The Lonely Idea Trailer

Sarkis Mazmanian (00:02): You want to cure diseases with bacteria? That's so crazy, it might actually work.

Narrator (00:08): Welcome to The Lonely Idea, a podcast featuring Caltech faculty and their trailblazing research with host Rich Wolf.

Rich Wolf (00:15): Maybe you could talk a bit about how you got into the field of geochemistry and earth science in general and your background.

John Eiler (00:20): I started my academic career by getting rejected from every college I applied to.

Jackie Barton (00:25): We convinced the headmistress that I should take calculus at the boys' school. And that was the beginning of my being in a room with 20 boys, which I did for much of my career thereafter.

Narrator (00:38): Venture into the uncharted realm of lonely ideas and the path-breaking journeys of scientific progress.

Colin Camerer (00:43): Yeah, I had a few lonely ideas. This was the loneliest.

John Eiler (00:46): First of all, you don't talk about that until you're close because everyone will think you're crazy.

Jackie Barton (00:50): Groups across the country were starting to say, Jackie Barton's doing a really crazy experiment and there must be something wrong with it. It can't possibly be right.

Mory Gharib (01:01): This is no different than, you know, flaps on airplanes. If we can solve problems like that, why can't we solve the problem of human heart valve. Instead of trying to mimic it, try to get inspired by it.

Rich Wolf (01:13): What enabled you to come from way out of left field into trying to solve this?

Colin Camerer (01:16): Caltech kind of attracts and helps people like me succeed.

Maria Spiropulu (01:20): Caltech gives you the freedom to cross barriers among traditional disciplines. I was jumping and crossing disciplines and applying what I learned in one to my thinking on how I conduct the other.

Sarkis Mazmanian (01:34): Caltech was the only place that I sincerely believe shared my vision. Nowhere else had that same reach for the stars mentality.

Narrator (01:44): The Lonely Idea is brought to you by Caltech. Hear full episodes featuring Caltech innovators and their ideas on our website at thelonelyidea.caltech.edu or through your favorite podcast app.