”With leading scholars in arts and sciences as your tour guide, Ideas Roadshow is an innovative resource to explore a complex world of ideas — from neuroscience to physics, from psychology to philosophy, from language to literature, and beyond. Presented in an accessible conversational format, these discussions not only explore cutting-edge academic research, but often reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. Ideas Roadshow stands as a unique introduction to a rich tapestry of cultural history.’‘ — Michael Berry, Professor of Contemporary Chinese Cultural Studies, UCLA
“Ideas Roadshow is perfectly pitched for intelligent people who want a deeper understanding than the mainstream media currently provides. Howard Burton’s deep reservoir of knowledge and skill as an interviewer allow him to distill complex topics down to their essence without loss of nuance. I’ll be using the series to teach and inspire students at a variety of levels.” — Jennifer Groh, Professor of Neuroscience, Duke University
“There is nothing quite like it that I know of. It should be of value both for contemporary takes on major issues in the social sciences and humanities and as an archive of senior scholars whose work has had substantial impact, reflecting on their major accomplishments across the course of a career. The intellectual content is very high from all I have seen – this is a wonderful resource both for student use in courses and for long term archival purposes.” — Josiah Ober, Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis Professor in Honor of Constantine Mitsotakis in Political Science and Classics at Stanford University
“I strongly recommend this wonderful educational resource. The content is truly interdisciplinary in nature and is therefore relevant to all departments. Both students and faculty will benefit tremendously from this personal, in-depth look at the ideas of some of today’s leading thinkers.” — Alcino Silva, Professor of Neurobiology, Psychiatry, Biobehavioral Sciences and Psychology, UCLA
“Ideas Roadshow is a marvel, and is much needed at a time when intellectual life is being dumbed down. The variety and depth of programs is unsurpassed, and the quality of discussion between Howard and his guests is outstanding.” — James Robert Brown, Professor of Philosophy, University of Toronto
“Ideas Roadshow took the body of my work and made it understandable and interesting! The program will work with any student and interested reader of history. Bravo!” — Margaret Jacob, Distinguished Professor of History, UCLA
“Howard came to the conversation with an incredible mastery of the issues, knowledge about my work, and insight for where things need to go next, so he was able to create a coherent picture of a complex body of research. The videos and books are wonderful resources for both students and the interested public.” — Ellen Bialystok, Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology, York University
“Ideas Roadshow is an exciting venture which aims to make accessible to a large audience the ideas and reflections of some of today’s most creative minds. Howard Burton never imposes himself and is skilled in drawing the best out of his scintillating array of guests.” — John Elliott, Regis Professor of History Emeritus, University of Oxford
“I found Howard so easy to talk to. He was obviously well-prepared and asked intelligent and penetrating questions. It was a real pleasure for me to discuss my work with him in this conversational and informal format.” — Elizabeth Loftus, Distinguished Professor of Social Ecology, Law & Cognitive Science, UC Irvine
“I am very impressed by the quality of the video and book that Ideas Roadshow produced based on our conversation. Much effort was put into editing the text and producing a helpful introduction, while finishing with such insightful questions for discussion. It really makes for a very powerful pedagogical tool, which should get used widely.” — Martin Jay, Sidney Hellman Ehrman Professor of History, UC Berkeley
“I am impressed by the range of innovative, pedagogical resources that Howard has developed from our discussion. Through Howard’s hands-on research experience and scientific knowledge he has an insider’s understanding of the potential of video to engage with research material. By combining his skills as both interviewer and editor, he has been able to create high-quality pedagogical resources that are relevant to students at all levels and the wider research community.” — Philip Zimbardo, Professor of Psychology, Stanford University
“I felt that I was forced to think about things that I had not thought about before. Howard is creating unique and innovative pedagogical products for students by using the dynamic of dialogue.” — Darrin McMahon, Professor of History, Dartmouth College
“Like many academics, I write more often for my peers than for my undergraduates. Through an impressively close reading of my work, Howard has stage-managed that shift of audience magnificently. He has that rare ability to communicate complex ideas digestibly and informally; and yet without dumbing down. I’m genuinely delighted with how Ideas Roadshow has maintained the integrity of my arguments and ideas.” — Nile Green, Professor of History and Director of the Program on Central Asia, UCLA
”Howard is one of the very best interviewers with whom I’ve worked. The caliber of his mind and his preparation for discussing the specific subject matter for each of his guests shows up clearly in the quality of the final Ideas Roadshow products — the videos and books. These are great ancillary teaching resources for undergraduate or graduate courses, or just plain “brain candy” for curious minds.” — Barbara Fredrickson, Professor of Psychology, UNC Chapel Hill
“Howard has an instinct for the long line, the complex idea, the larger story, and all the complications that make it interesting. He is articulate and funny, and more importantly, he brings to his conversations a physicist’s passion for getting to the bottom of things.” — Joseph Curtin, master violinmaker and acoustician
“Often academic online videos simply displace in-depth research and conceptual content for students – they watch it and that is it. Ideas Roadshow grabs the best of both worlds: the videos engage the viewer, but the books include more detail, further resources, and helpful analytical reflections from Howard Burton. It doesn’t just reflect the video; it extends it.” — Michael Gordin, Rosengarten Professor of Modern and Contemporary History, Princeton University
“I consider this a really great, innovative series that could augment classroom education substantially by going behind the scenes with established scientists and other researchers. I will certainly be using the material with my teaching at graduate and undergraduate levels.” — Greg Hickok, founding Director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Director for the Center of Language Science, UC Irvine
”For anyone wanting an entry into understanding and engagement with complex ideas, Ideas Roadshow is a terrific resource. Howard Burton’s superb interviewing skills bring out the best in his subjects, making their work accessible without oversimplifying or dumbing down. It is an honor to be part of the series.” — Susan Wolf, Edna J. Koury Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, UNC at Chapel Hill
“Howard has been able to get people who are top experts in their fields talking in a relaxed and informal way about a remarkable range of scholarly subjects, but is not the sort of thing usually put in print in more formal settings. This is exactly what students really need to hear!” — Anthony Leggett, Professor of Physics, University of Illinois, 2003 Nobel Laureate in Physics
“I would very much like to recommend the Ideas Roadshow series, which would be ideal for some of our sophomore and senior seminars. These conversations are terrific aids to the study of a whole range of disciplines.” — Teofilo Ruiz, Distinguished Professor of History and Peter H. Reill Term Chair in European History, UCLA
“Ideas Roadshow vividly captured my thoughts and ideas during what will likely be seen as the peak creative period in my career.” — Stephen Scherer, Director of The Centre for Applied Genomics at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto
“Howard does his homework and knows the right questions to ask, while knowing when to talk and when to be quiet. The result is that the ideas I have tried to get out there really are out there. If someone wants an efficient way to get my take on the issues I’ve been working on lately, I’m glad to refer her to my Ideas Roadshow conversation.” — David Hollinger, Preston Hotchkis Professor of History Emeritus, UC Berkeley
“Howard’s insightful questions led to a full exploration of the ideas that form the basis of my work. He truly masters the art of conversation as a tool to create an innovative multimedia product that serves as an ideal complement to standard, more formal approaches.” — Diana Deutsch, Professor of Psychology, UC San Diego
“Howard is great with people and has a wonderful sense of humour. I have done a lot of interviews over the years, but until I sat down with him, I had no idea that such things could be so much fun.” — Fred Gitelman, world-champion bridge player
