Every message we send travels through a vast physical system: routers, cell towers, data centers, power grids, and miles of undersea and terrestrial fiber networks. And every part of it depends on human decisions.
On the next episode of Fiat Lux Redux, Tuesday, August 4 at 9 AM, Nicole Starosielski, professor of Film and Media at UC Berkeley, discusses how the future internet requires more than just computer scientists and engineers—it demands policymakers, economists, marine biologists, urban planners, and journalists. To bridge this gap, she launched UC Berkeley’s Global Digital Infrastructure (GDI) program and certificate, creating a multidisciplinary field to train future leaders to navigate the complex physical systems that support our digital infrastructure.
Starosielski discusses the myth of the ‘wireless cloud’ and the real-world vulnerabilities and complex human decisions around physical infrastructure, including the controversial construction of data centers.
The Edge Episode 34 interview originally aired on May 21, 2026 and was produced by California magazine and the Cal Alumni Association. It was edited for KALX by Mike Gill. If you have questions or comments about Fiat Lux Redux, contact lisa.katovich@gmail.com.
Fiat Lux Redux presents previously aired lectures, conversations, and podcasts originating on the campus of UC Berkeley every other Tuesday from 9am to 9:30am. These often-lengthy original programs have been edited to a 30-minute format by experienced KALX producers. The show’s name, Latin for “Let there be light”, is a reference to the University of California’s motto, which is also Fiat Lux. The show’s goal is to provide listeners with a window into the intellectual and cultural life of UC Berkeley and to showcase the wide range of subjects and diversity of thought and ideas that are present at UC Berkeley.
