Talks With Toh
By Christopher Toh
Talks With TohFeb 12, 2020
Updates for Talks With Toh!
S1:E25 - Jack VanDrunen: Game Theory in the Philosophy of Science and Computer Science
S1:E24 - Christopher Toh: Machine Learning on Genetic Information (ft. Austin Lefebvre)
S1:E23 - Cody Dunn: Laser Speckle Imaging and Wearable Devices
S1:E22 - Jeffrey Lim: Brain Computer Interfaces and Restoring a Person's Walking
S1:E21 - Jack VanDrunen & Josh Ng: Is Science Vindicated by COVID-19 or Has Public Perception and Policy Failed Us?
In this episode of the podcast we discuss whether or not science has been vindicated by COVID-19. Has the response addressed the needs of the pandemic or has it only made apparent the gaps in our knowledge. We also discuss with Jack & Josh the global outlook of differing policy positions and public perception which may have shifted and altered the response to be one of emotion versus one rooted in the data. Has data been used correctly and have our political movements contributed to the unrest and misunderstanding of basic virtues and beliefs of society? This discussion will be an insightful look to potential responses to all of these topics and question.
S1:E20 - Andre Arifin: Discourse on College Campuses, George Floyd Protests, and Our Responses
Andre Arifin joins the podcast in an interesting discussion about discourse on college campuses. He has spent that past several years working closely with college students on various campuses, training and engaging with our youth in discussions of worldviews. We discuss what aspects shape peoples' actions and responses to events such as George Floyd's death at the hand of Minneapolis police and the subsequent protests and riots. This is by no means a resolution or the end, but rather a start to a discussion that needs to continue. We hope this will encourage people to have discussions rather than run from them in this time.
S1:E19 - Carter Johnson: Insurance and Business Impacts during COVID-19
Carter Johnson is a Senior Commercial Product Analyst at Farmers Insurance and a graduate of UCLA. We discuss the business impact of COVID-19 and what pricing looks like as insurance companies grapple with how to insure their customers in a time of great uncertainty. This discussion was a good look into just how much shelter-in-place orders have affected the livelihoods of millions of Americans.
S1:E18 - Andrew Phan: Epigenetics, Ethical Stem Cell Research, Better Show Names
Andrew Phan, PhD Student in Dr. Tim Downing's Lab at UCI, joins the podcast with discussions on epigenetics and stem cell research. We talk about what epigenetics is, how he ended up in Grad School, and what we can do to stay connected in an environment like grad school. He also brings some recommendations for better show names and some ideas for segments. We plan to work closely together soon in our research!
S1:E17 - Zachary Lu: How COVID-19 is affecting Medical and PhD Students and The Silver Linings
Zachary Lu rejoins the podcast as we discuss how UCI is responding to combat COVID-19. He is a Medical Student at the UCI School of Medicine. We discuss how Biomedical Engineers and Physicians are trying to address COVID and just talk about the positives about shelter in place and what we have learned throughout the pandemic.
S1:E16 - Jack VanDrunen: Philosophy of Science, Intelligent Systems, & Stuxnet
Jack VanDrunen joins the show as we discuss the Logic and Philosophy of Science itself, what that all means, and the nature of creating intelligent systems and artificial intelligence to solve problems. He is a computer science major at UC Irvine with a focus on intelligent systems and will be pursuing a doctorate degree in the Logic and Philosophy of Science.
S1:E15 - Josh Ng: Evolution, Cognitive Dissonance, Postmodern Christians?
S1:E14 - How English Became the Language of Science
What is the language of science? Today we take a look at how English became the primary language of science. That is the language that almost all science is communicated in today. This will takes us through some linguistics, politics, and history which is fascinating!
S1:E13 - Coronavirus (2019-nCov) and Globalism?
We talk a brief update on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus outbreak. What we know now, some of the facts, and how globalism and supply chains play into the disease spread.
S1:E12 - Joy Evanston, RN: Neuro Step Down, How are Hospitals Different, and Dealing with Trauma (ft. Amy Hasson)
Joy Evanston joins the podcast to talk about the life of nursing and we discusses differences between how hospitals even within the same state operate. We also discuss what a Neuro Step Down unit does and some of the things that need to be considered when handling brain trauma.
S1:E11 - The Future of Healthcare: Genetic Testing, Complex Diseases, and Artificial Intelligence
An interview for the Worlds Health Summit where Quynh Vo and I discuss the current and future of genetic testing in healthcare and what that means for you! What should you know? When is a genetic test necessary? What can it tell you and how will healthcare change in the coming years?
S1:E10 - Josh Ng: The Philosophical & Logical Underpinnings of Christianity
S1:E9 - Phillip Vu: 50 Countries in 14 Months and Giving up Comfort for Adventure
S1:E8 - Tyler Stinehart, JD: Common Law, Blizzard, Hong Kong, and International Business
S1:E7 - Amy Hasson, RN: Road to Registered Nurse, How Nurses Make our Health System Work, Holistic Medicine
Amy Hasson is a Registered Nurse, working in pediatrics. We discuss her path through Nursing school all the way to working in a hospital and taking care of patients. Then we talk about the important role Nurses have in our healthcare, traditional and holistic medicine, and how missions work helped inform why she pursued a career in healthcare.
S1:E6 - Dr. Dung Trinh: Escaping Vietnam, Returning to Give Back, Preventing Alzheimer's Disease
S1:E5 - Hamsa Gowda: Collaboration, Technology in Low Resource Environments, Support Communities in Graduate School
S1:E4 - Dat Nguyen: Disneyland, Qualification Exams, Does God Exist, Morality, The Interplay of Science and Faith, Mental Health
Dat Nguyen is a PhD student in Dr. Elliot Botvinick's lab working with diabetes and protein technologies. We discuss growing up with immigrant parents, how Disneyland is absurdly expensive, qualification exams and a bit about optical tweezers. Then we dive deep into our different experiences with faith and ask the hard questions of whether or not God exists, how science and faith interplay with each other, climate change, and finally mental health in graduate school.
S1:E3 - Ben Bielajew: Stem Cell Ethics, Dealing with the FDA, Hurdles with Effective Teaching and Scientific Communication in Higher Education
Ben Bielajew is a University of Michigan graduate working in Dr. Kyriacos Athanasiou's DELTAi lab. We discuss the Food and Drug Administration, case studies of medical products gone wrong, the issues and challenges of education today in academia, and briefly touch on stem cell ethics.
S1:E2 - Austin Lefebvre: How Cancer Cells Move, Lasers, Ethics of Genetic Editing, & Social Media
Austin Lefebvre is a UCSD Alumni working in the Laboratory of Fluorescence Dynamics with Dr. Michelle Digman and Dr. Enrico Gratton. He is working on understanding how cells metastasize and how physics can help us understand cancer.