POP Talks
Power of Possibility Talks
Embark on an expedition into the unknown! What is even possible? We don’t know yet, but we’re thrilled to find out.
Each year, we join eight intrepid faculty as they venture beyond the familiar, revealing new facets of the world we thought we understood. For one extraordinary hour, they challenge everything you thought you knew during POP Talks, the Power of Possibility Talks. Our researchers unearth questions you didn’t realize needed answering and redefine the boundaries of possibility.
In 2024, attendees of POP Talks voted Bethaney Fehrenkamp as the winner! We hope you enjoy all the competitors’ talks below.
Ready to push the limits of the possible?
2024 POP Speakers
Bethaney Fehrenkamp, M.D., Ph.D., Immunology
Beyond breastfeeding: Unraveling maternal stress, sleep and infant development
Bethaney Fehrenkamp, a clinical assistant professor of immunology at Idaho WWAMI, discusses the connections among sleep, circadian rhythms and their effects on breast milk production and infant health.
Sharon Kay Stoll, Ph.D., Center for ETHICS*
Falling in love with exercise
After decades as a sports philosopher, Sharon Kay Stoll explores the reasons behind our population’s health decline. The professor and director of the Center for Ethics discovered the finding the love in movement is key to developing a lasting, healthy lifestyle.
Amin Mirkouei, Ph.D., Renewable and Sustainable Manufacturing
Mining the possibility: The power of current and emerging industries on Idaho’s growth
Amin Mirkouei, professor of engineering at U of I Idaho Falls, discusses the immense potential held by Idaho’s store of rare earth elements. His lab explores methods of extracting these valuable materials using plants and citric acid. These sustainable practices could open the way for a new mining boom in the Gem State.
Erin James, Ph.D., English
This is your brain on narrative
English Professor Erin James discussed our brains on narrative. Through narrative immersion, each of us can practice what it’s like to have experiences other than our own and live in foreign worlds. She challenges readers to read adventurously and explore characters whose lives look different than our own.
Erin Brooks, Ph.D., Soil and Water Systems
The regenerative agriculture movement
Erin Brooks co-leads the team implementing the $55 million USDA grant-funded Innovative Agriculture and Marketing Partnership. By assisting Idaho farmers in implementing regenerative approaches, Brooks’ project helps restore the state’s soil and provides a practical approach to increasing soil carbon and decreasing nitrous oxide emissions.
Randall Teal, Ph.D., Architecture
Thinking small
Architecture Department Chair Randall Teal says bigger isn’t necessarily better when it comes to sustainable family housing. He works with builders locally and across the country to help reduce housing size, making homes more efficient and affordable.
Paul Rowley, Ph.D., Biological Sciences
Fungi: Friend, foe and the fight for survival
Paul Rowley delved into the ways antifungal molecules produced by yeast can help battle competing fungi that spoils food and causes illness. His lab partners with a brewery in Ohio to test molecules in their beer, and the results are less spoilage and less exploding beer bottles.
Mya Pronschinske Groza, Ph.D., Marketing
Be the brand: Your story, your power, your impact
Some people see personal branding as self-promotion, but Mya Pronschinske Groza, associate professor of marketing, researches how it can make or break careers. She shows how personal branding can elevate individuals, teams, industries and communities.