The Ivory Attic

12/12/2025

A short video from our grand tour with the Ivory Attic Abroad. We couldn’t help popping by the iconic Scottish tweed merchant Walker Slater in Edinburgh. We emerged happier co-hosts with more layers and lighter wallets.

09/12/2025

Some pics from our latest episode from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Edinburgh. Make sure to give it a listen. More pics to follow from the Ivory Attic Abroad tour.

06/12/2025

Heading into final exam season everyone needs a little boost. We’ve prepared a brand 🆕 episode 🎙️ that’s just the ticket to get you through the semester. As part of our "Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning" co-curriculum series, our tour of the UK brings us to Edinburgh, Scotland where we visit the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. We speak to bartender Euan Willis about the Whisky Society and about single malt whiskys more generally. We learn tips for mixing cocktails with these sometimes bullying spirits and taste a few along the way.

Podcast Episode · The Ivory Attic · S3, E24 Bonus · 15m

02/12/2025

Ensconced in our sweaters, your podcast hosts spent part of the holiday scheming for our next episodes.

25/11/2025

New episode! 🆕 🎙️ Just in time for your holiday travel!🧳 For the conclusion of our UK tour, Kurt interviews actual real graduate students, Anna Drummond Young and Eleanor Mackay of Oxford University's Physical and Theoretical Chemistry program. They talk about what it is like to actually do science as a graduate student rather than what professors always pretend science is. Anna and Eleanor take a quiz to find out how well they know each other and we talk about what geologist fashion is (despite the fact that none of us is a geologist). Finally, we drink a lumpy cocktail through a straw. What a great ending to our tour across the pond! It

Podcast Episode · The Ivory Attic · 11/25/2025 · 57m

08/10/2025

🎧 New Episode! Episode 22 — Bouncing Billiard Balls and Disney Princesses

As we continue our tour of the UK, we speak with Alice Thorneywork, Associate Professor of Physical Chemistry at Oxford University. Alice speaks about her research, what it is like to teach at Oxford University, and how her current career path in the sciences was largely set by a children’s book. She answers a hard quiz that, perhaps, only Kurt really enjoyed. Finally, we enjoy a refreshing drink on a scorching day to finish out our time together. Hopefully, you can grab your own refreshing drink and come along with us. Grab a cold one and join us 👉

Podcast Episode · The Ivory Attic · 10/08/2025 · 1h

19/08/2025

New website look - check it out! Also make sure to download and share our latest episode with the wonderful Dr. Chris Kempshall!

14/08/2025

New episode 🎙️🆕🌌Welcome to first international tour!

In this episode, we turn to the dark side to talk Star Wars with our special guest, Dr. Chris Kempshall. Chris talks to us about establishing his career as a leading WW1 historian, a video games consultant, and a historian for Star Wars. He also talks about how all of this great work got him ruthlessly expelled from the academy. We then give him a very challenging WW1 x Star Wars quiz followed by a discussion of geek chic fashion. Finally, Kurt mixes a Star Wars-themed shot to drink after a hard day in the space hangar. Join us you will!

Podcast Episode · The Ivory Attic · 08/14/2025 · 1h 8m

14/07/2025

For our twentieth episode (!) we’re on location with Professor Jocelyn Swigger in her piano-filled office. Jocelyn is Professor of Music and Coordinator of Keyboard Studies for the Sunderman Conservatory of Music at Gettysburg College. Jocelyn introduces us to a wonderful composer - Agnes Tyrrell. She discusses what it is like teaching piano in a conservatory at a small liberal arts college. We also learn why musicians wear black in concerts—and why Jocelyn chooses differently when out and about on campus. Finally, the three of us raise a glass in honor of Agnes Tyrrell. It’s our most musical episode yet!

Podcast Episode · The Ivory Attic · 07/14/2025 · 58m