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Modus Mirandi Podcast with Thomas Hikaru Clark

Modus Mirandi Podcast with Thomas Hikaru Clark

By Thomas Clark

Hi, I'm Thomas Hikaru Clark! I grew up in Tokyo in a multi-cultural family where I learned to be always curious about the world. I've worked at a startup in Rome, been a high school teacher, meditated with Zen Buddhist monks in Japan, volunteered in Russia, and studied rituals in India. I now study language and cognition at MIT. Each episode, I talk with a guest and try to learn something new. There's no consistent theme between episodes, and the episode titles usually don't cover everything we talk about!
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Leora Eisenberg: Language and Identity in Ukraine, Russia, and Former USSR

Modus Mirandi Podcast with Thomas Hikaru ClarkMay 20, 2022

00:00
01:04:36
Katya Ivshina: Applied Math PhD @Harvard • Geometric Machine Learning

Katya Ivshina: Applied Math PhD @Harvard • Geometric Machine Learning

Katya Ivshina is a PhD student in Applied Mathematics at Harvard studying geometric machine learning

Katya's Instagram: @katya.ivshina

Katya's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@KatyaIvshina

YouTube канал Кати на русском: https://www.youtube.com/@ekaterinaivshina


Timestamps:

(0:00) Intro

(1:16) Katya’s research explained at two different levels

(23:25) What excites you about the future of this field?

(29:20) Katya’s journey to doing a PhD at Harvard

(42:20) Cultural differences in the US

(54:22) What do you do outside of research and academics?

(1:03:20) Advice for current and prospective grad students

(1:14:05) Closing question: Topological data analysis explained simply

Feb 20, 202401:26:12
Ana Tsai: Fruit Fly Embryos, Immortality and California Strawberries

Ana Tsai: Fruit Fly Embryos, Immortality and California Strawberries

Ana Tsai is a PhD student in Biology at MIT from Stockton, California.

(0:30) What was your childhood like?

(3:25) Growing up with mixed heritage

(9:50) Smell of freshly picked tomatoes

(11:57) Did you ever imagine becoming a grad student?

(15:18) Researching immortality

(20:24) What do you do on a daily basis, Zelda protein

(24:30) Humans (and fruit flies) are basically a donut

(25:10) Optogenetics

(28:40) Generalizing from fruit flies to other species

(32:00) Setting goals in grad school

(34:20) Teaching and connecting with students

(42:00) Breaking out of bubbles

(51:00) Bees are really cute

(55:00) Potlucks with friends

(57:15) Where do you see yourself going after grad school?

(1:07:00) What would you tell someone who’s thinking about going into research?

Nov 21, 202301:11:33
Gun Ahn: Understanding Happiness & Depression

Gun Ahn: Understanding Happiness & Depression

Gun Ahn is a visiting graduate student at MIT Brain and Cognitive Sciences, where he studies pathways in the brain that are important for our understanding of depression. He is the author of several books, including one about why Finland has the reputation as the happiest country in the world.

Oct 20, 202301:13:10
Anna Ivanova: Language and Thought in the Brain

Anna Ivanova: Language and Thought in the Brain

Aug 30, 202201:21:41
Leora Eisenberg: Language and Identity in Ukraine, Russia, and Former USSR

Leora Eisenberg: Language and Identity in Ukraine, Russia, and Former USSR

Leora Eisenberg is a PhD student in the Department of History at Harvard University. She is a a talented researcher and a lover of languages. She has studied Central Asian Soviet history, Ukrainian language policy, and other fascinating and timely topics. Join us for this wide-ranging and illuminating conversation!
May 20, 202201:04:36
Lily George: Status Anxiety in the Modern World

Lily George: Status Anxiety in the Modern World

Lily George is my high school classmate and one of my oldest friends. Last year we did a book club and read Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton. In this podcast, we discuss some of the main themes of the book and their relevance in modern life.
May 13, 202201:23:12
Anna Clark: Sustainability, Energy, and the Environment

