Twesh Upadhyaha takes us on a tour of the science of thermodynamics as it has developed over two centuries, exploring the latest discoveries in the changes of energy and its various forms of heat and work at the smallest quantum level of atoms and molecules. Twesh is a PhD candidate at the University of Maryland, where he's a researcher in the Quantum Steampunk Laboratory. Join Twesh in exploring the frontiers of thermodynamics in the hidden world of energy at the microscopic level, the fascinating connection of quantum thermodynamics with information theory, the discovery of what he calls “an entire family of constraints” within the second law of thermodynamics at the quantum level, and the open question: “What does entropy even mean at the quantum level?”

Joe DeMartini is the first recipient of the Schweickart Prize, awarded by the B612 Foundation for his innovative proposal to detect and track asteroids during twilight hours. Joe’s proposal could significantly enhance planetary defence by locating asteroids in the large section of the sky that’s difficult for telescopes to observe because of the sun’s light. Joe talks about the details of his proposal, about meeting Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart who founded the B612 Foundation, and about the asteroid Apophis which will pass between Earth and the moon in just under 5 years, on April 13, 2029.

Arushi Nath is a high school student who developed a passion for asteroid research when she attended the biennial Planetary Defense Conference in 2021. Since then, Arushi has been applying her coding skills in hunting for asteroids and contributing many new findings to the objects that astronomers are tracking as potential hazards to our planet. Arushi explains her work around NASA's DART mission, which successfully tested the ability of a probe to impact and redirect a moonlet orbiting a faraway asteroid, and she discusses the national and international conferences she has attended. Those interested in the asteroid collision simulation that Arushi mentions can find it on NASA's website at https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/pd/cs/pdc23/. Arushi is looking forward to the next Planetary Defense Conference in 2025, and we're looking forward to hearing more from this extraordinary young citizen scientist who offers a very bright and hopeful voice for the future.