Talks With Toh

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.