Listen Now

Wolfram Alpha is a computer designed to, one day, know everything. Russell Foltz-Smith thinks Wolfram Alpha will be a valuable tool in future classrooms that will lead to a new form of literacy called computational thinking. For more on these stories go to 2u.com/podcast.

Micah Lande is an Engineering professor at Arizona State University who's a firm believer in learning-by-way of making through the use of makerspaces where students gather to create, invent, and learn using industrial equipment traditionally not accessible to students until they reach the workplace. For more on these stories go to 2u.com/podcast.

Corinne Hyde teaches online at USC Rossier Online from her home in small-town Louisiana. She's convinced web-based learning can be just as enriching as learning in a brick and mortar classroom. For more on these stories go to 2u.com/podcast.

Former newspaper reporter Joel Kaplan watched in horror as his beloved industry imploded while working as Associate Dean of Graduate Programs at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Now he's more optimistic than ever that the news industry is adapting and starting to embrace the technical disruptions that once threatened its existence. For more on these stories go to 2u.com/podcast.

Automated Insights, supplies major news outlets with software called Wordsmith. Chief Operating Officer, Adam Smith explains how it works. For more on these stories go to 2u.com/podcast.

The average Los Angeleno spends about 104 hours in traffic every year and Ashley Hand, of CityFi is determined to cut down that average with a few "smart" solutions up her sleeve. For more on these stories go to 2u.com/podcast.

In Dickson Despommier's future city you might shop for your fruit and vegetables by entering a skyscraper. Partly because of the environmental imperative, and partly because the food actually tastes great and stays fresher longer. Join Dickson for lunch... For more on these stories go to 2u.com/podcast.

Secure passwords are hard to remember. Nick Merrill and his colleagues at UC Berkeley's BioSense Lab are working on a new approach to security using pass thought authentication methods for device access. For more on these stories go to 2u.com/podcast.

The best way to fight the growing cybersecurity threat is by outsmarting the people behind these threats. Educator Attilio Bonaccorso is teaching his students to catch up in a series of in-class war games. Let the games begin... For more on these stories go to 2u.com/podcast.

Data Scientist Samuel Sinyangwe of Mapping Police Violence changed the conversation on police violence in America by simply sharing his findings with the world.

Eric Rice is a self-professed data convert who has used machine-driven algorithms to uplift LA's homeless youth.

Crisis Text Line is the first 24/7 support line exclusively by text in the United States that helps people with mental health issues in need while providing health professionals an unprecedented amount of mental health data that can be used to save lives.

Dr. Cassandra Quave is a medical ethnobotanist who believes that plants and traditional healers hold the key to warding off drug-resistant bacteria. For more on these stories go to 2u.com/podcast.

Dr. Barbara Han is paying close attention to the animal kingdom to stop the spread of dangerous pathogens and parasites that may spill over into humans. For more on these stories go to 2u.com/podcast.

Professor Monique Turner is teaching public health professionals the art of good (and truthful) storytelling to help disseminate awareness and squash dangerous misinformation around the spread of new diseases. For more on these stories go to 2u.com/podcast.

High school nurse Mary Pappas found herself on the front lines of the H1N1 pandemic and at the forefront of a new discovery when over a hundred ill students flooded her waiting room in 2009. For more on these stories go to 2u.com/podcast.

Virtual reality headgear isn’t just for the young at heart. Rendever designs virtual reality apps for seniors to expand their horizons while improving their mental health.

Across the country, communities of elderly people are challenging traditional retirement home models— but also creating labs for smarter (and more entertaining) ways to think about aging. Come along for a tour...

Telemedicine is one of the fastest growing industries in the healthcare space, and Amy Rutkowske co-founder of Circa Health thinks it's the answer to giving seniors the attention they need to live healthier and more affordable lives.

Some workers will prevail in the wake of increasing automation, others will not. Syracuse University's Patrick Penfield picks the winners and losers of the next labor revolution. For more on these stories go to 2u.com/podcast.