Prosanta Chakrabarty on the TED Experience
Not only does Dr. Prosanta Chakrabarty, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences and Curator of Fishes at Louisiana State University’s Museum of Natural Science, travel the world for science, he is an active science communicator! Prosanta is a past TEDxLSU and TED speaker, he was a TED Fellow —a group of “rising stars in their field” impacting the global community—and was recently named TED 2018 Senior Fellow. We catch up with Prosanta in his office following the announcement of being named TED Senior Fellow to learn more about his TED experiences, recent research adventures, and advice for for sharing your science. (Transcript below.)
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Transcript
Becky Carmichael
[0:00] This is Experimental, where we explore exciting research occurring at Louisiana State University and learn about the individuals posing the questions. We are joined by Dr. Prosanta Chakrabarty, associate professor in biological sciences and curator of Ichthyology in the museum of natural science to discuss what it means to be a TED Senior Fellow, and how his TEDxLSU experience has enhanced his science communication.
Hi Prosanta.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[0:31] Hi Becky.
Becky Carmichael
[0:33] Thanks for sitting down with me.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[0:36] Sure.
Becky Carmichael
[0:36] So we're in your office. Can you tell... Can you tell the listeners where really are we on the campus of Louisiana State University.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[0:42] We're sort of dead center, not far from the Dalrymple gates, and we are behind LSU Library. If you know the blueprint of LSU we're that kind of top of the cross that is that quad section. So most kids, when they ask where the Museum of Natural Science is, I say it's the building with the subway. So that's when they know. And then they say, go eat your sandwich on the first floor of our beautiful exhibit museum and check it out. And we're right underneath that. So we're in the so-called basement, but as you can see, there's plenty of windows. So this is not the basement as we would say in the northeast.
Becky Carmichael
[1:26] It's the garden level.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[1:27] Garden level. I like that. That's what I'm going to say from now on.
Becky Carmichael
[1:31] So you just said something about, you know, the exhibits that are upstairs. Can you tell us a little bit about what really this Natural Sciences museum holds? Why should somebody come and visit?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[1:43] Right, so that... I always say the exhibits are a little window into what we're really doing. And that's a partial explanation of the natural history work that goes on here. And what really goes on behind the scenes is research, collections based research, by professional scientists and students and undergraduate at LSU and from whoever is visiting from around the world. Looking at specimens of birds, mammals, fishes, whatever, to better understand the biodiversity and history of life on earth. And that could be molecular work. It could be morphological work. It could be any range of things. And so the real busy stuff is going behind the scenes. And sometimes people walk out to the exhibits and don't see very many people. And that's not the museum. That's the exhibits. And they can tell part of the story, but the real story goes on elsewhere in the museum.
Becky Carmichael
[2:44] And so this museum houses some pretty large collections of different organisms. Could you highlight a couple of those for us?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[2:52] Sure. We certainly have one of the best, if not the best, collection of neotropical birds. Even our director, Rob Brumfield was recently in Bolivia, and lots of our students are going to the Neotropics, including mind, studying fishes from the Amazon or elsewhere. We have a huge range of collections that we've done from Central America. We've been to every Central American country. I recently came back from Cuba. So there's lots of trips out to Asia as well. And so those specimens are coming back, and I've forgotten your question already.
Becky Carmichael
[3:30] I guess I want to know, what....
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[3:32] Oh. The highlights of the collection? Sure.
Becky Carmichael
[3:34] Yeah. Do you have like one or two that you'd say, you know... I want to highlight those species.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[3:39] Well, so right. We have these wonderful neotropical collections of birds. We have this amazing collection of genomic resources, which actually started before people even took DNA, and that's two of our highlights. So I'm curator of fishes, so I'm gonna be biased and tell you about our fish that I love. We have the world's smallest species of shark. The Little Lantern Belly shark that's, you know, can fit in your hand. And whenever kids want to see sharks, I always tell them, are you afraid of sharks? And they'll usually say yeah. And I say, how about this shark? And, you know, I show them a pretty tiny shark that they shouldn't be afraid of. And some others, I have some new species that I've described, and I'm lucky enough to have describe 10 species of fishes since I've been at LSU. And I show them some of those to show them, hey look! There's still things to be discovered out there and that the world is still a big place full of unknowns so those are some of the highlights.
