Howard Burton

Classical Greece

Howard Burton

Three researchers (Josiah Ober, Richard Janko, Susan Wolf) shed light on different aspects of the Classical Greek World, from the workings of Athenian democracy, to Aristotle's philosophical method, to the place of religion in Classical Athens after the Peloponnesian War.

The Science of Sound and Music

Howard Burton

David Politzer, Diana Deutsch

David Politzer, Nobel Laureate in physics, Joseph Curtin, award-winning violinmaker/acoustician, Diana Deutchs, psychologist, and neuroscientist Jennifer Groh give their different, yet reinforcing, perspectives on the science of sound and music.

Communicating Science

Howard Burton

We hear from a broad cross-section of scientists (13 in total) who give their thoughts on the pros and cons of the way researchers engage with the general public. Researchers featured in this compilation: Nima Arkani-Hamed, Claudia de Rham, Freeman Dyson, Joanna Haigh, Justin Khoury, Nick Lane, Tony Leggett, Jenny Nelson, Stephen Scherer, Paul Steinhardt, Jill Tarter, and Scott Tremaine.

Invented or Discovered?

Howard Burton

Three theoretical physicists (Freeman Dyson, Artur Ekert, Nima Arkani-Hamed) and one philosopher (James Robert Brown) reflect on different aspects of "mathematical Platonism" - the belief that numbers and mathematical concepts somehow have an existence independent of space, time, and us.

Thinking Like A Physicist

Howard Burton

Five of today's leading theoretical physicists (Nima Arkani-Hamed, Freeman Dyson, Roger Penrose, Paul Steinhardt, Scott Tremaine) share their own personal approaches to problem-solving.

The Historical Temperament

Howard Burton

Five experts (David Armitage, Margaret Jacob, John Elliott, Darrin McMahon, Maria Mavroudi) demonstrate different aspects of the historical temperament and how historians interact with both the past and the present.

Becoming a Historian

Howard Burton

Five accomplished scholars (David Cannadine, Linda Colley, David Hollinger, Maria Mavroudi, and Jay Rubenstein) describe how certain personal experiences were crucial in triggering their interest in history and inspiring them to become historians.

Memories of Feynman

Howard Burton

Five of today's most accomplished theoretical physicists describe their formative interactions - both direct and indirect - with the legendary American physicist Richard Feynman.

How I Became an Environmentalist

Howard Burton

Fascinating insights from marine biologist Edie Widder, ORCA, and business professor Andre Hoffman, University of Michigan, about the different paths they followed to become environmental scientists.

Doing Physics

Howard Burton

Thirteen professional physicists provide a spectrum of fascinating glimpses into the excitement and frustrations of life at the front lines of physics research.

The Science of Language

Howard Burton

Carol Padden, Ellen Bialystok

Five scientists (Carol Padden, Victor Ferreira, Martin Monti, Ellen Bialystok, Greg Hickok) explore the question of what language is, from investigations on bilingualism and its relation with neuroplasticity to what it means to have an impairment when using sign language.

Becoming a Physicist

Howard Burton

Nine physicists (Justin Khoury, Joanna Haigh, Paul Steinhardt, Claudia de Rham, Rocky Kolb, Jenny Nelson, Scott Tremaine, Nima Arkani-Hamed, and Artur Ekert) describe aspects of their personal trajectories of how they became the professional scientists that they are today.

Becoming a Psychologist

Howard Burton

Five renowned scholars (Barbara Fredrickson, Philip Zimbardo, Diana Deutsch, Roy Baumeister and Chris Frith) explain the driving factors which led them to study psychology and become professional psychologists.

Mysteries of Physics

Howard Burton

Ten physicists (Artur Ekert, Justin Khoury, Tony Leggett, Scott Tremaine, Freeman Dyson, Nima Arkani-Hamed, David Politzer, Paul Steinhardt, Roger Penrose, Jill Tarter) mix personal sentiments with professional experience to describe a spectrum of different issues that they're currently puzzling over.

Advice to a Young Scientist

Howard Burton

Nine top physicists (Nima Arkani-Hamed, Claudia de Rham, Freeman Dyson, Scott Tremaine, Tony Leggett, Justin Khoury, David Politzer, Joanna Haigh, Paul Steinhardt) share valuable, candid advice to young and aspiring students who are motivated to become scientists.

Physics Behind the Scenes

Howard Burton

Five top researchers (Nima Arkani-Hamed, Freeman Dyson, Roger Penrose, Paul Steinhardt, Scott Tremaine) take us behind the scenes to give us a picture of what life at the frontier of physics research is really like.