<![CDATA[Science of Everyday Life]]>b01ccf33-f6a9-5e23-96cf-e37fef20e453Wed, 09 Sep 2026 16:44:21 +0000Captivate.fmJohn Harroldhttps://artwork.captivate.fm/37d883f1-d9f2-4ab8-b22b-3f2bb2c97ea4/Science-of-Everyday-Life-Graphic-1x1.jpgScience of Everyday LifeJohn HarroldJohn HarroldAn MIT Learn Podcast. Every day we interact with countless unique materials, technologies, and ideas. Most of us never give a second thought to many of them, but a lucky few of us get the chance to learn how fascinating these seemingly mundane topics can actually be. On this podcast, we speak with some of those folks and get a glimpse into what makes these materials and other topics so interesting, the science that makes it all work, and perhaps will give us a reason to take that second look. At MIT, John Harrold, PhD is an Instructor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Open Learning DELTA Scientist.https://bit.ly/scienceofeverydaylifefalseepisodicaed41cf0-554f-11f1-bebe-a3ef0fa986fanopodcastDrawn in: Communicating complex ideas with art. Scientific illustration with Gb KimDrawn in: Communicating complex ideas with art. Scientific illustrationScience is full of ideas that resist easy explanation. We sit down with Gb Kim to explore how illustration can communicate complex ideas that language struggles with. Gb Kim is the Principal Artist on MIT's Interactive Books, a new narrative science platform. Raised in her parents' research laboratories, she has spent her career learning to translate what scientists see in their heads onto the page. She shares her craft, her process of collaborating with scientists, and why bold and deliberate color is the first thing that pulls many into a complex idea.

Learn more at learn.mit.edu

]]>Science is full of ideas that resist easy explanation. We sit down with Gb Kim to explore how illustration can communicate complex ideas that language struggles with. Gb Kim is the Principal Artist on MIT's Interactive Books, a new narrative science platform. Raised in her parents' research laboratories, she has spent her career learning to translate what scientists see in their heads onto the page. She shares her craft, her process of collaborating with scientists, and why bold and deliberate color is the first thing that pulls many into a complex idea.

Learn more at learn.mit.edu

]]>325303e3-3e78-4c35-a02c-bda163c034fbMon, 17 Aug 2026 01:30:00 -040048:07falsefull44Stop and Go: Innovation in the face of Inherited Infrastructure - Urban Mobility with Chris ZegrasStop and Go: Innovation in the face of Inherited Infrastructure - Urban MobilityMost of us experience traffic as a frustration and delay, but there is a deeper system at work. We speak with Chris Zegras to better understand how mobility shapes our neighborhoods and daily routines. Prof Zegras’s research spans inter-related areas critical to tackling urban mobility challenges: human behavior, digital transformation, and strategic planning techniques and technologies. He shares how traffic emerges, what our infrastructure is built for, how communities attempt to change and manage it, and what the future of urban mobility might look like.

Learn more: learn.mit.edu

Watch for Free on MIT Learn: https://learn.mit.edu/video/117034/

Chris Zegras: https://dusp.mit.edu/people/chris-zegras

]]>Most of us experience traffic as a frustration and delay, but there is a deeper system at work. We speak with Chris Zegras to better understand how mobility shapes our neighborhoods and daily routines. Prof Zegras’s research spans inter-related areas critical to tackling urban mobility challenges: human behavior, digital transformation, and strategic planning techniques and technologies. He shares how traffic emerges, what our infrastructure is built for, how communities attempt to change and manage it, and what the future of urban mobility might look like.

Learn more: learn.mit.edu

Watch for Free on MIT Learn: https://learn.mit.edu/video/117034/

Chris Zegras: https://dusp.mit.edu/people/chris-zegras

]]>316126e1-9f6f-482b-b27a-90db14f8433cMon, 20 Jul 2026 13:45:00 -040044:55falsefull33Fashionable Physics: Turning Plastic Bags into Functional Fabrics with Svetlana BoriskinaFashionable Physics: Turning Plastic Bags into Functional FabricsIn a world where clothing is constantly produced, purchased, and replaced, there is still a lot to learn about fabric. What may seem like an old, familiar industry turns out to be full of advanced physics, materials science, and engineering challenges. MIT Mechanical Engineering Principal Investigator Svetlana Boriskina develops new fabrics that can provide thermal comfort indoors and outdoors, resist dirt, and create color without dyes or pigments. She shares insights into exploring new areas of research outside her comfort zone, lessons from the textile industry, and what fabrics can teach us about nature itself.

Watch the video podcast for free: https://bit.ly/scienceofeverydaylife

Learn More at learn.mit.edu

Svetlana Boriskina: sites.mit.edu/sboriskina/

Svetlana Boriskina's Courses sites.mit.edu/sboriskina/courses/

]]>In a world where clothing is constantly produced, purchased, and replaced, there is still a lot to learn about fabric. What may seem like an old, familiar industry turns out to be full of advanced physics, materials science, and engineering challenges. MIT Mechanical Engineering Principal Investigator Svetlana Boriskina develops new fabrics that can provide thermal comfort indoors and outdoors, resist dirt, and create color without dyes or pigments. She shares insights into exploring new areas of research outside her comfort zone, lessons from the textile industry, and what fabrics can teach us about nature itself.

Watch the video podcast for free: https://bit.ly/scienceofeverydaylife

Learn More at learn.mit.edu

Svetlana Boriskina: sites.mit.edu/sboriskina/

Svetlana Boriskina's Courses sites.mit.edu/sboriskina/courses/

]]>b28b79b6-0b0e-4436-a962-8dbebea82e11Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:05:00 -040046:36falsefull22Half-Million Miles to Your Door: Supply Chains with Chris CapliceHalf-Million Miles to Your Door: Supply ChainsFrom the products on our shelves to the packages arriving at our doors, supply chains quietly shape our everyday lives. We sat down with Chris Caplice to unpack how these complex systems actually work behind the scenes. Dr. Caplice serves as the Executive Director of the MIT’s Center for Transportation & Logistics (CTL) where he is responsible for the planning and management of the research, education, and corporate outreach programs for the center. He created and currently serves as Director of MIT’s online program in Supply Chain Management. He shares insights into how supply chains are designed, where they break down, and why understanding them has become more important than ever.

Watch the episodes on video: https://bit.ly/scienceofeverydaylife

Chris Caplice : https://caplice.mit.edu/

Learn more at learn.mit.edu

MicroMasters Program in Supply Chain Management https://micromasters.mit.edu/scm/

]]>From the products on our shelves to the packages arriving at our doors, supply chains quietly shape our everyday lives. We sat down with Chris Caplice to unpack how these complex systems actually work behind the scenes. Dr. Caplice serves as the Executive Director of the MIT’s Center for Transportation & Logistics (CTL) where he is responsible for the planning and management of the research, education, and corporate outreach programs for the center. He created and currently serves as Director of MIT’s online program in Supply Chain Management. He shares insights into how supply chains are designed, where they break down, and why understanding them has become more important than ever.

Watch the episodes on video: https://bit.ly/scienceofeverydaylife

Chris Caplice : https://caplice.mit.edu/

Learn more at learn.mit.edu

MicroMasters Program in Supply Chain Management https://micromasters.mit.edu/scm/

]]>e2f3ef2f-0cb0-42db-9a5f-7b30362cec04Mon, 18 May 2026 19:45:00 -040045:29falsefull11