Houston, we have a podcast. Welcome to the official podcast of the NASA Johnson Space

Center episode 257, the coolest experiment in the universe. I'm Gary Jordan, and I'll

be your host today. On this podcast, we bring in the experts, scientists, engineers, and

astronauts all to let you know what's going on in the world of human spaceflight. A huge

impact at the smallest scale. When you hear quantum science, what's the first thing that

pops to your head? Would it be the coldest spot in the entire universe? Would you think

that it's just 250 miles away from Earth? Maybe you're thinking about a different state

of matter or quantum bubbles. What could only be imagined by science fiction writers is

now possible with a facility called the Cold Adam Laboratory or Cal. Cal is a facility

on the International Space Station that allows researchers to dive into amazing atomic

and quantum discoveries, which could only be possible due to the space's microgravity

environment. The lab launched in May of 2018 and over the past couple of years has already

shown revolutionary breakthroughs for quantum research. Joining us today to discuss Cal,

we have two of the best in the field. Dr. Jason Williams is joining us from NASA's Jet

Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Jason specializes in developing light pulse

atom interferometers and optical atomic clocks and how to use them in space. He currently

serves as the project scientist and as a principal investigator studying space-based

atom interferometry on the Cold Adam lab or Cal project. During his time at JPL, he's

been awarded both the Lou Allen Award for Excellence and the NASA Honor Award Early Career

Public Achievement Medal for Early Career Contributions to the Field. Jason received his

PhD from Pennsylvania State University in 2010 studying ultra-cold Fermi gases and held

a NRC post-doctoral research appointment at Gila and the University of Colorado at developing

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