Becky Carmichael
[4:40] Is one of those the Pancake Batfish? That one's... I love the pictures of the specimen.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[4:47] Yeah, they're creepy looking. And I always tell people, look, I was a stuck up New York City kid who came to Louisiana not thinking there be much new to discover in the Gulf or in Louisiana only to discover on my very first trip out on the Pelican, this RV on the coast at LUMCON, to go out there and to find two new species of batfishes in the Gulf that we kind of had an inkling that, you know, it should be something that's there based on some research we did from before. But to discover that, yeah, on my very first trip out in the Gulf, like hey, this is still an unknown area right in our backyard.
Becky Carmichael
[5:32] That's super exciting. I didn't know what it was like on your first trip out.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[5:35] Yeah. Yeah, it was, is pretty amazing. And so I always tell kids, yeah, this one's from Taiwan. This one's from New Zealand. This other species from Mexico. And the creepiest, weirdest one, the flat pancake batfish with the funny mouth and head is from, you know, your backyard. You can go 30 miles off the coast, not even that far, and get these batfishes.
Becky Carmichael
[5:59] So what's the importance of having these specimens and the museum itself? What's important about the collections?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[6:07] Right, they're the record of the biodiversity of the earth. They're like a library, but unlike a library they're not books that are copied. But each individual specimen has a story to tell. And, you know, we have specimens of things that have gone extinct. We have specimens from places that no longer exists. We have specimens from during the oil spill, pre and post. And things from 100 years ago, from almost 150 to 200 years ago. And so they can tell us a record of how life on earth is changing. It can tell us how life on Earth evolved, because we can look back even further than the age of the specimens by looking at their DNA. And so they're just an immense resource for telling us about the history of life on Earth.
Becky Carmichael
[6:56] So I guess that leads us into a little bit about your own work. So you've traveled, you know, all over the world doing your research. Tell us a little bit about what your specific area of work is in and what you're trying to uncover.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[7:12] Right. So as an ichthyologist and a systematic biologist, I'm looking for a better understanding of the tree of life, and specifically on fishes. Both marine and freshwater. And using them to understand evolution and how geological processes have shaped changes on life on earth. And so how we do that, for example, is by going to these disjunct and different places along the globe to see who's related to whom, and how they might be able to reveal some ancient patterns. So I've been to lots of parts of the Caribbean and Central America to understand how North and South America becoming connected, you know, somewhere between 3 and 8 million years ago, changed climate on Earth, how that connection between North and South America through this land bridge called Central America really enabled fishes and other organisms to pass between those continents. And how the Caribbean, these greater Antillean Islands like Cuba and Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, may have acted like a bridge between the 2 continents earlier, and how the fishes on those land masses now can tell us about those geological processes. Because the world is, you know, looks static, but it's been moving and things have shifted around and the biology can help us understand that geology.
Becky Carmichael
[8:48] So what are some of the locations that you have been traveling to recently? Um, I think that some of what we had talked about, you'd gone to, say, Tahiti and Tanzania to do research, is there a particular type of species that you're seeking, when you go to those locations?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[9:09] There sometimes are specific targets that we have. But generally, well, literally, we're doing general collecting. So we're collecting what we're targeting plus other materials, because a lot as a curator, all of us here, we're collecting for our own research, but also for the research of future scientists, and other scientists that aren't able to go to Tahiti, or Tanzania. So on the Tanzania trip, I joined Mike Polito and Steve Midway, who are in the oceanography departments, to better understand what species are in these mangrove habitats and East Africa. And they were having trouble identifying some of those species. So I volunteered to go with them to bring back samples, to better understand what species they were collecting, and how that works in their network of understanding of how the mangroves yield different life and how it helps the people of Tanzania. So my role was as the systemist there and taxonomists and so we have a wonderful collection of hundreds of samples now that people can use throughout the world. And one of the roles of this museum is to send those loans out. And we sent thousands of loans out every year, you know, across the globe, really to scientists who need these materials.
Becky Carmichael
[10:37] Wow. And you've traveled, how many countries have you traveled to for research?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[10:43] I think we're above 30 now.
