What is exascale computing? Why does it matter? To find out, we connected with the computing experts at DOE's national laboratories. Join us as we discuss the arduous journey to build three of the fastest computers in the world and their software. After more than a decade of planning and work, these powerful exascale computers are now enabling groundbreaking research that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. With research in cancer, biofuels, space exploration, and more, exascale computing is bringin...
Jan 10, 2025•24 min•Ep. 63
The COVID-19 pandemic serves as a stark reminder that, despite our great achievements, we are still bound by the laws of our own biology. And while the Coronavirus has been a tragedy on a global scale, it has also pushed the scientific community to new levels of cooperation, coordination, and discovery. Join us while we discuss the extraordinary advancements brought about by the National Virtual Biotechnology Laboratory's work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though we still face many obstacles in ...
Dec 06, 2024•22 min•Ep. 62
The second of two episodes, we’re going under the hood to take a look at something these EVs all share in common — a battery. Where do they come from? How do they work? And how the U.S. is working to meet the demand for millions of batteries for EVs, grid storage, and more.
Jul 25, 2024•22 min•Ep. 61
The first of two episodes, we’re going under the hood to take a look at something these EVs all share in common — a battery. Where do they come from? How do they work? And how the U.S. is working to meet the demand for millions of batteries for EVs, grid storage, and more.
May 15, 2024•14 min•Ep. 60
Join us for an energizing conversation with Secretary Jennifer Granholm, focused on the Department of Energy’s 2023 accomplishments and the progress of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. From shaping the future of transportation to creating thousands of good-paying clean energy jobs. With historic investments in our electric grid to deliver reliable, affordable, clean power to all Americans, including in rural and underserved communities. DOE is focused on a just clean energy economy...
Dec 20, 2023•39 min•Ep. 59
70 years ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower went before the United Nations and delivered a speech unlike anything the world had ever heard. The president spoke in sweeping terms about the terrible destructive power of new atomic weapons. But he also had a message for the assembly, one with a more optimistic tone: Join us in harnessing the power of the atom for good — not evil. From the dawn of the atomic age, nuclear power branched into two distinct paths: nuclear energy, and nuclear weapons. A...
Dec 08, 2023•25 min•Ep. 58
The first of two episodes, we’re going under the hood to take a look at something these EVs all share in common — a battery. Where do they come from? How do they work? And how the U.S. is working to meet the demand for millions of batteries for EVs, grid storage, and more.
Oct 17, 2023•13 min•Ep. 57
The conclusion of our two part story on the Manhattan Project. We take you to the Trinity site where the first bomb was tested and then follow the Airmen as they drop the first ever atomic bombs. Later, learn about the creation of the Department of Energy and how, along with the National Park Service, we're preserving the origins of nuclear power and weaponry.
Jul 20, 2023•37 min•Ep. 56
The first of two episodes that tell the story of an unprecedented, U.S. government effort to beat Nazi Germany in the race to construct a nuclear weapon, the dawn of the atomic age, and how that legacy is being preserved.
Jul 20, 2023•35 min•Ep. 55
In this second episode of season 4 of Direct Current, we dive into a topic that’s been in the news a lot lately: extreme weather. While intense storms have splashed across headlines throughout history, the frequency seems to be increasing. Interviews with Colin Zarzycki, an Assistant Professor at Penn State University, and Alan Rhoades, a research scientist with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, help us explain how climate modeling is helping scientists predict what may lie ahead.
Jul 06, 2023•18 min•Ep. 54
Season 4 of Direct Current opens with a race against the clock, as the Department of Energy and National Labs join forces with industry and international partners to get emergency shipments of electrical grid components to Ukraine — before Russian attacks plunge the country into darkness.
May 03, 2023•19 min•Ep. 53
"Quantum" is everywhere these days — in the news, on TV, in the titles of blockbuster action films — but what even is it? Why is it important to understand it? Basically... who cares about quantum? To find out, we got philosophical with National Lab quantum scientists Anna Grassellino and David Awschalom about their brain-bending research, the massive impacts it could have on our lives, and the joy and frustration of chasing breakthroughs that can take decades to arrive. Also: Season 4 of Direct...
Feb 22, 2023•14 min•Ep. 52
For years, Chris Castro worked tirelessly to bring a brighter future to the city of Orlando, Florida. We heard from the (now-former) director of sustainability about how he got his start, his passion for clean energy, and the city's resilience efforts.
