In this special episode, the hosts of Small India Radio (SIR) Podcast Group: Raj, Nishant, Megh, Vatsal, Richa, and MV; talk about their professional experiences in education and workplaces. We talk about how we got here: our degree choices and motivations, experiences growing up in different parts of India, exposure, and moving away from home. We discuss the impact of Liberalisation and 2014, creating reliable knowledge sources and reading, visiting India, the thoughts of moving back, and the impact of education systems and degrees on our lives. Check out our sister podcasts!Bharatiya Junta Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3cEQfIblu88FzyHGdVCG0ePCCI podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oGfaWZ5cbsc18sfeP8g3o
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3:42:01
S8E4: Physics masterclass with Superconformal Hassaan
In this episode of DAP, Hassaan joins Megh and Vatsal. Hassaan is a Ph.D. student at the University at Albany, studying Theoretical Physics. Specifically, he is working on problems in String Theory and Quantum Field Theory. Hassaan also has an amazing YouTube channel called "Phymaths," where he makes videos about all things related to theoretical physics and mathematics. In this episode, Hassaan takes us through his academic journey, what it takes to study theoretical physics, and the fascinating fundamentals of physics that make up his thesis work. Hassaan's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3nAENP4F5GKrGk9BLNFLvwRecommendations: HassaanHalliday Resnick, CraneUniversity PhysicsBrief History of TimeDerak belt trickKKLTDine Seiberg problemStephen WinebergWhat we owe to the futureWhat is Real, Adam BeckerTheory and RealityTwilight of DemocracyA Scout MindsetPuzzles to Unravel the UniverseA very Short introduction series: game theory, religionPunjab ka BatwaraProofsMegh4 LionsRace, Science, and the Continuing Education of Razib Khan https://undark.org/2017/02/28/race-science-razib-khan-racism/Yo Yo Honey Singh, FamousVatsalVlog brothers news letters: We are HereThe Man Who Took LSD and Changed The World
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1:54:52
Supplementary Materials 4: Tech Wrap 2024 with Ajay and Harsha
In this special episode, friends of the podcast Ajay and Harsha join Megh to discuss the MIT Tech review, 2024. We discuss major innovations in GenAI, biotech, astronomy, and sustainable technology.We also consider the impact of the defunding of scientific bodies in the US and the deregulation of BigTech, and whether the innovations of 2024 will have a chance to scale.Recommendations and References:Google CEO Sundar Pichai on AI-powered search and the future of the web: https://www.theverge.com/24158374/google-ceo-sundar-pichai-ai-search-gemini-future-of-the-internet-web-openai-decoder-interviewMIT Technology Review- 10 Breakthrough Technologies: https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/03/1109178/10-breakthrough-technologies-2025/Hugging Face Pleias 1.0 models: https://huggingface.co/blog/Pclanglais/common-modelsAI is ‘beating’ humans at empathy and creativity. But these games are rigged: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/28/ai-empathy-humansCan LLMs Generate Novel Research Ideas? A Large-Scale Human Study with 100+ NLP Researchers: https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.04109 All That Glitters is Not Novel: Plagiarism in AI Generated Research: https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.16487 Patal Lok S2
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1:07:00
S8E3: Bridging ecology and human behaviour systems with Vivek Nityananda
In this episode of DAP, Megh, Vatsal, and a friend of the pod, Dr. Harish Prakash, are joined by Dr. Vivek Nityananda. Dr. Nityananda is an outstanding behavioral ecologist and a senior lecturer at Newcastle University. His multidisciplinary research aims to understand animal behavior by combining psychology, evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and ecology. Join us as Dr. Nityananda discusses his academic journey, motivations, and research on bees, praying mantis, crickets, and other insects. Moreover, he takes us through his fascinating current research that dissects the evolutionary persistence of “overconfidence,” which is also the subject of his new book titled “Beyond Doubt.”Recommendations: Vivek The Empire Podcast, William Darlymple and Anita Anand The Last of Us Harish Daryl Dickson Vatsal Aeons: Surviving Deep Time Vettaiyan Megh Sabrina Scent of a Woman
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1:36:48
S8E2: Media Theory and writing about Technology with Dr. Ranjodh Singh Dhaliwal
This episode, we are joined by Professor Ranjodh Singh Dhaliwal (@ranjodhd), from the Digital Humanities Lab, University of Basel. We learn about his transition from engineering to literature, and how his foundation in STEM education contributes to his work in science and technology studies.
We discuss his work on how science is shaped by narratives and capital, and how technical experts and scientists invent many means to express what they observe and find. Our conversation leads to a discussion of the technical aspects of science communication, building video games for research, and the impact of social media on how science is transmitted and popularised.
Recommendations
Ranjodh
A Professor Doctor Von Legal Smith, Alexander McCall Smith
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Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives
Vir Das, Wanted (live)
Neural Networks, by Ranjodh Singh Dhaliwal, Théo Lepage-Richer, and Lucy Suchman
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“On contemporary Image Making” by Prof Dhaliwal
"Incorporation of photosynthetically active algal chloroplasts in cultured mammalian cells towards photosynthesis in animals"
A space for discussing the trials and tribulations that make research and academic life interesting. This podcast offers the perspective of early-career Desi researchers navigating their futures both in India and abroad. Episodes include our insights on critical thinking, scientific temper, new scientific developments, research funding policies, and a lot more.
Netherlands