Becky Carmichael
[10:45] So I think that's exciting. So 30, different 30 different locations, you have to be meeting a lot of interesting people, but also seeing a lot of really cool ecosystems. Do you have a favorite?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[10:58] Oh... Um.
Becky Carmichael
[11:00]
Do you want to say that you have a favorite?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[11:01] No, I do have favorites. But it depends on what we're doing. I mean, some places were just so jaw droppingly beautiful, you know, like Bali, Indonesia. But then being in the middle of the Amazon River, you know, floating along for a few days, or, you know, going down caves and Madagascar and Australia, which were, you know, just so different, some caves are gigantic and dark for hours. And then others were these tiny little spaces smaller than my office. But they all yield species that we haven't seen before. So for me, there's not a favorite favorite, there are places that I would love to go back to. But for me, it's also you know, the people that we meet, we don't practice scientific colonialism, we, you know, work with people, local people with local scientists, some of them are in my lab now, you know, when I went to Guatemala, I met a young student who became a PhD student in my lab. So it's important to me not just to, to go and collect in these places, but to make real relationships with the people and to, to help them collaborate scientifically, because I know we have an advantage with our abilities in the US and Canada and the West, that some of these places that have all this incredible biodiversity but that lack (of) infrastructure that we have. So that's also part of what we're doing is helping build scientific infrastructure in these places.
Becky Carmichael
[12:42] And to, I think, capture that. Capture that biodiversity. I think it's both ways is disseminating that knowledge and sharing. And I think that that's figuring out ways to communicate that with your different, with your colleagues and the meaning making colleagues that contribute. So you have mentioned that you had gone and visited caves and both Madagascar and Northern Australia. Can you tell us what were some of the big findings, because if someone were to watch and see one of these caves, I think it's the cave that was in Australia as well, in one of your TED Talks. Those, those look impossible to get in, and almost like you're having to dislocate or divide yourself into two to get down inside those. They seem very complicated. So I guess I have two questions. One, which, when did you start going into caves looking for fishes? And then two what's really significant about those two particular caves? How did you end up in both?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[13:46] Yeah, so they're actually multiple caves in both of those places, Madagascar, and Australia, and they're on either side of the Indian Ocean, you know, 6000 kilometers apart. And when I went to Madagascar was right before I started at LSU. And like, you know, a month before, something like that. And we were after some species that hadn't been collected since the 30s, and 50s. And we ended up finding those and a new species too and those caves were enormous, huge, long things. And when I started at LSU, you know, we had an inkling that those caves species from that part of Madagascar, looked very similar and were in the same family as some cave fishes in Australia. And there was a conference in Australia, and I thought, why not, you know, see if we can get some samples of that others, fam- members of that family in Australia. And those caves were tiny. And in- and it was almost a joke that we had to go in them. There were... looked like they were barely wider than my head, the entrance, and I actually went to Australia in those caves with my wife, and she was joking that, like, you know, this hole, or is there another entrance? Or what are we doing? And so some of them? Yeah, you did have to very uncomfortably enter some small spaces that I wouldn't normally do. But we did get fish out of those holes, I did have to, you know- took me 15 minutes just to get out of the hole. Even though my head was sticking out because I had come out the wrong direction. There were ants, it was hot. But I'd rather be stuck at the entrance exit than inside that space, because it was tight inside too. And so luckily, we were with a local person who we actually named a new species after because he was such a great guide. And so yeah, that was a memorable trip. I'm glad I did that. I don't know. You know, if I'd always be so... so daring as to do that. But I hope I would be.
Becky Carmichael
[16:15] Yeah, I think there's a lot of things that once you get into the field and... I feel like if I- there's certain things that cause me panic. If I feel like- I think that I would panic if I felt like I was stuck. But I think I would feel better knowing that people can still see me. The unknown, though of what, what am I going to crawl into this hole and find in this cave in Australia? Because my mind immediately goes to what snake is down here? Yeah, that's going to find me. Because for some reason, Prosanta, snakes, like even when I was doing my fieldwork in the pine savanna, others that were out with me would say "We don't snakes out here." And it's probably because they had one of their dogs keeping them company, which was a great idea. But I don't have a dog. So it was just me. And apparently I made pet snakes, I made snake friends, I guess because I'd be taking my samples and be counting the Japanese climbing firn and it would be, I'd feel something go across the back of my feet. And it would be one of these black racers. Oh, yeah. And those things are fast. They jump.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[17:25] And they are huge.
