Welcome to the IEEE Brain Podcast Series. In this series, we interview some of the top subject matter experts in brain research and neurotechnology. IEEE Brain Podcasts provide you with access to the industry’s best of the best.
Episode 15
Q&A with Dr. Laura Specker Sullivan, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, College of Charleston
In partnership with IEEE EMBS. Ethics, as it relates to neuroscience, continues to grow in importance in light of ongoing advancements in neurotechnology. In this podcast, Laura Specker Sullivan, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the College of Charleston and Clinical Ethics Consultant at the Medical University of South Carolina, provides insights on ethical challenges and ways to ensure ethics are prioritized within neuroscience, and she gives advice how students might explore opportunities related to this growing field of interest.
Episode 14
Q&A with JoJo Platt, President of Platt and Associates, Inc.
In partnership with IEEE EMBS. Bioelectronics medicine is a growing field underpinned by bioelectrical engineering, neuroscience and molecular biology technologies. In this podcast, JoJo Platt, president of Platt and Associates, points to a collaborative and unifying approach for achieving new discoveries and applications in bioelectronics medicine, touching upon key issues such as ethics, security, and the advantages of a tangential education for young engineers.
Episode 13
Q&A with Dr. Al Emondi, Program Manager in the Biological Technologies Office at DARPA
In partnership with IEEE EMBS. Advancements in neurotechnology have the potential to enable new applications where humans could possibly communicate with complex systems at “the speed of light”. Dr. Al Emondi, Program Manager in the Biological Technologies Office at The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), sat down with IEEE Brain at the 2019 IEEE EMBS Conference on Neural Engineering where he shared his insights on non-invasive brain interfaces and why he believes we are currently experiencing a revolutionary time for neuroscience and bioengineering technologies.
Episode 12
Q&A with Dr. Cindy Chestek, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at University of Michigan
In partnership with IEEE EMBS. Dr. Cindy Chestek, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan, began her career as an electrical engineer but is now immersed in the world of brain-machine interfaces (BMIs). She is working diligently on hardware and algorithms for BMIs with the goal of developing better prosthetic control of multi-articulated finger movements. We spoke with Dr. Chestek at the 2019 IEEE EMBS Conference on Neural Engineering where she shared more about her work in prosthetics and peripheral nerves, how carbon fiber electrode arrays are changing the game, and much more.
Episode 11
Q&A with Jack Gallant, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at UC Berkeley
In partnership with IEEE EMBS. When it comes to functional mapping of the human brain, Jack Gallant, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at UC Berkeley, is at the forefront. Although we are a ways away from fully mapping the brain, Jack’s work in functional MRI has led to incredible spatial maps that are helping scientists better understand the brain. Jack shares how he got started in neuroscience, why he believes understanding the brain is important for the future of science and medicine, how those interested in a similar career path should get started, and more.
Episode 10
Q&A with Dr. Elisa Konofagou, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology at Columbia University
We sat down with Dr. Elisa Konofagou, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology at Columbia University, at the 2018 IEEE Brain Initiative Workshop on Advanced NeuroTechnologies. Dr. Konofagou gave us further insights and a deeper dive into ultrasound neuromodulation of the brain in vivo, the topic she discussed during the workshop. She shares more about her work and how her goal is to create a world where cancer, tumors, psychiatric and motor neural diseases are detected and treated using ultrasound-based technologies.
Episode 9
Q&A with Chris Berka, CEO and Co-Founder of Advanced Brain Monitoring
In this podcast, we spoke with Chris Berka, CEO and Co-Founder of Advanced Brain Monitoring, following her presentation at the IEEE Brain Initiative Workshop on Advanced NeuroTechnologies to get an inside look at how her company is using brain activity monitoring to better understand neurodegenerative diseases. Advanced Brain Monitoring uses sleep and daytime brain profiles to collect valuable data which is then used to predict advancements in diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. Chris shared her end goal for observing and collecting data from brain activity, new projects her company is working on, how she got started working in neurotechnology and advice for those looking to follow the same career path.
Episode 8
Q&A with Dr. Jennifer Gelinas, Assistant Professor of Neurology in the Institute for Genomic Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center
Dr. Gelinas is focused on understanding how neural networks can be disrupted by pathologic activity, especially epileptic activity and she discusses with us how better bio markers for neuro psychiatric disease brings hope for new therapeutic targets for these types of disorders.
We sat down with Dr. Gelinas at the 2018 IEEE Brain Initiative Workshop on Advanced NeuroTechnologies in San Diego, California to discuss her research, how she came to work in neurotechnology, how collaboration has benefited her research, and much more.
Episode 7
Q&A with Dr. Kip Ludwig, Associate Director of the Mayo Clinic Neural Engineering Laboratories
In partnership with IEEE EMBS. Kip Ludwig started his career in the bio-chemical/bio-molecular field, but when a rat beat him at a video game using Brain Machine Interfaces, he knew his future was in neurotechnology. Dr. Ludwig, Mayo Clinic Neural Engineering Laboratories Associate Director, has dedicated his career and his research to the field of neurotechnology and has made incredible strides in implantable and injectable systems, bionic eyes, Deep Brain Stimulation, and more. Through his work with the White House Brain Initiative and the Mayo Clinic, he has been on the forefront of cutting-edge developments in neurotechnology that have enabled blind people to see and deaf people to hear. In this podcast, Dr. Ludwig shares his vision for the future of neurotechnology, how the IEEE Brain Initiative is essential to the development of new technology, and much more. Dr. Ludwig is well on his way to his career goal which is to solve every neural degenerative disease during his lifetime.