BioHackers Podcast

Welcome to Episode 2 of Season 2 of the BioHackers Podcast! In this episode, David and Alex welcome education innovator and AI evangelist Julie Johnston to the show. Together, they share their perspectives on Gen-AI and the fast-approaching future of education, including challenges for faculty, the speed of change, new assessment models, AI mentoring, and how educators are building policies around the use of Generative AI in the classroom. Disclaimer: Praxis AI is a human-first organization. 😊 Watch the Video Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yQhaaxzpHNM Listen to the audio version wherever you get your Podcasts: https://www.biohackerspod.com Here is a list of topics: Welcome to Season 2 Episode 2 (00:00) Thoughts on Generative AI? (02:09) Speed of Change – 16 Lobes in Her Brain (04:17) Welcome Julie to the Show (06:49) Why Is Julie in Higher Ed? Cool Stuff at IU? (07:40) Challenges in Generative AI? (10:10) Generative AI’s Insane Adoption Curve (12:28) Professor vs AI Balance (16:59) Assessment of Embedding Pria into Alex’s Work (21:34) Future of Learning After Generative AI (30:09) Alex’s Take on the Future of Learning (31:07) The Impact of An AI Infused Workplace on Education (36:50) How Are Educators Creating AI Policies? (45:45) Closing Thoughts (55:34) Enjoy the Show!

Welcome to Season 2 of the BioHackers Podcast! This is Episode 1 – HI to AI. In this episode, David and Alex look back at the inspiring guests and fun-filled episodes of Season 1. Then, they look ahead to Season 2 and explore the topic on everyone’s minds … artificial intelligence and its role in education. David shares a recent conversation with the digital mentor Pria while Alex discusses his recent experiences using AI in school and research. They end the podcast with a heartfelt plea for assistance scaling the Praxis AI mission.

Welcome to Episode 12 of the BioHackers Podcast! In this episode, David and Alex welcome world-renown insectologist Markandeya Gorantla from India. Together, they explore insect pheromones as a solution for crop-destroying pests, the power of interdisciplinary research, GMOs, insect attraction, and how computational biology can help anyone solve humanity’s largest problems as well as landing you a sweet bug posse! (41:33) Closing Thoughts (42:42) Enjoy the Show!

Welcome to Episode 11 of the BioHackers Podcast! In this episode, David and Alex welcome famed plant geneticist Alex Harkess from HudsonAlpha Biotechnology Institute. Together, they discuss genomic time traveling, cloning trees, the bridge from education to research, biohacking, and the power of telling stories for organisms that can’t speak for themselves. (16:04) Genome Sequencing is Time Traveling (20:26) How Do Trees Capture Your Imagination? (26:32) Expanding the Harkess Lab Digitally (28:23) Overcoming the Inequity of the Field of Science (30:53) Cloning the Iconic Auburn Oaks (39:15) Unleashing Creativity with Online Learning (44:15) Democratizing Course Creation (47:52) Sharing and Caring in Genomics Academics (51:45) What is the Difference Between Research and Education? (56:00) What is a BioHacker to You? (59:40) Closing Thoughts (01:01:15) Enjoy the Show!

Welcome to Episode 10 of the BioHackers Podcast! In this episode, David and Alex welcome Ayurveda experts Dr. Shivani Gupta and Reed Bender. Together, they explore the confluence of ancient Ayurvedic medicine, turmeric as a healing agent, and modern biochemistry. The result is a wonderful 5,000-year journey into a hopeful, healthier future. (09:19) Reed’s Journey – Mind-Body Biology (11:12) Shivani’s Journey – The Naïve Optimist (12:44) Biochemistry of Sticky Curcumin Molecule (17:20) Role of Black Pepper in the Formula (20:58) Entourage Effect – Holistic Approach to Curcumin (24:57) Nobel Prize, Praxis Mission, and Turmeric BioHackathon (32:48) Technology Allows Us to See the Complexity (40:24) Role of Doshas in Health (43:00) What are Doshas? (46:59) Personalized Genetic Medicine (50:05) Can Quantum Mechanics / AI Help? (54:54) Don’t Put the Frog in a Blender (58:50) Inflection Point | Closing Thoughts (1:01:30) Enjoy the Show!

Welcome to Episode 9 of the BioHackers Podcast! In this episode, David and Alex welcome the inspirational Reno Charette (Sees a Circled Rainbow) from American Indian Higher Education Consortium. Together, they discuss Reno’s fascinating journey from Miss Indian Montana to indigenous healthcare research, the power of community, STEM education, and all the amazing things native and western people can teach each other.

Welcome to Episode 8 of the BioHackers Podcast! In this episode, David and Alex welcome inspirational bioinformatics professor Tyesha Farmer from Alabama A&M University. Together, they discuss the importance of academic mentorship, the global impact of agriscience, and the power of enabling everyone with the opportunities of a science-based education. Farmer Expanded Research Opportunities (9:45) The Story of Dr. Farmer’s Journey to a Science Career (10:57) Dr. Farmer Finding Her Identity in STEM (22:27) Providing Access to STEM Opportunities Through Virtual Research (29:51) Scaling Mentorship Opportunities (31:27) Building an International Community of Researchers (34:40) Digital Credentials (37:40) Educating after a PhD (44:00) The Importance of Agriscience Education (46:00) How Alex Started His Science Career in Agriscience (51:24) What is a BioHacker to You? (58:40) Closing Thoughts (59:59) Enjoy the Show!

