In the spring of 2022, Laura Auricchio, Ph.D., dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, teamed up with Alexandra Schwartz, Ph.D., curator of the Museum of Arts and Design's exhibition Garmenting: Costume as Contemporary Art, to teach Museum Collaboration: Garmenting, to a group of 19 Fordham students from Fordham College at Lincoln Center and Fordham College at Rose Hill. For their final projects, students worked in group to create podcasts devoted to each of the exhibition's five themes.

In this episode, focused on the theme of Functionality, students Sloane Cameron, Tiziana Capizzi, Sophie Choo, and Brianna DiCamillo speak with exhibition curator Alexandra Schwartz.

Episode 5: Functionality

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has brought the spectre of potential nuclear conflict back into the public consciousness for the first time in decades. But what’s behind the potential for nuclear conflict and what issues are at stake for nuclear powers other than the US and Russia, like China?

To discuss these and other questions on the current state of global nuclear tensions and development, in March 2025 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Nicola Leveringhaus of King's College London. 

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Luke Digweed.  
Further reading and resources
•	Under the Nuclear Shadow: China’s Information-Age Weapons in International Security by Fiona S. Cunningham (Princeton University Press, 2025) - https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691261027/under-the-nuclear-shadow 
•	The New Nuclear Age: At the Precipice of Armageddon by Ankit Panda (Wiley, 2025) - https://www.wiley.com/en-gb/The+New+Nuclear+Age%3A+At+the+Precipice+of+Armageddon-p-9781509557462 


LSE: The Ballpark | US-China strategic stability with Dr Nicola Leveringhaus

In this week’s installment of YJBM Science News, Majo and Roxanna discuss recent Yale-affiliated research about contraceptives, fertility, and immunology! Can our genetic variants help us predict which birth control method would be the most effective? What can the gut microbiome tell us about the immune systems of multiple sclerosis patients before and after undergoing immunotherapy treatment? Join us as we explore not only the answers to these questions, but also as we learn more about the trials and tribulations of data generation!

Papers featured in this episode:

“Pharmacogenomics of the Etonogestrel Contraceptive Implant: A Genome-Wide Association Study of Steady-State Etonogestrel Concentrations” - https://doi.org/10.1097/og9.0000000000000066
https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/analyzing-genetics-may-lead-to-better-contraceptive-experiences-for-women/

"Allosteric inhibition of the IZUMO1–JUNO fertilization complex by the naturally occurring antisperm antibody OBF13" - https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2425952122
https://news.yale.edu/2025/03/03/scientists-discover-how-naturally-occurring-mechanism-hampers-fertility

“A single-cell atlas of circulating immune cells over the first 2 months of age in extremely premature infants” - https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.adr0942
https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/new-insights-into-preterm-infant-immunity-could-inform-care/

“Alterations in Gut Microbiome-Host Relationships After Immune Perturbation in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis” - https://doi.org/10.1212/NXI.0000000000200355
https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/gut-microbiome-changes-linked-to-multiple-sclerosis-ms-new-study-finds/

Read more about YJBM at:
https://medicine.yale.edu/yjbm/ 

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https://www.instagram.com/theyjbm/

YJBM Science News 30: Reproductive Health and Immunology

Today Olivia is joined by Dr Jessica Farren, a consultant gynaecologist at University London College Hospital (UCLH) with a passion for early pregnancy care, and for empowering women with education about their health. Jessica’s PhD focused on the psychological impacts of early pregnancy loss. Today we dive into her work by discussing what these psychological impacts are, and how best to support women who are experiencing this, whether as a healthcare professional, colleague, friend or family member. 

This episode highlights the importance of seeing early pregnancy loss not as one diagnosis or experience, but rather acknowledging the range of factors and emotions involved. To learn more about ‘This is Womanhood’, and how you can register your businesses interest in a session to learn essential medical knowledge and support every woman needs, every step of the way, visit https://www.thisiswomanhood.uk/ 

If you or someone you know is experiencing pregnancy loss and needs support, you may wish to point them in the direction of three wonderful organisations: The Miscarriage Association, The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, and Saying Goodbye.

