The Thought Project Podcast is recorded at The Graduate Center of The City University of New York. In this space, we talk with faculty and graduate students about the big thinking and big ideas generating ground breaking research --  informing New Yorkers and the world. Hosted by Tanya Domi.

The Thought Project

Born the same year as the United Nations was founded — 1946 — Presidential Professor Thomas G. Weiss has both worked for and spent decades studying the organization and its impact on international peace and security. He is retiring this year after a quarter century at the Graduate Center, but he is not stepping away entirely from scholarship. 

He joins The Thought Project to discuss his long career and the current state and future of the U.N. In his words, this is “not a high point of the U.N.’s 77-year history, but we've seen lots of such nadirs in the past, and I'd like to just say that this too shall pass.” 

Recently, Weiss has contributed research to the protection of world heritage. He plans to continue this work and is currently involved in a project on the protection of Asian art with former Graduate Center President Chase F. Robinson, who now directs the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. 

Weiss says he leaves the Graduate Center with great appreciation to so many current and former students who have since become colleagues. 

Listen in to learn more.

Professor Thomas G. Weiss on the U.N. and a Career Studying It

In this episode of The Thought Project podcast, Georgie Humphries, a Ph.D. candidate in Earth and Environmental Sciences at the CUNY Graduate Center, talks to science journalist and CUNY Newmark J-School graduate Saugat Bolakhe about her work to fend off toxic algal blooms.  

Humphries delves into the fascinating yet alarming world of phytoplankton – microscopic algae that produce up to 80% of the Earth’s oxygen and serve as the foundation of the marine food web. Certain species of phytoplankton, however, are behind harmful algal blooms. These blooms, which are being fueled by climate change and nutrient pollution, threaten marine life and human health, with consequences ranging from manatee deaths to water supply contamination.  

Humphries describes how she and fellow scientists at the Graduate Center’s Advanced Science Research Center are monitoring and addressing this growing scourge as they seek to preserve our oceans and protect public health. 

Listen in to learn more about how Graduate Center scientists are safeguarding our planet and its people.

Fighting Toxic Algal Bloooms to Protect Our Oceans

In this Domestic Violence Awareness Month episode of The Thought Project, Tanya Domi speaks with Jessica Morak, executive director of institutional equity and chief diversity officer at the CUNY Graduate Center, about her work to implement new Title IX policies, which prohibit sex-based discrimination in schools. 

The updated policy includes new protections for pregnant individuals and expanded employee obligations for support and information sharing. The conversation touches on broader issues of gender-based violence, including sexual violence, sex trafficking, and digital abuse. Morak shares insights from her past roles as a prosecutor for the Bronx district attorney’s office and her work at Sanctuary for Families, focusing on combating gender-based violence and providing holistic support for student survivors. The discussion highlights ongoing challenges and systemic issues, emphasizing the importance of addressing gender-based violence through education, legal frameworks, and comprehensive policies.

Listen in to learn more.

What the New Title IX Means for Gender-Based Violence Prevention

In this episode of The Thought Project, we bring you a Celestial Bodies podcast recorded by science journalist Rebecca Rand and astronomer Mark Popinchalk in which they explore the surprising connection between trees and cosmic events. 

Popinchalk, a CUNY Graduate Center alumnus (Ph.D. ’23, Physics) and postdoctoral fellow at the American Museum of Natural History, discusses how trees serve as natural records of space activity, storing traces of radiocarbon from solar flares and supernovae. By examining tree rings, scientists can trace these cosmic events back through history, linking radiocarbon spikes to phenomena like the northern lights observed centuries ago. 

Through their conversation, Rand, a graduate of the CUNY Newmark J-School, and Popinchalk shed light on how trees help us understand outer space and the and the potential risks posed by high-radiation events. 

Listen in to learn more.

Celestial Bodies: What Trees Reveal About Outer Space

In this episode of The Thought Project podcast, Tanya Domi talks with Professor Van Tran about the launch of the CUNY Graduate Center’s Ph.D. and master’s programs in Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies (BRES), the first of their kind in the New York metropolitan area. 

Tran, a sociologist who led the development of the programs with Professor Martin Ruck, discusses the mission to expand multidisciplinary research on race and ethnicity and train the next generation of scholars and practitioners. Funded in part by the Mellon Foundation, the programs build on CUNY’s longstanding commitment to ethnic studies. Tran shares how the programs will prepare students to address complex social issues, with coursework that integrates sociology, history, and various humanities and social sciences disciplines. The BRES programs, Tran says, will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of race and ethnicity, equipping them to make significant contributions in academia and in fields such as public health, medicine, education, law, and social work.

Listen in to learn more. 


BRES at the CUNY Graduate Center

In this episode of The Thought Project, Tanya Domi speaks with Charles Tien, a professor of Political Science at the CUNY Graduate Center and Hunter, about the implications of the 2024 Presidential elections. 

They discuss Donald Trump’s historic re-election, shifting voter demographics, and parallels with the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan. Drawing comparisons to Reagan’s landslide victory and its impact on U.S. politics, Tien explains how economic anxiety and inflation influenced voting patterns. The conversation also delves into the challenges ahead for governance in a closely divided Congress and the potential impact of Trump’s return to the presidency. The conversation offers a nuanced look at the new political landscape and the future of American democracy.

Listen in to learn more. 


How Economic Anxiety Shaped the Election With Charles Tien

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