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Aaron Ho wins prize with plasma podcast series

Published on June 06, 2023

DIFFER postdoc Aaron Ho, together with former DIFFER Ph.D. student Luca Vialetto (now a postdoc in Germany at Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel), have won the Rutherford Plasma Physics Communication Prize 2023. They receive the award for the podcast-style videos on their YouTube channel Coffee Breakdown.

In the podcast, which was born during the corona pandemic, Ho and Vialetto talk to each other and with guests about their experiences in plasma research. The most recent episode is about women in science. In that episode, two Ph.D. students from DIFFER, Maria Morbey and Laura Fumagalli, discuss the impact of female colleagues and incentive policies, among other things.

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Aaron Ho (left) and Luca Vialetto (right) during one of their podcasts on YouTube. (c) Still from YouTube.
Aaron Ho (left) and Luca Vialetto (right) during one of their podcasts on YouTube. (c) Still from YouTube.

For students and experienced researchers
Originally, Ho and Vialetto intended to create a platform for students. "Later, we extended that to experienced researchers," says Aaron Ho. "We provide a relaxed atmosphere for all kinds of scientists to share their expertise, thoughts, and experiences in plasma science."

The Coffee Breakdown channel now contains more than 25 episodes. Most last about an hour, but there are also shorter and longer episodes. In total, the episodes have been viewed more than 3,000 times.

About the prize
The Rutherford Plasma Physics Communication Prize is for excellence in communicating plasma physics to non-experts. The prize has been awarded by the Institute of Physics, the association of British and Irish physicists, since 2013. The winner may deliver a lecture at the annual plasma conference and receives €500.

Nederlandse versie van dit nieuwsbericht: www.differ.nl/aaron-ho-wint-prijs-met-podcastserie-over-plasma

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