This Week on The Academic Minute
Monday
Beatrice Golomb, professor of medicine at the University of California San Diego, discussed why a diagnostic code is so important for veterans with Gulf War Illness.
Tuesday
Cole McFaul, senior research analyst at Georgetown University, explores how we pull back the curtain on China’s military-civil fusion.
Wednesday
Maria Steenland, assistant professor of family science in the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland, examines the stark mortality differences between pregnancy and abortion.
Thursday
Sriniwas Pandey, lecturer at the School of Computing at Binghamton University, details what happens when platforms recommend opinions instead of users.
Friday
Charlotte Hogg, professor of rhetoric and composition at Texas Christian University, details what sororities can teach us about belonging.
Catch up with The Academic Minute from 5/18 - 5/22
Monday
George McLeod - Old Dominion University
Building Digital Twins of Our World to Improve Coastal Resilience
Dr. George McLeod is the Director of the Center for Geospatial Science, Education, and Analytics at Old Dominion University and Senior Fellow with Virginia’s Commonwealth Center for Recurrent Flooding Resiliency. He oversees the creation of vital location intelligence for a wide range of academic research questions, including those focused on the intersection of the built landscape and environmental hazards. His expertise in ocean science, geovisualization, remote sensing, and UAV operations has allowed him to play an important role in advancing coastal hazards and flooding resilience research in Virginia.
Tuesday
Tiffany Zhu - Old Dominion University
How Should AI Talk About Us?
Tiffany Zhu is a philosopher. She is an Assistant Professor of Global Ethics and Technology in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Old Dominion University. Prior to joining ODU in Fall 2025, she was a Faculty Fellow in AI Ethics at the California Center for Ethics and Policy at California State Polytechnic University Pomona.
Wednesday
Maryam Golbazi - Old Dominion University
Where the Heat Hits Hardest
Maryam Golbazi is a Research Assistant Professor at Old Dominion University working with the Joint Institute on Advanced Computing for Environmental Studies (JI-ACES). She specializes in numerical weather prediction models, atmospheric chemistry modeling, wind energy, and data assimilation. Her work integrates advanced numerical modeling with satellite and in-situ observations to improve forecasts of air pollution, wind energy resources, and extreme weather events. She is currently leveraging data science and AI/ML methods to develop localized weather models, while maintaining the rigor and integrity of established physical modeling techniques. With prior research experience at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and many collaborative projects, Dr. Golbazi’s research bridges science and application to address pressing environmental and energy challenges. She aims to leverage fundamental science and state of the art data-driven techniques to produce actionable insights that help protect communities, inform policy, and guide sustainable infrastructure planning.
Thursday
Hong Qin - Old Dominion University
How Fast Can a Viral Variant Spread?
Hong Qin is an Associate Professor in the School of Data Science and the Department of Computer Science at Old Dominion University. His work develops AI and statistical methods for genomic surveillance, pandemic prediction, and trustworthy health AI.
Friday
Khan Iftekharuddin - Old Dominion University
How Does Non-Invasive Detection of Aggressive Brain Tumor Recurrence Work?
Dr. Khan Iftekharuddin is a professor and Batten Endowed Chair in Machine Learning in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Old Dominion University (ODU). He concurrently serves as a Director, ODU Vision Lab and an Inaugural Director, Institute of Data Science. Dr. Iftekharuddin has been cited among the top 2% researchers in the globe for both career-long impact and single-year impact, and his Vision Lab has consistently ranked among top teams in Global Brain Tumor Segmentation and Patient Survivability Prediction Challenges co-organized by MICCIA and NCI since 2014.
The Academic Minute airs on the WAMC Northeast Public Radio network at 7:30 a.m. and 3:56 p.m. weekdays.
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