Miranda Martinez Describes the Best Way to Save for Retirement

Miranda Martinez, an Associate Professor in the Department of Comparative Studies, researches race and public policy and economic, sociological, and cultural economies, among other areas. She looks at the impact of financial coaching in communities of color and how having an automated monthly savings plan can be a significant benefit over having to decide consciously to save every month.

What Is It to Know Something, and Do Dogs Have Knowledge? Declan Smithies knows

Declan Smithies, Professor and Director of Philosophy Graduate Studies, researches what it means to know something and to have consciousness. His book, The Epistemic Role of Consciousness, argues that consciousness gives humans knowledge of the external world and that without consciousness, we wouldn’t know anything. Since a dog can know whether there’s food in its bowl by perceiving its bowl, Smithies says, “it’s very plausible that the conscious experience of seeing or smelling the food in the bowl can give dogs knowledge.”

How Do People Make Difficult Decisions? Dana Howard Has Decided on an Answer.

Dana Howard, Assistant Professor of Philosophy with an appointment in the Ohio State Center for Bioethics, researches medical care, often in palliative and internal medicine, to discover how information is shared and decisions reached. She shares her research with David Staley on this week’s Voices of Excellence.

From Florida to the Antarctic: W. Berry Lyons’ Scientific Journey

W. Berry Lyons, Professor and Distinguished University Scholar in the Ohio State School of Earth Sciences, was born and raised in the sunny state of Florida, but much of his career has been focused on the decidedly colder Antarctic, where he’s researched the impact of climate and climate change on the McMurdo Dry Valleys, the continent’s largest ice-free area. 

Who Were the First Americans? Mark Hubbe Has Some Suggestions

Professor of Anthropology Mark Hubbe studies modern human dispersion with a special emphasis on the settlement of South America. He joins host David Staley on this week’s Voices of Excellence to discuss how the Americas were inhabited, what makes archeological evidence for human settlements controversial, and what methods are used to explore these questions.