Anna Clark: Sustainability, Energy, and the Environment

Anna Clark is a student at Stanford University, studying Engineering Physics. She is passionate about renewable energy and addressing climate change.
May 05, 202201:11:11
Kat Kajderowicz: Synthetic Bio and Science Communication

Kat Kajderowicz: Synthetic Bio and Science Communication

Kat Kajderowicz is a PhD student at MIT interested synthetic biology, aging, neuro, and science communication. Check out her #SynBio journal club (@DnaDeviants on Twitter).
Apr 15, 202248:00
Greta Tuckute: Language, Computers, and the Brain

Greta Tuckute: Language, Computers, and the Brain

Greta Tuckute is a PhD student in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. She uses fMRI scanning and computational models to study how the human brain processes language. In this episode, we discuss some of the recent progress in this exciting field, the similarities between artificial neural networks and the human brain, and future directions for this research.
Mar 10, 202257:10
James Brown-Kinsella: Nonsense in Ancient Chinese Philosophy

James Brown-Kinsella: Nonsense in Ancient Chinese Philosophy

James Brown-Kinsella is interested in the idea of nonsense in ancient Chinese philosophy. He studied philosophy at Princeton, completed a Masters degree at Peking University, and is currently a graduate student at Cambridge.
Jun 27, 202101:21:53
Daniel Yamamoto: Growing Up Half-Japanese in Japan

Daniel Yamamoto: Growing Up Half-Japanese in Japan

Daniel Yamamoto is half Japanese and half British, and spent his childhood in Tokyo and Yokohama before moving to the UK for university. He is currently a graduate student at Cambridge.
Jun 20, 202101:29:41
Cecily Polonsky: Teaching, Language, and Human Flourishing

Cecily Polonsky: Teaching, Language, and Human Flourishing

Cecily Polonsky joins Modus Mirandi to discuss our shared interests of Russia, languages, teaching, and more. Cecily spent her early childhood in Moscow before moving to Cambridge, England. She studied comparative literature at Princeton and has previously been a teacher in New York City.
Jun 04, 202101:21:03
Justinas Mickus: European Politics, Pandemic Learning, and Meaning in Life

Justinas Mickus: European Politics, Pandemic Learning, and Meaning in Life

Justinas Mickus is a graduate student in Politics and International Studies at Cambridge. He has previously worked in a policy think tank in his home city of Vilnius, Lithuania.
May 30, 202101:28:09
Tez Clark: Knowledge, Understanding, and Intuition

Tez Clark: Knowledge, Understanding, and Intuition

Tez Clark is a PhD student in Philosophy at NYU. She studies epistemology, a branch of philosophy that explores the nature of knowledge.
May 24, 202101:16:22
Delaney Thull: Why Should We Care About Philosophy?

Delaney Thull: Why Should We Care About Philosophy?

Delaney is a PhD student in Philosophy at UNC Chapel Hill. She is interested in moral and political philosophy. Prior to her PhD, she did her undergrad at Princeton, and before that, she spent a gap year volunteering in Peru. Delaney is also passionate about the outdoors, and was a leader trainer in Princeton’s Outdoor Action program.
May 02, 202101:10:54
Jennie Kim: From Teaching to Tech Policy, Anti-Asian Discrimination

Jennie Kim: From Teaching to Tech Policy, Anti-Asian Discrimination

Jennie Kim has interned at the White House, worked as a middle school math teacher in Florida, and currently works on policy at a major tech company. She is passionate about education and tech, and how they are influenced by government policy. In this episode, we discuss our teaching experience, our journeys out of teaching into the tech world, and anti-Asian discrimination.
Apr 24, 202101:07:17
Tom Clark (My Dad)

Tom Clark (My Dad)

My father grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts, where his dad was a WWII veteran and his mom was a school teacher. His post-college gap year teaching English in Japan would change the trajectory of his life, leading to a lifelong interest in the Asia-Pacific region as well as deep personal connections to Japan. After many years working in Tokyo, London, and Washington DC, he now works at the Asian Development Bank in Manila, an organization working to eradicate extreme poverty in Asia through investing in sustainable development.
Apr 17, 202101:27:20
Will Nolan: Free Will, Virtue, and the Soul

