In Chapter 4 of "Not My Thesis," Jane Panangaden explains the abstract world of pure math and the delights of exploring it, as well as her work advocating for tenants' rights in Pasadena. While dividing her time between writing proofs and legislation, Jane grapples with how we apply our skills, technical or otherwise, to bring a different world into existence. She asks us to consider: why do math?
You can find out more about the Pasadena Tenants Union, including the ordinance they wrote, here (http://pasadenatenantsunion.org/). Read about what the Socialists of Caltech are up to here (https://socialistsofcaltech.com/).
To learn more about the history of eugenics at Caltech, check out this Caltech Letters viewpoint article (https://caltechletters.org/viewpoints/rename-millikan). In recognition of this history, Caltech recently decided (https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-to-remove-the-names-of-robert-a-millikan-and-five-other-eugenics-proponents) to remove the names of some of the eugenicists from campus buildings. Hear Jane and others in conversation with the Caltech Archives in this (https://youtu.be/iHF6JEOLFVU?t=2287) video.
Find Not My Thesis on Caltech Letters or by searching for “Caltech Letters Podcasts” on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The transcript is available here (https://drive.google.com/file/d/17JeOaGmMi286cnNx2m1Cz-uP4DT_WHAK/view?usp=sharing). You can contact us by emailing notmythesis@gmail.com. Music for this episode was provided by Blue Dot Sessions, and our logo is by Usha Lingappa. Find more Caltech Letters content at https://caltechletters.org/podcasts/.
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In Chapter 4 of "Not My Thesis," Jane Panangaden explains the abstract world of pure math and the delights of exploring it, as well as her work advocating for tenants' rights in Pasadena. While dividing her time between writing proofs and legislation, Jane grapples with how we apply our skills, technical or otherwise, to bring a different world into existence. She asks us to consider: why do math?
You can find out more about the Pasadena Tenants Union, including the ordinance they wrote, here (http://pasadenatenantsunion.org/). Read about what the Socialists of Caltech are up to here (https://socialistsofcaltech.com/).
To learn more about the history of eugenics at Caltech, check out this Caltech Letters viewpoint article (https://caltechletters.org/viewpoints/rename-millikan). In recognition of this history, Caltech recently decided (https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-to-remove-the-names-of-robert-a-millikan-and-five-other-eugenics-proponents) to remove the names of some of the eugenicists from campus buildings. Hear Jane and others in conversation with the Caltech Archives in this (https://youtu.be/iHF6JEOLFVU?t=2287) video.
Find Not My Thesis on Caltech Letters or by searching for “Caltech Letters Podcasts” on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The transcript is available here (https://drive.google.com/file/d/17JeOaGmMi286cnNx2m1Cz-uP4DT_WHAK/view?usp=sharing). You can contact us by emailing notmythesis@gmail.com. Music for this episode was provided by Blue Dot Sessions, and our logo is by Usha Lingappa. Find more Caltech Letters content at https://caltechletters.org/podcasts/.
In the current pandemic, many normally harmless activities like grocery shopping are suddenly frightening. But is fear a necessary, or even good, function of our nervous system? Where does it originate from in the brain? Can we directly control emotions like fear, and what consequences would that have for the human experience? Tomás Aquino, a fellow Caltech grad student and neuroscientist friend, joins us this week to discuss these questions and the double-edged role of fear in the graduate school experience.
This episode was recorded before the pandemic began, so you will hear us all in a room together, but rest assured that right now we are all social-distancing. We could not have predicted how timely this topic would be or how much graver it is given current events. We wish you all the best and hope that this bit of interesting science gives you something fun to think about during such serious times.
For more neuroscience news and research from Tomás Aquino, check out his Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_technetium
In the episode we discuss how scientists manipulate aggression through the hypothalamus in mice using an advanced technique called optogenetics. For more details about optogenetics, and viruses like modified rabies that Tomás mentioned, check out this article in Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/optogenetics-controlling/
We also discuss the peculiar case of a patient who does not experience fear in her life due to a missing amygdala (for privacy, the patient’s name is abbreviated as just S.M.) For more on this patient, check out this article in Discover Magazine: https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/meet-the-woman-without-fear
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***Cover image: The Scream by Edvard Munch, one of the most famous artistic depictions of fear. Did Munch have the amygdala in mind? (bad pun intended) Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Scream.jpg (public domain)
Caltech Letters
In Chapter 4 of "Not My Thesis," Jane Panangaden explains the abstract world of pure math and the delights of exploring it, as well as her work advocating for tenants' rights in Pasadena. While dividing her time between writing proofs and legislation, Jane grapples with how we apply our skills, technical or otherwise, to bring a different world into existence. She asks us to consider: why do math?
You can find out more about the Pasadena Tenants Union, including the ordinance they wrote, here (http://pasadenatenantsunion.org/). Read about what the Socialists of Caltech are up to here (https://socialistsofcaltech.com/).
To learn more about the history of eugenics at Caltech, check out this Caltech Letters viewpoint article (https://caltechletters.org/viewpoints/rename-millikan). In recognition of this history, Caltech recently decided (https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-to-remove-the-names-of-robert-a-millikan-and-five-other-eugenics-proponents) to remove the names of some of the eugenicists from campus buildings. Hear Jane and others in conversation with the Caltech Archives in this (https://youtu.be/iHF6JEOLFVU?t=2287) video.
Find Not My Thesis on Caltech Letters or by searching for “Caltech Letters Podcasts” on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The transcript is available here (https://drive.google.com/file/d/17JeOaGmMi286cnNx2m1Cz-uP4DT_WHAK/view?usp=sharing). You can contact us by emailing notmythesis@gmail.com. Music for this episode was provided by Blue Dot Sessions, and our logo is by Usha Lingappa. Find more Caltech Letters content at https://caltechletters.org/podcasts/.