Becky Carmichael
[17:26] They're huge! I had one following me, so I was walking, looking for my plot. And I turn around and there's this one, and he's like, four and a half or so feet. And he's completely straight. He's just watching. And like you're not gonna eat me. But I walk a little bit further and it would follow me. So...
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[17:43] Racers scare the crap out of me because there's so long and fast, you know, racers not a bad name for them. And they're just like, yeah, they zip by and they- or the, I didn't know they watch you. The stalker racer.
Becky Carmichael
[18:00] There’s some stalker, there were some stalkers out there.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[18:04] But at least they're not venomous, but in Australia, like everything will kill you.
Becky Carmichael
[18:08] That, and- so that. But even spiders! There's these horrific kind of spiders. So anyway, so yeah, that my mind is like you're in this cave, you're stuck there. My panic would hit- whats gonna bite me.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[18:19] Yeah, I guess some- we were lucky that Darren, who's the guy, the local guy that we were with. He's like a bigger guy than me. I was like, if he can get in that hole, then I can go. And then, so I always send a bigger person. That's not true. But he knew that area. And he knew what was safe and what's not safe. And sometimes we do dumb things, you know, when we don't have a local person to do to go in there with. But I was lucky that we had a local person.
Becky Carmichael
[18:52] So would you chalk that up to your craziest, weirdest or most dangerous thing you've done in the name of science? Or do you have another?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[19:02] I went to Sri Lanka in the middle of their civil war. And there was like people bombing the airport. And I was just like, not prepared for how bad it was.
Becky Carmichael
[19:14] Oh, goodness.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[19:15] That was in 07'. And it was bad. And I didn't realize how bad and I'm dumb for not thinking ahead. But I've done... and this is before I started at LSU. And I just wasn't, I was just thinking about the biodiversity and what I need to get, not thinking about like, Oh, you know, there's some crazy stuff happening. So a funny sort of story is like, I misread my return ticket so like the date of my return- was earlier than I thought so my wife was waiting for me at the airport. Because I forgot they were passing the international time zones. And my landing time was like the next day. She was not happy with me. But anyway, yeah, that was pretty dumb. So I don't know, I don't think it's, I don't think what I do is that hard. I think I've had opportunities. And I don't think I take undue risks. But you know, when you go to enough places, you'll make some mistakes. And I've definitely made mistakes. But I'm not one of these like, super crazy adventure-like risking my life in the name of science all the time, type. And there are those types.
Becky Carmichael
[20:34] There are those types. I do think that once you have some of these experiences, and whether they're small or as you're describing what happened in Sri Lanka, either, well, I guess it's two things, you roll with it, You learn how to roll with things with the unexpected. But then also, I think you become, you try to prepare even more and kind of have, have everything and I would imagine for the work that you're doing when you're going to these locations. Because they're remote, you're going out to do the biodiversity you have to be quite prepared. I want to circle back. So you know, those cave fishes, they, you were able to figure out that they had been- they were telling you something about the geological time and the movement of the continents. Correct?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[21:20] Yeah, drop the lead on that one. So the- right so Madagascar, we collected there, and we collected new species. And then in Australia, we got these cave fishes and small holes. And in when I got back, you know, we had this inkling, okay, these are the only cave fishes from this family anywhere in the world. You know, where do they fit within the tree of gobies, which is this big gigantic family that very possibly that independently evolved. But there's a chance that they're each other's closest relative. So we did a DNA analyses. And we found in fact, they were each other's close relatives. Besides being cave fishes, you know, blind, three, four inches long, found on either sides of the Indian Ocean, they are each other's close relatives. So does that mean they swam across the Indian Ocean, or they evolved independently? Those are possible, but what we found with dating them through DNA analysis, is that they're the same age or about the same age as when those continents separated. So they were carried by the continents, rather than having swam across marine ocean as blind little cave fish, which makes the most sense that they didn't do that. So that was probably the coolest thing I've ever discovered is that these little cave fishes are probably more than 100 million years old, in terms of the, when they split. So that's pretty cool. That's like one of the stuff that you dream about, and why I hop skip around the tropics. Because I want to see, you know, are there more of these disjunctions? And we found others, you know, things in the Caribbean and things that can tell us about, you know, the Persian Gulf and Bay of Bengal things that, you know, I feel very lucky and privileged to have been able to do.
