If science is built on experimentation, revision, and discovery, why do we teach it as memorization? What would happen if classrooms reflected how physicists actually think? And can education itself become a science grounded in evidence rather than tradition?

Today’s guest is Carl Wieman, Nobel Prize–winning physicist and Professor of Physics and Education at Stanford University. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2001 for his work on Bose–Einstein condensation, but in the years since, he has devoted much of his career to transforming science education. Through extensive research on how students learn, Wieman has pioneered evidence-based teaching methods that challenge lecture-heavy traditions in universities around the world.

His work bridges two worlds: frontier physics research and the science of learning itself.

In this episode, Carl and I explore why higher education has been slow to adopt research-backed teaching practices. He reflects on how physics research demands precision, experimentation, and skepticism, yet teaching often relies on intuition and inherited habits. We discuss the cognitive science behind active learning, why students misunderstand core scientific concepts even after earning high grades, and how classroom design can either reveal or conceal those misconceptions.

Carl explains how small shifts, such as structured peer discussion and real-time conceptual feedback, can dramatically improve understanding. He also shares insights from his leadership roles at the University of Colorado and Stanford, where he worked to scale evidence-based practices across departments. Our conversation moves beyond physics to a broader question: if we claim to value truth and discovery, why would we not apply those same principles to how we teach?

This episode challenges educators to rethink authority, tradition, and expertise. It asks us to see teaching not as performance, but as an ongoing experiment grounded in humility, data, and a commitment to genuine understanding.