Advertise on podcast: Argonne Voices

Physicists Lindsey Bleem and Clarence Chang have gone where few have ever gone: The South Pole. Why? Because it’s the home of the massive and powerful South Pole Telescope, which uses detectors developed and manufactured at Argonne. With this telescope, Lindsey and Clarence study the origin of our universe by observing something called the cosmic microwave background. Learn more about their research and hear surprising facts about the South Pole. Argonne Voices is an oral history project recording the stories behind decades of world-changing science at the Laboratory.

Valerie Taylor and Cristina Negri are both division directors at Argonne—Mathematics and Computer Science for Valerie; Environmental Science for Cristina. Their respective fields of expertise converge at the intersection of computing and climate change. With supercomputers and artificial intelligence, Valerie's mathematicians help Cristina's environmental scientists build climate change models that allow communities to respond faster and adapt smarter. At the same time, Valerie and Cristina’s teams also join forces to pursue environmental justice for all. Here’s part of their climate conversation. Argonne Voices is an oral history project recording the stories behind decades of world-changing science at the Laboratory.

After 25 years in operation, Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source—or the APS—is undergoing a massive upgrade that will make its ultrabright X-ray light even brighter and enable scientific innovations we cannot yet imagine. Here’s a conversation between two of the brains behind the original APS: Glenn Decker, the Associate Project Manager of the APS Upgrade, and John Galayda, who guided construction of the original APS in the mid-90s. Argonne Voices is an oral history project recording the stories behind decades of world-changing science at the Laboratory.

Carissa Holohan and Pete Friedman can tell you all about supercomputers and enterprise architecture. But they’re just as passionate about making sure Argonne is a place where everyone feels like they belong. Listen to Carissa and Pete, co-chairs of Spectrum – the lab’s organization for LGBTQIA+ employees and their allies – as they tell their personal stories and reflect on diversity and inclusion at Argonne. Argonne Voices is an oral history project recording the stories behind decades of world-changing science at the Laboratory.

2012 was a big year in the world of physics. At the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland, scientists finally discovered what they had spent half a century searching for: the Higgs boson. The ATLAS experiment, partially built at Argonne, played a crucial role in this achievement. As did Rik Yoshida, director of the lab’s High Energy Physics division. In this conversation, Rik and assistant physicist Walter Hopkins reminisce about this major achievement, and they answer two big questions: What is the Higgs particle? And why does it matter? Argonne Voices is an oral history project recording the stories behind decades of world-changing science at the Laboratory.

This fall, the first Walter Massey Fellow will walk through Argonne National Laboratory doors. The fellowship’s namesake, Dr. Walter E. Massey, became the lab’s first African American director in the early 1980s. In this Argonne Voices episode, Massey speaks with the current director, Paul Kearns, about leadership, building a diverse and inclusive workplace, and a lesson involving cheesecake. Argonne Voices is an oral history project recording the stories behind decades of world-changing science at the Laboratory.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, scientists produced effective vaccines in record time – thanks in part to research conducted nearly a decade ago at Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source (APS). The APS works like a giant X-ray microscope. The ultrabright light allows scientists to see deep within materials to understand their makeup. Jason McLellan, a structural biologist, has conducted research at the APS for years studying the protein structures of different viruses. In conversation with Bob Fischetti, Life Sciences Advisor at the APS, Jason explains the nature of his research that laid the groundwork for the development of life-saving COVID-19 vaccines. Argonne Voices is an oral history project recording the stories behind decades of world-changing science at the Laboratory.

J’Tia Hart is a nuclear engineer and the program initiator for Women in Science and Technology – also known as WIST – which is one of the lab’s many employee resource groups. Her good friend Amanda Joyce is a cybersecurity expert who runs the Department of Energy’s annual CyberForce Competition. Together, they’ve battled through gender discrimination and personal health challenges, inspiring young women to follow in their footsteps. Argonne Voices is an oral history project recording the stories behind decades of world-changing science at the Laboratory.

Argonne was founded with a mission to develop peaceful uses for nuclear energy. Today, John Stevens, a nuclear reactor physicist, and Laura Jamison, a materials scientist and nuclear engineer, are at the forefront of a program that works to reduce the risk of nuclear proliferation. Friends and colleagues, they came together to talk about nuclear science, fuel plates, and one memorable sushi dinner.

Mary Skwarek is a lead operator and PA announcer known as “The Voice of Argonne.” Michael Skwarek defends the lab’s computers against cyberattacks. Their jobs couldn’t be more different. But as mother and son, they’re in this together. Here are Mary and Michael, reflecting on life as an Argonne family. Argonne Voices is an oral history project recording the stories behind decades of world-changing science at the Laboratory.

Did you know the battery technology in most of today’s electric cars was developed at Argonne? Michael Thackeray and Khalil Amine are two of the brains behind the revolutionary lithium-ion battery with a nickel-manganese-cobalt –or NMC –cathode. They share an immigrant background, a passion for clean energy, and a deep appreciation for Argonne’s groundbreaking battery science program. Argonne Voices is an oral history project recording the stories behind decades of world-changing science at the Laboratory.

Twenty two years ago, Kawtar Hafidi joined Argonne as a nuclear physicist. She worked her way up to become Argonne’s first woman Associate Lab Director, as leader of Physical Sciences and Engineering. Katie Yurkewicz also started as a nuclear physicist, but pivoted to a science communications career. After 13 years at another national lab, she came to Argonne in 2018 and is Head of Scientific and Technical Communications. Here are Kawtar and Katie in conversation. Argonne Voices is an oral history project recording the stories behind decades of world-changing science at the Laboratory.