Becky Carmichael
[23:16] I'm always excited to hear where you're going to go next and where you've been, because not only are you making these interesting discoveries, you really always have some of the coolest pictures of these locations, because it's not it's not in a metropolitan area. It's, it's out in, in that natural ecosystem. And it's it's pretty incredible. Some are even, like, really? That exists? That's beautiful.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[23:43] I think that when I'm looking at those places, it's just, you know, you they're breathtaking.
Becky Carmichael
[23:48] Yeah, there's been a couple places where I've cried, I can admit that.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[23:53] You can’t look away?
Becky Carmichael
[24:01] I just, so we went, we went to Puerto Rico a couple years back, and I went, I actually got to go with, with the education for a conference, which was amazing. And then me and my husband joined us, we went to a bioluminescent.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[24:14] Bioluminescent, yeah, that was fun. I swam in the same bay.
Becky Carmichael
[24:17] Oh, wait, yeah, no, you're Pat, you're on the paddle, or you're out in the kayak, and I'm paddling through, you know, the mangrove, and there's these iguanas. And I'm having this moment of like, Oh iguana, wasn’t scared of the iguanas? totally happy with that. But then you get out into this, you know, complete star covered clear night, and then you're seeing this. And at one point, Brett's like, are you okay? I'm just gonna just cry, everything's fine. It's just so beautiful. So I wanted to transition a little bit ask you, so the other thing that you've been doing is you've obviously you've been a past Ted speaker, both for TEDxLSU. And then for big Ted. And recently, you've transitioned from TED fellow to TED Senior Fellow.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[25:02] Yeah, it's just because I got old. Nah that’s not what I am. (Laughing)
Becky Carmichael
[25:08] Can you? Can you describe what's it like to be a TED fellow? And then what does it mean to be now a senior fellow.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[25:16] So the TED conference has a Fellows Program, which I think they bring in 20 or so people a year. And then from those fellows, they pick, after you apply some senior fellows to go to additional TED conferences and additional TED activities. And so, first, when I became a fellow thanks to the TEDxLSU team here, including you, Becky, were like, you should apply to be a TED fellow. I'm like, why that sounds like more work. And I did it anyway. And I got some interviews, and they, they accepted me and I they kept telling me how great this conference is and it’s like "Okay, sure, you know...", you know, keeping my expectations low, and then thinking it can't possibly be as cool as they make it sound. And it's way cooler. It's such an amazing experience. I mean, it's not the celebrities or the food or the amazing talks, it's, you know, the other people there, and the collaborations and the networking opportunities that are just, I mean, the whole of it is just incredible. I say TED is a cult, and except that, you know, they, they follow through with their promises, like all your dreams come true. And so I'm excited to keep going to more conferences, including the one upcoming one in Vancouver.
Becky Carmichael
[26:47] I'm excited to see who's going to be speaking and hear a little bit more about those, what they're going to present, because you were really able to interact with a lot of amazing individuals and I looked at the TED senior level, well the TED fellows and the TED senior fellows, and there's some, there's some remarkable individuals you're getting, you're getting able to interact with. That's very exciting.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[27:13] I mean, there are people, I mean, just in the last year that passed, helped pass legislation on on sexual assault victims, helping victims of assault, that created programs to help people in, in rural Africa, understand what's going on with their crops, using genetic techniques. They're people that you know, discover new civilizations using satellite technology, it's impossible, impossible that I'm part of this group, so. They're just, and they're all so down to earth, normal people. So there's no, you would think would be full of huge egos, and they're just not there. So I don't know what they do. But they have a good, good selection team.
