Contributors

Default contributor headshot
Host

Temple Grandin

Dr. Grandin is a prominent scientist, author, and spokesperson. 

Default contributor headshot
Co-host

Erik Jorgensen

Dr. Erik Jorgensen is a professor of Biology at the University of Utah, as well as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.  Dr. Jorgensen studies how the human brain works on a molecular level, using a microscopic worm called C. elegans as the model. The synapses in worms work similarly, and use many of the same genes, as in other organisms - including humans. In one study published in the journal Neuron in 2012, Jorgensen and one of his students, Jaimie White, were able to essentially "flip" the switch of synapses in the brains of female worms to make them sexually attracted to other females.

Default contributor headshot
Co-host

Nalini Nadkarni

Dr. Nalini Nadkarni is an ecologist specialicizing in the study of rainforest canopies, and a Professor of Biology at the University of Utah. In addition to her research, Dr. Nadkarni pioneered the Science in Prisons project, which brings science education and conservation projects to incarcerated individuals.