Free Food For Thought

Emma Pan and Joelle Min sit down with Phia Salter, associate professor of psychology at Davidson College, to talk about viewing systematic racism through critical race and cultural-psychological perspectives. Phia S. Salter is associate professor of psychology at Davidson College. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Kansas in 2010. In her research, she uses cultural-psychological and critical race perspectives to inform her work on collective memory, racial identity, and systemic racism. Her research lab, the Culture in Mind Research Collaboratory, conducts research that addresses social inequalities and injustice in different facets of American society.

Vedanth Reddy and Nathaniel Worley sit down with Professor Daniel W. Drezner to talk about the state of globalization today. Daniel W. Drezner is professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a nonresident senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He is also the co-director of Fletcher’s Russia and Eurasia program.

Nathaniel Worley sits down with Davy Rothbart in this episode. Davy Rothbart is a bestselling author, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, the creator of Found Magazine, a frequent contributor to public radio's This American Life, and the author of a book of personal essays, My Heart Is An Idiot, and a collection of stories, The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas. He writes regularly for GQ and his work has appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Times.

Emma Pan and Ryan Lenney sit down with Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar. Justice Cuéllar is the President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former Justice of the Supreme Court of California. In this episode, Justice Cuéllar shares his experiences from his upbringing in Mexico and California. He also talks about global policy and national security.

Daniella Reyes and Natalie Chen sit down with Mukulika Banerjee—Associate Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science. In this episode, Mukulika Banerjee expresses her thoughts on recent social movements in India and how taking on a republican mindset will be essential to reviving the constitutional vision for the democractic system in India. She also explains how gaining insight on the ethnographic context of its community alongside its election results can help us to understand the future of Indian democracy.

Emma Pan and Tutu Jereissati sit down with Kevin Merida—the Executive Editor of the Los Angeles Times. In this episode, Kevin Merida talks about the changing nature of the Los Angeles Times and media coverage of the government and politics.

Baron Zeng and Justin Ongchin sit down with Robert Simonds—media entrepreneur and prolific film producer—in this exciting episode. From creating China's number one TV Show to running Bollywood's second largest streaming platform, Robert Simonds—founder and chairman of STX Entertainment—shares his story on how he succeeded in Hollywood as a young film producer and expanded his company globally. Frequent collaborators of his included Adam Sandler, Steve Martin, Dave Chapelle, and many others.

Tutu Jereissati and Ryan Lenney sit down with Tom Linebarger, executive chairman of Cummins, Inc.—a global power technology company that pioneers new technologies to sustainably meet the world’s growing power needs, to talk about his career, life, and how to live a life a purpose. For Linebarger, working for an employer whose values aligned with his own was the key to finding his purpose.

Dorismar Cuevas and Nathaniel Worley sat down with former Southern California journalist-turned-novelist Charmaine Wilkerson to talk about the power of storytelling and her debut novel "Black Cake."

Natalie Chen and Nathaniel Worley sit down with Pardis Mahdavi—the provost and executive vice president at the University of Montana—to talk about the political and cultural landscape in Iran.

Ellie Lerner and Marshall Bessey sit down with Omer Bartov, the Samuel Pisar Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University, to have an in-depth conversation about his new book, “The Butterfly and the Axe” and the rise of antisemitism.

Nathan Verba and Nathaniel Worley interview University of Washington School of Law Dean Tamara Lawson (CMC '92) to discuss a variety of issues relating to her experiences so far as dean as well as her previous experience working as deputy district attorney at the Clark County District Attorney’s Office in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Justin Ongchin and Baron Zeng sit down with data scientist Jay Cordes in this insightful episode. Jay Cordes co-authored the book The 9 Pitfalls of Data Science with Pomona economist Gary Smith to help guide future data scientists away from the common pitfalls he saw in the corporate world.

Nathaniel Worley sat down with SoCal legend Larry Mantle to discuss his long-running show AirTalk, public radio, and more in this engaging episode sure to please any radio-enthusiast.

Timothy Frye is the Marshall D. Shulman Professor of Post-Soviet Foreign Policy at Columbia University, author of four books, and holds the Library of Congress Chair on US-Russian Relations. Vedanth Reddy and Justin Ongchin sit down with Professor Timothy Frye to discuss Putin's worldview and Russia's similarities to other autocracies.

Nathaniel Worley sits down with Professor Joe Soss to discuss the interplay of politics, inequalities, and public policy in this insightful episode.

In this educational episode, Nathaniel Worley and Dorismar Cuevas sit down with Michelle Tusan, a Professor of History at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Hear an insightful discussion on modern British history, the British Empire, and women’s history.

Justin and Nathaniel sit down with Peabody and Emmy award-winning director Elizabeth Ito. Elizabeth Ito has been working as a creator, writer, director, and storyboard artist in the animation industry since 2004 on TV, feature, and commercial projects. Her first series, City of Ghosts, premiered in 2021 and won a Peabody Award in 2022.

Justin and Vedanth sit down with cartoonist Lynda Barry in this creative and inspiring episode.

In this episode, Nathaniel and Baron interview Sanjib Kalita, co-founder and CEO of Guppy—the Web3 credit bureau—and editor-in-chief of Money 20/20—the world’s leading fintech event series. They discuss the current FinTech landscape, data monetization, digital cash, and more, in this exciting episode.