Becky Carmichael
[28:03] Well, I think that that's part of that, too, makes what is highlighted through Ted. It makes it relatable, it makes it accessible. Because if you have, if it's all inflated egos, I don't know, on the personnel, I just want to turn that off. But that, I think makes it to where you listen, and you're really taking and absorbing that idea. And it's, it's a beauty. To me, it's a great space to have and share, share these big things that people are contributing to, and I don't think you should down, you can't downplay what you've been finding and what you've you're contributing, because you're contributing, you're contributing these large finds on biodiversity. You're part of a collaborative team both here at LSU as well as your colleagues.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[28:51] Yeah, for sure. It's not just me, it's the work of many people that I'm you know, it's a collaborative effort. And I guess that the thing about Ted is that, you know, I think some people have seen a few talks I think it's like, prescriptive, you know, this is how you give them and they give you a lot of leeway to be yourself and they choose speakers that aren't. I'm not talking about me or the fellows team, particular. But you know, people that have a good story to tell, and an accurate one to tell. So it could be a kid who discovered you know, how to make lights that make lions run away from the village, so they don't eat the, you know, the sheep that they're rearing, which is a true real TED Talk. But there's things like that, and so they're really good at finding people.
Becky Carmichael
[29:43] So how has your TED experience influenced the way that you're discussing and sharing your science?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[29:52] Another thing TED is, it's like a Sci Comm workshop, training camp. So they teach you, you know, not to use the jargon, not to have too much text, you know, the obvious things, but also just like, how to be comfortable speaking to anyone in a context that might be unfamiliar to you, to talk about, you know, difficult subjects in a way that's approachable. And that's through practice. And first of all, they throw you up on probably the scariest space there is for giving a talk. There's a lot of pressure. And so anything after that seems easy peasy. So, I mean, that's part of it. But they also they do a really good job of helping you understand how you sound like someone else who might not understand you. And I think a lot of scientists get trapped into thinking that these people figure it out, or like you're teaching a class, or that, you know, this room full of kids will understand you in the same way that room full of fellow scientists will and so we're never trained communication. And, you know, that was my first experience getting trained in communication.
Becky Carmichael
[31:11] So what are what some advice that you would want to share with someone listening who, you know, maybe, maybe they aspire to give a similar talk, maybe they just want to be better at communicating, kind of, their research, what would you, what would be your number one tip?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[31:28] I would say, practice a lot. And I think I became a better public speaker, by first talking to lots and lots of school kids like, children, even before I had my own children, just being able to explain what I do to a four year old and show them, you know, what I do and explain that. But also, talk to the general public, give tours give, whenever you have an opportunity to, to meet people to explain what you do have different walks of life. But for, you know, a big stage just, I always say, you know, be engaged with your audience, just like, you know, being a good teacher, you know, look at them, you know, don't talk at them, you know, speak, speak to them in a way that they'll understand and be conscious of what you're saying, and, and not to talk over their heads.
Becky Carmichael
[32:31] You plan on incorporating any of this into any of your classes? Or do you have a new class on the horizon that you want to? Do you want to mention anything?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[32:40] So I do want to teach a, like a science communication, TED Ed-type class, eventually. I'm teaching evolution now. And I'm teaching ichthyology. And those are classes that are so different, but give me the opportunity to really engage with the students, probably because of the subject matter. But having a class where, you know, I say, hey, let's try to get you to think of an idea that you think is worth spreading that you know, you have, because I think everybody has something that needs a broader audience and communicating that to people that might not initially understand what you're talking about is a difficult thing. So I think that's a skill set, especially at LSU, with the Communication Across the Curriculum department, having those folks here, and not anywhere else, I think LSU is a great place for students to learn that skill. And so I'd love to, you know, participate in that way.
Becky Carmichael
[33:45] You know, and you know, that's where I'm biased, because...
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[33:47] You are, but that's okay, you made me biased too. You taught me all I know.
Becky Carmichael
[33:53] It’s all part of the cult, just luring you in. So as a senior fellow, you've got another opportunity to give a TED talk, right?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[34:02] Yeah, I spoke to them yesterday.
Becky Carmichael
[34:04] Oh, wow.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[34:05] And, you know, the, I think they... the reason that they have no... big egos is because they break down your ego. Like, I had this talk, I was like, this is gonna be a good one I already know. And they're like, "Well, okay, well, we don't get this part and this part and this part." And they were all very positive about it, but they're like, and then you know, you think about it, like, you're right, you know, just the same way you and I work together on a TEDx talk. You know, they, they help you understand, like, you know, this might make complete sense to you. But this is a subject that's very hard. And the subject I want to talk about is evolution, and the teaching of evolution. And I had lots of examples of like how the human body is, is terribly designed, and we have lots of flaws that are a consequence of evolution. And so I hope I can do a better job and explain to them in more detail, you know, in my next round of drafts to them.
