Technologically Speaking

In this episode of Tech Speak, our podcast team travels to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, as S&T, the Transportation Security Administration, and regional partners introduce a new cutting-edge self-service screening technology to the media. Listen as former Season 2 guest, Dr. John Fortune, and the Transportation Security Administration’s Christina Peach and Karen Burke talk about how the Screening at Speed Program team is working to change the airport screening experience for the traveling public and transportation security officers.

In our special Women’s History Month Tech Speak minisode, S&T Deputy Under Secretary for Science and Technology Julie Brewer and Season 3 guests, LaTasha Thompson and Brannan Villee, offer advice, give their perspectives on science and technology, and talk about how their careers in STEM took off.

The final episode of Technologically Speaking Season 3 is out of this world! Host Deepak Saini is joined by Technical Manager Ernest Wong of S&T’s Technology Centers for a discussion about critical infrastructure resiliency. Learn about position, navigation, and timing and how it impacts numerous aspects of everyday life on Earth. And find out what the future may hold when it comes to research and development in outer space.

Technologically Speaking Host John Verrico, who retires this week after 15 years as S&T’s chief of Media and Community Relations, takes a surprising turn in the hot seat as a guest—talking with co-host Dee Saini about what it takes to make sure audiences know about the great work being accomplished at S&T. The innovation and research happening across the many diverse and varied S&T programs rely on skilled and dedicated media specialists who connect scientists and administrators to the public in a way that resonates and makes sense in their daily lives.

In this episode, host John Verrico sits down with identity technologies expert Jon Prisby of S&T’s Biometric and Identity Technology Center. Jon touches on the future of digital credentials and discusses how biometrics may influence deep fakes. You’ll hear about the role digital credentials play in our daily lives, learn about how mobile driver’s licenses (a future digital credential) work, and discover why biometrics can be both the solution to deep fakes and also part of the problem. Also: find out why the title’s real estate analogy is used to describe the digital identity space.

In this episode, host John Verrico is joined by Dan Cotter, executive director of S&T’s Office of Science and Engineering and DHS Scientific Integrity Officer, for a wide-ranging discussion of the complex world of emergency management. Learn how a hydrology major wound up helping ensure government research is free of political interference and discover some of the many S&T efforts to enhance preparedness for individual citizens and their families, state and local first responders, and the nation.

Host John Verrico sits down with Dr. Nick Bergman, director of S&T’s National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC). Dr. Bergman is a bit of a germaphobe, but it’s hard not to be when you run a Biosecurity Level 4 lab that studies pathogens for which no vaccine or treatment exists. Hear an insider’s perspective of the COVID pandemic, find out how NBACC regularly helps the FBI, and meet a guy living a “pretty typical life” of helping save us all from superbugs.

In this episode, host John Verrico sits down with Dr. LaTasha Thompson, Program Director of S&T’s Office of SAFETY Act Implementation. LaTasha breaks down the SAFETY Act for us—explaining its significance, how it works, and even how it could impact you. You’ll learn about the important legal liability protections provided under the SAFETY Act, hear how anti-terrorism technologies are being evaluated and assessed under the Act, and discover some innovative ways lotion and trash cans are being used to protect the nation. You’ll also find out how LaTasha and her team are helping keep stadiums around the country safe and secure from nefarious actors.

S&T Division Director for Infrastructure and Security Solutions, Brannan Villee, talks about the crucial role S&T plays in protecting our critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructure is a lot more than just bridges and dams, it also includes the power grid, the water we drink, our access to 911 in an emergency, and even the internet itself. As the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law hits its two-year anniversary, Brannan talks about how this historic funding has helped shape and support the Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Research Program, the single largest appropriation that S&T has ever received for one program.

Matt Barger, director of S&T’s Maritime and Immigration Security Solutions Division, talks about how we’re safeguarding the nation’s borders and ensuring the safety and integrity of trade and travel, especially when it comes to maritime security. He explains that borders are not a linear map or a two-dimensional picture—they exist underwater, in the air, over land, underground, and even in space and cyberspace. Matt also weighs in on whether Jack could have survived in the movie Titanic.