Aug 04, 2022•20 min•Ep. 51
Conrad Flowers wanted a more fulfilling career, so he followed his passion and took a job in solar energy. Now he’s connecting solar farms to the electric grid and helping train the next generation of engineers.
Apr 13, 2022•19 min•Ep. 49
AlexAnna Salmon is a fierce advocate for her home, a remote Alaskan town called Igiugig. As village council president, she's working to preserve her tribe's traditional way of life amid a warming climate and a shift from fossil fuels to clean energy.
Feb 17, 2022•24 min•Ep. 48
Our series highlighting workers in clean energy continues! Gaby Ibarra, a first-generation college student and daughter of immigrants, shares her journey into a new career helping modernize heating and cooling systems for old buildings in New York City.
Jan 21, 2022•18 min•Ep. 47
In the latest episode of "People Powered," our new series on clean energy careers, wind technician Michael Flores shares what it's like to travel the country and scale 300-foot wind turbines for a living — and why he's sticking with wind for the long run.
Dec 21, 2021•19 min•Ep. 46
Presenting "People Powered," a new series on clean energy careers! There are millions of good-paying jobs in energy, and we'll be introducing you to the folks who do them — starting with Kaly Moore, construction manager at a Washington, DC, solar company.
Nov 29, 2021•20 min•Ep. 45
Contained within a single glass of beer is hundreds of hours of labor and vast amounts of resources. Join us as we go inside a popular craft brewery and learn how DOE programs are helping reduce costs while saving water and energy.
Sep 30, 2021•22 min•Ep. 44
Stretching nearly two miles under a freeway in Palo Alto, CA, the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) is a huge X-ray laser with the power to capture images of molecules in motion. Now, a big upgrade is taking this SLAC Lab facility to the next level.
Jul 09, 2021•29 min•Ep. 43
With $40 billion in lending authority, the Loan Programs Office is one of the Energy Department's most powerful clean energy investment tools. We sat down with Director Jigar Shah to talk about how LPO works, and what's in store for the future of energy.
Jun 14, 2021•23 min•Ep. 42
The nation's 16th Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, sat down with Direct Current to talk clean energy, climate, her "obsession" with creating millions of good-paying union jobs, and her vision for the Department of Energy.
Apr 21, 2021•26 min•Ep. 41
Developed by Los Alamos National Lab, SuperCam is the scientific “Swiss Army Knife” for NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover. In this episode, we hear from the SuperCam team what it's like shooting rocks with lasers, and how it could help us find life on...
Jul 30, 2020•22 min•Ep. 40
NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover is loaded with technology developed by the Department of Energy, including a nuclear battery fueled by plutonium-238. Listen as we follow the rover’s power source on its 7-year, 5,000-mile journey from lab to launch pad.
Jul 24, 2020•33 min•Ep. 39
Artificial intelligence is all around us — even if we don’t realize it — and the rapid spread of AI technologies into our lives raises big questions about security. Our guests in this episode study the risks of ever-present AI,
Apr 22, 2020•24 min•Ep. 38
COVID-19 is dominating the headlines, but the pandemic isn’t the only threat to human health. Water is an essential part of life, but changes in the water cycle can have disastrous results. The National Labs are working to understand and predict them.
Mar 31, 2020•25 min•Ep. 37
An interview with Dr. Chris Fall, Director of the Department of Energy Office of Science, about the agency’s response to COVID-19.
Mar 14, 2020•10 min•Ep. 36
For hundreds of Indian tribes and native communities across the United States, energy represents many things: a lifeline, a source of income, a path to sovereignty. Learn how the Office of Indian Energy helps tribes take control of their energy destinies.
Dec 10, 2019•39 min•Ep. 35
Artificial intelligence is all over the news, but what's all the hype really about? We travel to Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee to find out how AI is going to revolutionize science, and welcome a new podcast to the Department of Energy family!
Oct 09, 2019•23 min•Ep. 34
50 years after Apollo 11 made history, NASA is getting ready to send astronauts back to the Moon, then on to Mars. We're going to need a power supply that can keep humans alive in space for years at a time. Could a miniature nuclear reactor be the answer?
Jul 16, 2019•24 min•Ep. 33