Becky Carmichael
[35:04] Because when is, when is your next talk?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[35:07] Well, so it's not accepted? You know, I don't know when my next talk is, but the next talk could be in Vancouver in April.
Becky Carmichael
[35:14] In April, oh goodness. Okay. Well, like I always say, you can come up, I'll help.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[35:21] You'll be there.
Becky Carmichael
[35:22] I'd love to be in Vancouver. Maybe there's a way I can weasel my way I could be like that... the stowaway people that they just fit on...
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[35:30] Maybe you could fit in my bag. [laughter]
Becky Carmichael
[35:33] What's your favorite TED talk?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[35:36] I'm really bad at remembering the speaker's names ... from two years ago, there were two talks on procrastination.
Becky Carmichael
[35:44] Uh huh.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[35:45] And they kind of, one followed the other. And they're just really good at explaining how someone who's not waiting to the last minute. But also someone who's not, like precrastinating as they say, like someone who's doing something very early on tasks, which is probably more me. But somewhere in between, there's a sweet spot in a way of thinking, in something that happens. That allows you to be more productive and think about how you're creating that works at a, you know, if you wait a little bit and think out an idea, and I really liked that one. There's lots of great ones. But I think that's the one that I always give an example of that's not your typical. You know, if people think TED Talks prescriptive, I was shown that one, yeah. Are those two?
Becky Carmichael
[36:40] I still need to watch that one. I think my one of my favorites is, and it's because I have that kind of humorous the guy that answered the, the emails.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[36:52] Oh that’s a good one, yeah.
Becky Carmichael
[36:53] Yeah, we're there like, what is it, the prince and -
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[36:55] The junk emails? Yeah, making them follow his rules.
Becky Carmichael
[36:58] Yes.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[36:59] Yeah, I think any- I like TED Talks that don't take themselves too seriously. And this, the subject can be very serious. But I think if you recognize like, there can be some humor in it, it makes it a little bit more digestible. And so I always try to do- in fact, one of the comments they had for me yesterday was like, I had maybe too many dry humor jokes (Laughter). And I totally get that, and I- I can't say some of the things I right. It's like Star Wars... what was the Star Wars code that Harrison Ford had for Lucas? He was like, "You can write this stuff you can't say it." So I have to work on that. And you're gonna help me.
Becky Carmichael
[37:42] I'm gonna help you. Um so... kind of, kind of wrapping this up. What something that would surprise someone about you.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[37:53] Um... surprising fact is... I don't know. Like I don't think about work when I'm with the kids? I think people think scientists are always thinking about work. And maybe there's like a few neurons firing that way but like I turn into like a total mush brain person at home. And I might take you know, a break if I got from working on something but you know, I do actually, I do wake up every morning and write. But like when the kids are up and when I get home it's like my brain goes to: what's the best wrestling move to use on my twin girls right now so that we can have fun.
Becky Carmichael
[38:41] Yeah, is there anything else that you wanted to share with anyone listening in the follow up here?
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[38:48] I don't know I'm- I just feel really privileged to be at LSU to work with folks like you who just taught me so much about communication and science, and thinking about how to get the word out to a broader audience, which I just think we need in this day and age where there's fake news and there's everybody thinks they know everything, including scientists, you know, but it's how to understand what people are saying and how they're saying it. I think I've learned so much from, from CxC and you and others.
Becky Carmichael
[39:31] Prosanta thanks so much for sitting down again with me. I really appreciate it.
Prosanta Chakrabarty
[39:33] Thank you, yeah, it's been great.
Becky Carmichael
[39:37] LSU Experimental was recorded on location inside the LSU Museum of Natural Sciences, and is supported by LSU's Communication Across the Curriculum and the College of Science. Today's interview was conducted and produced by me, Becky Carmichael. The theme music is "Brumby at Full Gallop" by PC3. To learn more about today's episode, subscribe to the podcast, ask questions,and recommend future investigators, visit cxc.lsu.edu/Experimental.