Month: October 2025

Sarah Neville: Exploring the Bounds of Book History

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Sarah Neville, Associate Professor of English and Theater, Film, and Media Arts, discusses her role as a book historian, editorial theorist, and creative director of Lord Denney’s Players. Neville emphasizes the importance of the materiality of books, not just as containers for text, but as objects that hold meaning and historical significance. Neville also elaborates on her work with editorial theory, specifically how scholars determine the true text of Shakespearean works given the lack of original manuscripts. She talks about Lord Denney’s Players, an academic theater company at Ohio State, and their unique approach to exploring textual questions in Shakespeare’s plays through performance.

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Kym McDaniel: Artist, Educator, Intuitive Filmmaker

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Kym McDaniel, Assistant Professor of Dance, shares her wide range of experiences with experimental filmmaking, dance, writing, interdisciplinary art, choreography, education, and the world of disability studies. She talks about her body of work, which is often informed by personal and perceived experiences of disability, injury, and trauma, with her recent film Document with No End examining the intertwining of environmental crises and personal illness. Professor McDaniel also discusses her intuitive creative process and an ongoing project involving undergraduate students at Ohio State.

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Yuan-Sen Ting: How AI is Impacting Science Research

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Yuan-Sen Ting, Associate Professor of Astronomy and a member of the Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics, discusses his innovative research at the intersection of artificial intelligence and astronomy. He uses large language models as agents to aid in astronomical research. He explains the concept of agentic research, how AI assists in tasks such as identifying outlier data from telescopic observations, and the potential and limitations of AI in complementing human researchers. Dr. Ting also talks about his background in mathematical physics, his interest in non-intrusive applications of AI, and the future of AI in scientific research. He emphasizes the importance of teaching students to use and critically assess AI outputs in their work.

You may also be interested in Dr. Ting’s Science Sundays discussion

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John Herbert: Not All Science is Going to Take Us to the Moon – And That’s Okay

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John Herbert, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, discusses his work in computational molecular quantum mechanics and quantum chemistry with host David Staley. Herbert describes machine learning, cost-effective training data for AI models and the need for low-cost computational methods, which he calls “computing for the proletariat”. Professor Herbert also shares his insights on the culture of academic science, advocating for a reevaluation of the current “great man approach” towards research and innovation.

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Nyama McCarthy-Brown: Everybody is a Dancer

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Nyama McCarthy-Brown, Associate Professor of Dance Pedagogy through Community Engagement, discusses her work and achievements in dance pedagogy and community engagement. She also talks about the Ohio State Artist Laureate program, and her experience as the inaugural Laureate in 2023. Dr. Brown talks with host David Staley about her book, Skin Colored Pointes, which explores the experiences of women of color in ballet, and how her pedagogical work aims to honor diverse dance histories.

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