future of legal representation 36:44

2M ago36:44

36:44

Nora Freeman Engstrom is a professor of law who says that in three-quarters of cases one or more of the parties lacks legal representation. Worse yet, often the litigants are involved in high-consequence civil cases where there is no right to a lawyer and costs are prohibitive. Some states are looking at alternatives including non-lawyer representa…

1
What the other half of the brain does | Brad Zuchero 35:00

2M ago35:00

35:00

We've talked about glia and sleep. We've talked about glia and neuroinflammation. We've talked about glia in the brain fog that can accompany COVID or chemotherapy. We've talked about the brain's quiet majority of non–neuronal cells in so many different contexts that it felt like it was high time for us to take a step back and look at the bigger pi…

1
Google's Gemini 2.5 7:16

2M ago7:16

7:16

Google’s Gemini 2.5 just set a new standard on Humanity’s Last Exam and flexed hard in the AI Fight Club, outpacing GPT-4.5 and Grok-3. It reasons, codes, remembers a million tokens of context, and handles text, audio, images, and video like it’s born for chaos. In this episode, we unpack why Gemini 2.5 isn’t just smart, it’s scary good. Connect wi…

1
Humanity's Last Exam 7:28

2M ago7:28

7:28

Standardized tests are getting torched like marshmallows at a bonfire, and AI's top students are flunking the new final. In this episode, Emily unpacks Humanity’s Last Exam, a brutal, brain-bending test designed to humble even the cockiest language model. Forget multiple choice; we’re talking diagrams, logic puzzles, and cross-disciplinary chaos th…

1
The future of hearing loss 34:05

2M ago34:05

34:05

Physician Tina Stankovic is an ear, nose, and throat specialist and a lover of music whose seemingly disparate pursuits — medicine and music — have led her to a groundbreaking career in hearing research. She recently worked with music legend Paul Simon during his well-publicized battle with hearing loss and he has become a vocal advocate for hearin…

1
216. Exoskeleton + Digital Twin Aid Stroke Recovery 17:25

2M ago17:25

17:25

(2:30) - Regaining mobility quickly after a stroke This episode was brought to you by Mouser, our favorite place to get electronics parts for any project, whether it be a hobby at home or a prototype for work. Click HERE to learn more about how wearable robotics is aiding Parkisons therapy! Become a founding reader of our newsletter: http://read.th…

1
The future of live performance 36:13

2M ago36:13

36:13

Michael Rau is a professor, theater director, and tech innovator in one. He says that today’s technologies – AI, gaming, interactive storytelling, and even email – are reshaping what performers can do on stage and how audiences experience those performances. The best of the stage has always been about reflecting life, and technology is part of how …

1
Stimulating the brain with sound | Kim Butts Pauly and Raag Airan 30:43

2M ago30:43

30:43

As we gain a better understanding of how misfiring brain circuits lead to mental health conditions, we'd like to be able to go in and nudge those circuits back into balance. But this is hard — literally — because the brain is encased in this thick bony skull. Plus, often the problem you want to target is buried deep in the middle of a maze of delic…

1
a16z Top Gen AI Consumer Apps Report: Big Money & Big Scams 6:49

2M ago6:49

6:49

Mobile AI apps are raking in cash—or at least convincing you that your fern obsession is worth $20 a month. This episode dissects the Andreessen Horowitz Top Gen AI Apps report, revealing why popularity doesn’t equal profit (looking at you, TikTok editors) and why niche apps (hello, dictation and nutrition coaches) are the real hidden gems. We expl…

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