A chemist and a political scientist at Pomona College look to shed light on the inner workings of the Academy and engage with the broader societal conversations on higher education. Topics covered in the Podcast will be wide-ranging, including equity and access, navigating cultural and economic obstacles, faculty responsibilities, national political debates, and research.
International Collaboration: It's Fun and Rewarding, but Not Always Easy
In this episode, Tom is joined by an international team of scholars and practitioners to discuss the value of international collaboration and interdisciplinary research. Lots of benefits, but it's always important to be mindful of logistics, different time zones, and nonsynchronous fieldwork. If smart cities is what you live for, then this is the episode for you! Thanks to United States-Japan Foundation for supporting our research.
17 Aug 2026
A Research Trip to Japan: What Students Gain from Learning Off Campus
On this episode, Tom is joined by Pui Tiffany Chow (Assistant Professor of Art), Philip Choi (Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy), Kyoko Kurita (Professor of Japanese), and two students to talk about taking education outside the classroom. Fresh off a 10-day research trip to Japan, the group reflects on the good, the bad, and the surprising about teaching in the field across several disciplines — and the serendipitous moments of learning that happen along the way.
23 Jul 2026
College and Community: What We Can Learn from Little League
On this episode, we talk about how college students can connect with the community, not from a position of "helping" and from a position of "learning" and being a part of a community. Special guests include students from Professor Le's Sports and Politics course and coaches from the Claremont Cubs of the Claremont Little League.
7 Jul 2026
Ask Us Anything Part II! Old Men Yell at Cloud
In this last episode of Season Two, we answer student questions and reflect on two years of the pod. Mission accomplished, but more to come!
22 Jun 2026
Do we Dare? Yes. Ask Us Anything! And in French too!
Nick and Tom are joined by Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures Virginie Duzer for a discussion of language, AI, and the liberal arts. Stay for the second half where we do an Ask Me Anything with student questions.
1 Jun 2026
Creative Writing and the Liberal Arts
On this episode, we speak with Roy Edward Disney '51 Professor of Creative Writing and Professor of English Jonathan Lethem about creative writing, a liberal arts education, AI, graduation, and a host of other things. The end of the semester has us all in a reflecting mood!
22 May 2026
Student Journalism: The Voice and Record of a College
In this episode, Professor Le, Bianca, and Joelle talk about The Student Life and the role of student journalism in a college community.
23 Apr 2026
The Inmates Have Taken Over the Asylum!
A special student takeover of Prof Talk with Becca and Bianca, reflecting on the realities of student life at Pomona College. We discuss the challenges of balancing academic responsibilities with personal and creative commitments and consider how students navigate these demands within the broader context of a liberal arts education.
10 Apr 2026
Music and the Liberal Arts
A super special episode with Everett S. Olive Professor of Music Genevieve Lee. We discuss the place of music in a liberal arts education, the music industry and pre-professionalism, music in our broader society, and so much more. You will be inspired by this episode!
25 Mar 2026
Events and Building Community on College Campuses
Special guest episode with Emmy-nominated composer and musician, Chad Cannon. Chad joins Bianca and Tom to talk about an upcoming concert Music for the Ocean at Pomona College and discussing college events in general. Are students overprogrammed? What does a college community gain from guest speakers and special programming outside of the regular curriculum? Join us for answers, a conversation about ocean conservation, music theory, and so much more!
13 Mar 2026
The Value of Conferences: Still Worth Your Time?
Nick and Tom attend the Great Power Competition and the Survival of Small and Middle Powers: Perspectives from Eurasia and Beyond Conference hosted by the Slavic-Eurasian Research Center (SRC) in Hokkaido Japan! We look at Nick's first time at a political science conference and to Japan to break down biases in academia, the dominance of the English language in research, the value of attending conferences, and the magic that comes with collaborating with scholars from around the world.
5 Mar 2026
Mentorship, What a Big Responsibility!
On this week's episode, we look at mentorship, advising the Posse program, and how best to work with students. This episode may have been dropped late, but the content is timeless!
9 Aug 2025
Goodbyes and New Beginnings
Prof Ball and Prof Le reminisce about graduation with two graduating seniors, Emily and Alexandra. Goodbyes are always tough, but exciting for these new graduates everywhere around the world. An episode looking back at four years and looking forward to whatever comes next. Becca running the board this episode.
Last episode of season 1! Look out for season 2 sometime in September.
16 Jun 2025
The Art of Science and the Science of Art (with special guest, Professor of Art Mark Allen)
Professor of Art Mark Allen explores the surprising connections between artistic and scientific disciplines with host Nick, revealing unexpected parallels in practice and career in this interview.
6 Jun 2025
Are Academic Conferences Worth it Anymore? Yes...? Yes.
Host Tom reflects on the value of academic conferences, concluding that some disciplines need to improve their promotional items; this is a solo episode.
14 Apr 2025
Teaching and Personalities
Join us for a conversation about teaching philosophy, course objectives, evaluations, and all the things that make a class work. And learn a little about bioorthogonal chemistry and the agent-structure problem. Also some secret career and life advice at the end of the episode.
28 Mar 2025
Finding Your Joy in the Academy
A special episode with a live audience where we discuss how we find our joy in higher education. Professor Nicholas Ball (chemistry) and Professor Tom Le (political science) learning from others, rocks, space, chanties, and so many things.
15 Oct 2024
Seasons in the Academic Year
In the second episode of Prof Talk, Professor Nicholas Ball (chemistry) and Professor Tom Le (political science) discuss summer research and transitioning into new academic years. Sophomore Becca shares her thoughts about why a liberal arts education is worth the costs (or not..). Also a little about deterrence in international relations and stoichiometry.
9 Aug 2024
Surviving and Thriving in the Academy
In the first episode of Prof Talk, Professor Nicholas Ball (chemistry) and Professor Tom Le (political science) discuss sabbaticals, soft power, nucleophilic substitution, surviving in the academy, and why come to Pomona College.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 15 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
17
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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