In this episode of The Reference Desk, we speak with Dr. Padma Rangarajan, Associate Professor in the English Department at UC Riverside, about how studying nineteenth-century British literature helps us understand the lasting influence of colonial law, translation policy, and imperial culture on contemporary political concepts. We also discuss her current projects, how she approaches interdisciplinary research, and how students and scholars can make effective use of library resources.

Show Notes

• Empire: World History Podcast
• The Norton Library Podcast
• Hardcore History Series

What can fungi reveal about evolution, biodiversity, and life on Earth? In this episode, Dr. Jason Stajich, Professor of Microbiology and Plant Pathology at UC Riverside, discusses how genomics and computational tools are used to study fungal evolution. We also explore the role of library resources in enabling open, collaborative scientific research.

Show Notes:

Books:

• Merlin Sheldrake. Entangled Life
• Nick Money. Molds, Mushrooms, and Medicines

Amateur Mycology resources / societies:

• SD Mycological Society
• LA Mycological Society

Classes:

• Field Mycology, MCBL128
• Introduction to Mycology. PLPA 134
• Food Microbiology. MCBL 122

In this holiday special, we are having two guests from the UCR Library, Mary-Michelle Moore, our STEM Teaching Librarian and Michele Potter, our Collection Strategist for STEM. We discuss library resources and services, along with behind-the-scenes stories that showcase the people and processes that support them.

Show Notes:

• Hathitrust
• Internet Archive
• UCR Library Teaching and Learning Department
• UCR Library Collections
• libSTEMteam

How does technology shape the way we create and experience music? Dr. Ian Dicke, Professor of Composition in the Department of Music at UC Riverside, joins us to discuss the intersections of electronic music, sound design, and emerging technologies. His work explores the relationship between live performers and technology, often incorporating multimedia, interactivity, and social themes. We also talk about the role of AI in music composition and how digital archives can inspire new creative research.

Show Notes:

• CDM blog
• ROMAN, an AI opera in two acts
• Dr. Ian Dicke's website
• Novel Music

Why do people sometimes make decisions that don’t serve them well? Dr. Ye Li, Associate Professor of Management at UC Riverside and Director of the Behavioral Economics and Decision-making Lab (BEDLab), joins us to discuss the factors that shape our choices. He also shares how he integrates AI tools into his teaching practices and how library resources support his research and instruction. Finally, Dr. Li offers recommendations for those interested in exploring the field of behavioral economics.

Show Notes:

• Behavioral Economics and Decision Making Lab
• Nudge : The Final Edition
• Thinking, Fast and Slow

Dr. Hang Qiu, an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering, and the director of the Collaborative Intelligence Systems Lab(CISL) at UCR, discusses autonomous systems, mobile sensing, wireless networking, and how they are shaping the future of connected and automated vehicles and intelligent transportations. He also highlights how library services support this work and offers reading recommendations and his upcoming classes for interested listeners.

Show Notes:

• Dr. Hang Qiu's website
• Course: EE/CS 131: Edge Computing
• Course: EE 267: Introduction to Autonomous Driving Systems
• UCR Library STAR Lab (high-performance workstations with specialized software)
• UCR Library Research Services (data, digital scholarship, scholarly communication, innovative media, geospatial mapping, and more)
• UCR Creat'R Lab

Dr. Alejandra Dubcovsky, a Professor of History here at UC Riverside discusses her journey into early American history, the importance of archives in recovering Indigenous voices, and how library services support her research. She also shares reading recommendations for listeners interested in history, storytelling, and community knowledge.

Show Notes:

• We Are the Land A History of Native California
• Seattle from the Margins Exclusion, Erasure, and the Making of a Pacific Coast City
• Talking Back Native Women and the Making of the Early South
• Informed Power Communication in the Early American South
• A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca
• UCR Library Open Research and Creative Activities Forum (ORCA)