Will Nolan: Free Will, Virtue, and the Soul

Will Nolan is a graduate student and Barry Scholar at Oxford studying Philosophy. He is also an avid runner, a student of the classics, and a former high school teacher.
Apr 10, 202101:27:09
Zartosht Ahlers: Cosmopolitanism, Ritual, and Culture

Zartosht Ahlers: Cosmopolitanism, Ritual, and Culture

Zartosht Ahlers credits the beauty of nature for his incessant need to be left alone.
Mar 26, 202101:32:55
Isabelle DeSisto: Soviet Union, Cuba, and the Russosphere

Isabelle DeSisto: Soviet Union, Cuba, and the Russosphere

Isabelle DeSisto is a graduate of Harvard, and currently studies Politics and International Studies at Cambridge, where she is a Fiske Scholar at Trinity College. Her interests include Soviet-Cuba relations and the politics of the former Soviet Union and Latin America.
Mar 19, 202101:13:52
Julia Clark: Gen Z, Performativity, and the Aeneid

Julia Clark: Gen Z, Performativity, and the Aeneid

Julia Clark is a high school senior at a boarding school in Virginia, and is the youngest guest (so far) on this podcast! Born in Tokyo but having lived in London and Manila, Julia brings a unique perspective to a discussion of Generation Z, performative activism on social media, and one of her academic passions: the classics.
Mar 06, 202101:15:46
Nate Gadiano: A Capella, Poetry, and Beauty

Nate Gadiano: A Capella, Poetry, and Beauty

Nate Gadiano was the president of the Princeton Tigertones, a world-class mens' a cappella group. He studied Italian and Medieval Studies. Nate currently works at a Catholic boys' school in the Washington, D.C. area, where he runs admissions and teaches a physics class. Check out Nate’s poetry at https://dailypaths333061334.wordpress.com/.

Feb 27, 202101:31:50
Mike Agrippina: From Consultant to Teacher - Becoming the CEO of a Classroom

Mike Agrippina: From Consultant to Teacher - Becoming the CEO of a Classroom

Mike Agrippina is a consultant-turned-teacher from Atlanta, Georgia. After teaching in Jacksonville, Florida for two years through Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program, he returned to Atlanta and currently teaches at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. He is passionate about faith, family, and fitness. In this episode, we talk about his unique path from the consulting life to the classroom, share our biggest learning moments from our time as teachers, and discuss the pandemic’s impact on education.
Feb 20, 202155:06
Gabriela Molina: Souls, Cultures, and Identity

Gabriela Molina: Souls, Cultures, and Identity

Gabriela Molina studied Biology and Spanish at Princeton University and currently works in the nonprofit sector. In this episode, we discuss whether souls exist, how to conceptualize the soul, and how this relates to different cultures and religions, ecology, and mixed heritage. Check out her work and her content editing service at www.allthespacesinbetween.com/. To support this podcast, share it with your friends and connect with me on Instagram @modusmirandi to get updates, submit questions, and give feedback.
Feb 14, 202101:39:53
Jessi Glueck: Ancient Words, Young Teachers, Eternal Truths

Jessi Glueck: Ancient Words, Young Teachers, Eternal Truths

Jessi Glueck is an alumna of Harvard, where she studied English with a secondary in Classics. She delivered the Latin Oration at the 2017 Harvard Commencement. Jessi received a masters degree from Oxford before teaching at a boarding school in England for two years. She is currently a graduate student at Cambridge.
Feb 06, 202101:25:05
Declan Kunkel: Death Penalty, Political Polarization, and Financial Literacy

Declan Kunkel: Death Penalty, Political Polarization, and Financial Literacy

Declan Kunkel is a graduate of Yale University and current graduate student at Cambridge.
Jan 31, 202101:34:47
January 30, 2021

January 30, 2021

Jan 30, 202100:53