Episodes

Author Jay Feldman and Alan Lowe, Director of the AMSE Foundation discuss his book, When the Mississippi Ran Backwards.

Alan Lowe is joined in this episode of AMSEcast by Dr. Robin Andrews, volcanologist, science journalist, and author of How to Kill an Asteroid. Dr. Andrews explores how modern planetary defense blends cutting-edge detection networks, such as NASA’s NEO Surveyor, with active deflection efforts like the DART mission, which successfully shifted an asteroid’s orbit. He also delves into theoretical approaches, including gravity tractors and even nuclear options as last-resort strategies. While comets...

Michele J. Gelfand is the John H. Scully Professor of Cross-Cultural Management Professor of Organizational Behavior and Psychology at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Her book, RULE MAKERS, RULE BREAKERS: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World takes readers on a journey through a variety of human cultures, exploring unique a multi-faceted glimpse into the world around us and ourselves.

Host Alan Lowe continues AMSEcast’s exploration of 250 years of American innovation with Smithsonian experts Harold Wallace Jr., Dr. Eric Hintz, and Tim Pula. Together, they trace invention from Benjamin Franklin’s experiments to modern breakthroughs, highlighting the Smithsonian’s exhibitions, collections, and hands-on learning at Spark!Lab. The discussion spans collaboration with the Library of Congress, the role of failure in creativity, and how patents shape (but don’t define) innovation. Th...

Dr. Robert Hettich is a pioneer in bioanalytical mass spectrometry. In this episode of AMSEcast, he describes how microbiomes form, vary across the body, and influence digestion, immunity, and overall health. Dr. Hettich also explains metaproteomics, the study of microbial proteins, to reveal how microbes function beyond their genes as well as their applications from human health to environmental cleanup and bioenergy. Inspired by his daughter’s experience with Crohn’s, Robert Hettich is especia...

Dr. Rita Colwell

Railroads have shaped America’s growth, technology, and daily life for nearly two centuries. In this episode of AMSEcast, Alan talks with Dr. Albert Churella of Kennesaw State University about how innovations such as the automatic knuckle coupler, Westinghouse’s air brake, and the move from steam to diesel transformed safety and efficiency. Dr. Churella explains how signaling, centralized traffic control, and GPS-based Positive Train Control modernized operations. While U.S. passenger service la...

The Nuclear Navy's Oak Ridge, TN beginning

The Nuclear Navy's Oak Ridge, TN beginning

Author speaks about book: The Quest for the Cosmic Dawn

Author and historian Jay Feldman joins host Alan Lowe to discuss When the Mississippi Ran Backwards, his gripping account of the 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes. Alan and Feldman explore the quakes’ massive impact, including over 2,000 tremors felt across 1.5 million square miles, and the deep historical context behind them. He explains the ancient origins of the Reelfoot Rift, Tecumseh’s eerie quake prophecy, and how early steamboat travel intersected with disaster. Feldman also recounts a hor...

Gunpowder changed the world

A discussion on Dr. Braje's book, Understanding Imperiled Earth

A conversation with Lorraine Daston

Dr. E.C. “Ed” Krupp joins Alan on this episode of AMSEcast to discuss the Griffith Observatory and his role as its longtime director. Now in its 90th year, the observatory remains a hub for public astronomy, drawing over 1.6 million visitors annually. Ed shares its educational mission, including a fifth-grade program and immersive exhibits like “Water is Life.” He also discusses archaeoastronomy, the cross-disciplinary study of ancient skywatching, and how visiting historical sites deepens our u...

Success has patterns

A glimpse into General Douglas MacArthur

From Skunk Works to the National Academy of Engineering

Menlo Park and innovation

Jack Kelly joins Alan on this episode of AMSEcast to talk about his book Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics. They discuss gunpowder’s accidental invention in 10th-century China and its explosive mix of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. Kelly explains how gunpowder shaped science and warfare, fueling revolutions in physics, ending the era of castles, and powering colonial empires. Though once too expensive for civilian use, gunpowder later drove mining and infrastructure projects befor...

Alan Lowe speaks with Dr. Simon Cordery about the transformative role of railroads in American history. From the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1828 to a national network by 1916, Cordery details how rail shaped commerce, industry, and infrastructure. He also explores regulation, from early oversight efforts to the 1980 Staggers Act, which revitalized the struggling industry. The conversation touches on Amtrak’s dependence on subsidies, the challenges of expansion, and the promise of high-speed ...

Alan talks with historian Walter Borneman about his book MacArthur at War: World War II in the Pacific. They examine General Douglas MacArthur’s early career, his leadership in the Philippines, and his strategic command from Australia. Borneman discusses MacArthur’s evolving coordination with the Navy, his key role in island-hopping operations, and his push to reclaim the Philippines. They also explore MacArthur’s late awareness of the atomic bomb, his post-war leadership as Supreme Commander in...

Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock that Shaped the World, Author speaks