Welcome to Episode 7 of the BioHackers Podcast! In this episode, David and Alex welcome space biologist Josh Vandenbrink to the show. Together, they discuss the James Webb Space Telescope, heliotropism, overcoming the challenges of space science, NASA GeneLab, Arabidopsis, the Praxis Pyramid, and feeding colonists on Mars. (35:23) Golden Age of Space Science (43:02) Josh is a Space V.I.P. (49:20) Major in What You Love … and Learn Python (56:23) Interdisciplinary Nature of Bioinformatics (01:05:25) What is a BioHacker to You? (01:08:55) Enjoy the Show!

Welcome to Episode 6 of the BioHackers Podcast! In this episode, David and Alex welcome Courtney Shearer from Harvard Medical School. Together, they discuss Courtney’s journey from Clemson to Crispr to Harvard, the power of biohacking, the joy of interdisciplinary collaboration, the Zen of running, virtual research in biotechnology, and the best way to learn new skills. (17:08) Collaboration as an Educational Goal (22:35) Navigating a Spectrum of Skills to Solve Problems (27:30) Is the Hackathon the Ideal Model for New Skill Acquisition? (31:14) Virtual Hackathons (35:12) Courtney’s Favorite Hackathon Experience (38:24) Alex’s Favorite Hackathon Experience (40:05) What is Courtney’s Plan After Her PhD? (45:45) What is a BioHacker to You? (47:57) Closing Thoughts (50:03) Enjoy the Show!

Welcome to Episode 5 of the BioHackers Podcast! In this episode, David and Alex welcome famous inventor and systems theorist Ken Matusow to the show. Together, they discuss the emergence of quantum mechanics as a tool for curing cancer, the power of imaginary numbers, the New Renaissance, quantum weirdness, and valuable life lessons learned from Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy. (06:21) Welcome Ken to the Show (09:50) Ken’s Story: Serendipity and Silicon Valley (11:50) The New Renaissance and Deeper Truth (18:05) Quantum Mechanics as a Tool for Curing Cancer (25:14) Tricorder: 4-Dimensional Tools to Understand Complexity (35:10) Foundation 2022: Paper 1 – Uncertainty (39:25) Quantum Weirdness: Nature Isn’t Weird (44:29) The New Renaissance: Education Transformation (47:26) Foundation 2022: Paper 2 – Nentropy (54:47) How To Roll 20,000 Dice (01:00:47) Foundation 2022: Paper 3 – Predicate (01:07:01) Psychohistory: Ability to Understand our New Reality (01:12:45) Supercomputer-powered Systems Biology (01:14:40) What is a BioHacker to You? (01:19:20) Closing Thoughts (01:24:00) Enjoy the Show! Link to Alex’s Paper on Quantum Mechanics in Cancer: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29802335/

Welcome to Episode 4 of the BioHackers Podcast! In this episode, David and Alex welcome Marc Birtwistle to the show. Together, they discuss mathematical modeling as a time machine for the cell, the lab of the future, great advice for careers in science, kinesthetic learning, and Marc’s cool new company, Blotting Innovations. (50:08) Enjoy the Show!

Welcome to Episode 3 of the BioHackers Podcast! In this episode, David and Alex welcome Ben Sherman to the show. Together, they discuss the role of AI in finding patterns in data, the magic of workflows, image analytics, the top 3 skills of a computational scientist, and how to become a Groovy coder. (11:32) Magic of Workflows | Ben’s Dream Job (15:30) Workflow Managers = Next Generation of Code (18:28) How Hard is it to Use Workflow Managers? (21:14) “Groovy” Nextflow Programming Language (25:49) Nextflow Tower is an Onramp to the Cloud (29:38) BioScience Research is Troubleshooting (31:50) AI Applications for BioSciences (36:04) Image Analytics is Common Denominator for AI Applications (46:04) Top 3 Skills to become a Computational Scientist (48:09) What is a BioHacker to You? (54:30) Enjoy the Show!

Welcome to Episode 2 of the BioHackers Podcast! In this episode, David and Alex welcome Reed Bender to the show. Together, they discuss creative ways for science to help find order in life’s randomness, including chaos theory, yoga’s role in biosciences, single cell RNA sequencing, democratized compute, sonic brain interactions, and holistic approaches to cancer research. It is a lot of FUN! (00:44) The Order of Life’s Randomness (02:30) Welcome Guest: Reed Bender (05:39) Integrating Yoga and BioSciences (09:26) BioHackathon (13:40) Chaos Theory in BioSciences (14:45) Can BioHackers Disintermediate Science and Medicine? (18:21) What is Single Cell RNA Sequencing? (24:41) How to Achieve Democratized Compute (31:52) Is Compute a Fundamental Service? (35:08) Is Discord a Good Model for Democratized Compute? (38:24) Currency Mining and the Development of Compute-based Biology Research (43:43) Holistic Perspective Toward Cancer Research (48:00) Universe as a Cloud (50:10) Sound and the Brain (52:57) What is a Biohacker to You? (1:01:05) Closing Comments (1:04:45) Enjoy the Show!

Welcome to the inaugural episode of the BioHackers Podcast! In this episode, David and Alex discuss the formation and growth of the BioHacker movement, including the first BioHackathon (for Bill Paseman), the next iteration of the Vulcan Academy, Chaos Theory, the Praxis AI mission, Climate Change, and details on how you too can become a BioHacker (for free)! (02:02) • What is a BioHacker? (04:31) • BioHackathon collaboration in Discord (09:48) • Education to employment with digital credentials (13:34) • Expanding the Feltus lab (17:32) • What excites you in science today? (21:14) • BioHacking climate change (25:07) • Praxis AI mission (27:56) • Wrangle BioHackathon for lung cancer (28:24) • How do I become a BioHacker? (29:22) • Join the BioHacker journey (32:37) • Do gigaflops empower systems biology? (35:38) Enjoy the Show!