#AcademicRunPlaylist - 11/1/25

Well Ohtani only got a no decision but what a game! And before watching that nail-biter I listened to talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was a great talk by Elizabeth Bruch on visualizing college and job trajectories at the Network Science Institute https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MnH4v2nKBU

Next was an interesting talk by Yuke Zhu on using large models for robotics at the Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49LnlfM9DBU

Last was "Black Disability Politics" by Sami Schalk. Schalk has pulled off the rare feat of making a work of philosophy and critical studies both accessible and insightful, using historical analyses of different movements in the US to interrogate the intersection of disability justice and Black liberation. Some of this is definitely more in the weeds than I would like in terms of dissecting the exact meaning of words such as "inspiring," but those quibbles aside this book makes a compelling case for an inextricable link between disability and racism. This intersectional lens has only grown in importance over time, with Schalk's arguments from only a few years ago being repeatedly proven out in the US of 2025. Highly recommend https://www.dukeupress.edu/black-disability-politics