Tech & Friends • SBU Graduate Arts & Sciences Magazine

Episode 10

Tech & Tunes: The Birth of Recorded Sound

July 10th, 2026 · Hosted by Ava Nederlander

Introducing Tech & Tunes, a new series exploring the technology behind the music we hear. This episode travels back to the 1890s, when the recording industry was just beginning. Every track comes from the Incunabula Collection at the UC Santa Barbara Cylinder Audio Archive, curated by John Levin and digitized by the UCSB Library, all now in the public domain. Before microphones or amplifiers existed, performers sang directly into large acoustic recording horns, and the vibrations of their voices carved a continuous spiral groove into soft wax cylinders. The episode features twelve recordings from artists including George Gaskin, David B. Dana, Issler's Orchestra, and the U.S. Marine Band, each introduced with context on the recording technology of the time, from parallel-recording methods that created several originals at once, to the mechanical precision required to maintain playback speed. The series also reflects on how the constraints of early recording, what the horn could and could not capture, shaped the music itself.

Episode 9

Student Media, Broadcasting, and the Future of Radio

June 26th, 2026 · Hosted by Narmin Mekawy

Narmin Mekawy sits down with Isobel Breheny-Schafer, Assistant Director of Student Media and General Manager of WUSB at Stony Brook University, who works with student broadcasters, journalists, and content creators across campus. They discuss her path into student media, what it takes to manage a radio station, and the skills students build through radio, journalism, and podcasting. In part two, they look at how the media landscape has shifted with streaming, social media, and AI, what role radio still plays in a world of endless digital content, and what media literacy means for students today. The episode closes with advice for students considering getting involved with WUSB or student media for the first time.

Episode 8

State of the Science

June 12th, 2026 · Hosted by Esther Nosazeogie

Recorded at the State of the Science conference on offshore wind and wildlife impacts, held at Stony Brook University under the theme "Building on a Strong Foundation: Deepening Knowledge and Finding Collaborative Solutions," this episode features two conversations on the role of technology in scientific research for responsible offshore wind development. Host Esther Nosazeogie, a graduate student studying the movement of the great black-backed gull in relation to offshore wind, speaks with Dr. Lesley Thorne, marine vertebrate biologist and her advisor at Stony Brook University, and a physical oceanographer about their collaborative use of technology to study marine environments and inform offshore wind decision-making.

Episode 7

Music, Technology, and the Future of Creative Computation

May 29th, 2026 · Hosted by Ava Nederlander

Margaret Schedel, Professor in the Department of Music and Core Faculty of the Institute for Advanced Computational Science at Stony Brook University, joins the show. An internationally recognized composer, cellist, and researcher, Schedel's work spans interactive multimedia opera, virtual reality, sound art, video game scores, and real-time audio and video processing. The episode explores how technology has transformed musical composition and performance, what it means for instruments to become interactive and computational, and the emerging field of data sonification, including using music to study the gait patterns of people with Parkinson's Disease. In part two, they discuss how AI is reshaping creative expression, whether AI-generated art changes what it means to be a composer, and what advice Schedel has for students interested in combining the arts with coding, engineering, or data science.

Episode 6

Student Engagement in a Digital World

May 15th, 2026 · Hosted by Esther Nosazeogie

Gillian Farnan, Assistant Director of Student Engagement & Activities at Stony Brook University, joins the show to explore how technology is reshaping the way students connect and build community on campus. The episode covers how digital tools, virtual collaboration platforms, and AI are transforming student organizations and leadership development, what it means for students to maintain meaningful human connections in an increasingly tech-driven academic environment, and practical strategies for getting involved and developing communication and leadership skills, both online and in person.

Episode 5

How AI is Changing the Job Market

May 1st, 2026 · Hosted by Ava Nederlander & Esther Nosazeogie

Jessica Roman, Associate Director of Career Development at the Stony Brook University Career Center, joins the show to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the modern job market and what that means for students, researchers, and emerging professionals. The episode covers what the Career Center offers graduate students, from internship strategy and job searching to headshots and personal branding, and how AI is reshaping hiring practices, application processes, and workforce expectations. Topics include the difference between technical and transferable skills, skill-based hiring, how to stand out on paper versus in an interview, career paths in STEM and applied sciences, navigating academia versus industry, and resources like Handshake and Frogire AI for international students. In part two, they look at the national job landscape, how far in advance students should be planning, and practical advice for students who don't yet know what direction they want to go.

Episode 4

Art, Science, and the Power of Perception

April 17th, 2026 · Hosted by Ava Nederlander

Patricia Maurides, visual artist and Professor of Practice in the Department of Art at Stony Brook University, joins the show. Her work lives at the crossroads of science and art. With a background in biology, she has developed courses like Art and Biology and Art and the Brain, bringing together neuroscience and fine arts to explore questions of perception, memory, and how we see the world. The episode covers how her scientific background shapes her photo-based art, layering personal history, family memory, genetic code, and eye scans, and her project "Ancestral Listening," in which she traveled to her father's village in Greece to record the sounds of ancient plane trees and the landscape. In part two, they explore her teaching philosophy, a current student installation "Blu tanical Impressions" in the Staller Center hallway, and her students' work at Earthstock, Stony Brook's annual sustainability festival.

Episode 3

Mental Health in a Tech-Driven World

April 3rd, 2026 · Hosted by Ava Nederlander

This episode explores technology's role in graduate student mental health, covering the ways it supports academic life and the challenges it creates. Featuring taped conversations with Donal Thomas, PhD Candidate and Graduate Student Advocate, and Kerri Mahoney, Director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Stony Brook University, covering campus mental health resources, student advocacy, and strategies for maintaining wellbeing in a highly connected academic environment.

Episode 2

BRIDGES 2026 Conference Highlights, Part 2

March 20th, 2026 · Hosted by Ava Nederlander & Esther Nosazeogie

Continuing BRIDGES 2026 coverage with extended interviews, featuring Alfreda S. James on networking and professional development, graduate student presenters, and musical performances from Shiqi Yang & Changyue Liu, Gina Rizzo, Kevin Kyaw, Da Young Rachel Lim, and Guilherme Batalha.

Episode 1

BRIDGES 2026 Conference Highlights, Part 1

February 20th, 2026 · Hosted by Ava Nederlander & Esther Nosazeogie

In the inaugural broadcast of Tech & Friends, the BRIDGES conference is introduced, a student-led initiative that brought together nearly 300 attendees. Featuring reflections from Celia Marshik, conversations with Gillian Farnan, Nancee Moes, and Peter Stokes, and highlights from award-winning work.