Date of episode recording: 2025-03-22T00:00:00Z
Duration: 00:31:10
Language of episode: English
Presenter:Olivia Moir
Guests: Dr Jessica Farren
Producer: Olivia Moir, Institute for Women's Health


Psychological Impacts of Early Pregnancy Loss

In the months of both Ramadan and Lent, Generation One joins in with reflections on the relationship between food, community, and health with our fifth episode of Season 5.  

Hosts Mark and Simon explore not only the impacts of climate change on global food availability, but societal behaviour around food and decision-making, and the effects of both on our health.

They’re joined by two UCL experts: Mark Miodownik (Professor of Materials & Society) who deconstructs the supply chain to highlight the damaging effects of packaging and microplastics. And Gail Taylor (Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences), who explains how the latest developments in plant science and agrotechnology can help make food more nutritious and widely available. 

We also heard from Dr Andrew Simms of the New Economics Foundation. And from UCL students Carson and Valentina, leaders of the Students’ Union’s Zero Food Waste project, which aims to tackle food waste on campus. 

Zero Food Waste: https://studentsunionucl.org/volunteering/organisation/zero-food-waste 
Transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/climate-change/podcasts-videos/ucl-generation-one-climate-podcast 

Date of episode recording: 6 and 21 March 2025 
Duration: 55.46 
Language of episode: English  
Presenter: Professor Mark Maslin and Dr Simon Chin-Yee  
Guests: 
Professor Mark Miodownik, UCL 
Professor Gail Taylor, UCL 
Yat Hin Carson Chan, UCL Students’ Union 
Valentina (Hye Won) Chang, UCL Students’ Union 
Producers:  
Adam Batstone 
Caitlin Mullin

Food security, consumerism and health: What’s the connection?

So many books and so little time--it's a challenge to choose what to read next! It helps to remember that so-called "reading mortality" is a fact of life--you'll never get to them all, but you can curate your own to-read list that speaks specifically to you. Plus, the sneaky story behind the expression slip someone a mickey, and a new word for walking your dog: Let's go on a sniffari! And: favorite first lines of books, Bohemian, a brain teaser about song titles, how to pronounce aioli, jo-jo potatoes, a cool million, and more. http://waywordradio.org

A Cool Million (Full Episode)

How did the term Bohemian come to be associated with literary and artistic nonconformists who live outside mainstream society? In the early 19th century, the French term La bohème was applied to the Romani people, also known as the Roma, a traditionally itinerant people who originated in Northern India, and who arrived in France via Bohemia, now part of the modern Czech Republic. The 1851 book Scènes de la vie de bohème or Scenes of Bohemian Life (Bookshop|Amazon) romanticized the life of an impoverished seamstress and her artist friends, and inspired Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème, which in turn helped inspire the modern musical RENT and its show-stopping number La vie bohème. http://waywordradio.org

1654-Caller-Brian-Bohemian

While reading Great Expectations (Bookshop|Amazon) by Charles Dickens, a listener in Arlington, Texas, is surprised when one of the characters inherits some money, which Dickens describes as a cool four thousand. Were they really using cool that way back then? When used to describe large quantities of money, cool emphasizes that this impressive number totals at least that amount. http://waywordradio.org

1654-Caller-Matthew-A-Cool-Million

Rich, an audiobook narrator from Tucson, Arizona, wonders how lexicographers decide which pronunciations are preferred. He specifically wonders about pronouncing the word aioli. http://waywordradio.org

1654-Caller-Rich-Aioli-Pronunciation

Given the fact of reading mortality--the awareness that it's physically impossible to read all the books we'd like to--what's the best way to choose your next book? Maryanne Wolf wrestles with modern challenges to doing so in Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World (Bookshop|Amazon). http://waywordradio.org

Episode 5: Functionality

FordhamNotes

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