#AcademicRunPlaylist - 5/12/25

It was an absolutely gorgeous day in Boston, and luckily I was able to go out on a nice run and listen to talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was an interesting talk by Zeynep Temel on building adaptive robotics systems for complex environments at Princeton Robotics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxFnIpDmMh0

Next was a thought-provoking talk by Mike Zheng Shou on using large multimodal models for video intelligence at the GRASP Lab https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0d2p6Fdkvw

Next was an intriguing talk by Daniela Mitterberger on robot/human collaboration in construction at Princeton Robotics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgxdQiPZOAU

Next was a great talk by Alin Coman on using network experiments to understand emergent memory phenomena at the Psychonomic Society https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_k3r0TMIng

Next was an incredible talk by Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio on soft robots that can evolve on demand at Princeton Robotics. This work is one of the best examples of how research funding for non-technical fields, can lead to technical breakthroughs. In this case, amazing work on morphing amphibious robots inspired by turtles, and future work taking inspiration from plesiosaurs! Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfcK28AbjQw

Next was a fantastic panel on analyzing animal creativity to interrogate dominant theories of IP authorship and ownership at the QMUL School of Law with Johanna Gibson and Alexis Alvarez-Nakagawa. The discussion was enlightening, and Gibson masterfully deconstructs arguments around generative AI "authorship." Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56TNRqVSOEg

Next was a nice talk by David Autor on using changes in job description terms to model salary and employment at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV3Lttj85gA

Next was an excellent talk by Kris L. Dorsey on supporting soft robots through better sensor design at Princeton Robotics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHH9cs4-QRs

Next was an amazing talk by John Kay on what business is for and how it works at the LSE. Kay gives a compelling account of recent business history, the utter failure of "shareholder primacy" to deliver for any constituency (including shareholders), and paths forward. It also warmed my heart that when asked about AI in the Q&A Kay mostly brushed it aside as a distraction and also admitted that he didn't know what the long run effects will be! Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/live/p9qurXQkXiM?si=sgLJLA8jH14uGr0b&t=350

Last was "Unshrinking" by Kate Manne. In this book Manne systematically explores the root of fatphobia, its costs to fat people and society more broadly, and approaches for confronting and dismantling it. She convincingly makes the case that discrimination against fat people is an urgent societal problem that demands immediate action, combining philosophical inquiry, scientific review, and case studies to powerful effect. It's also incredibly moving, as Manne integrates her personal story and struggles as a fat person.

My one concern is that for the one scientific claim I fact checked - that bariatric surgery has no demonstrable health benefits - recent meta analyses show that it is incredibly impactful (e.g. academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/43/20/1955/6542137). It certainly makes some of the points Manne makes in the book less credible, but I would have appreciated an honest accounting. It also makes me wonder about other claims in the book.

That being said, I still think this is an important book that demands to be read. Highly recommend https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/722318/unshrinking-by-kate-manne/