KGNU - How On Earth

What is graduate school and how does it differ from the undergraduate experience?  What drives people to go through another 4…5…6…or more years of school? Today’s show features some people who might be able to tell us about the grad school experience in the sciences.  We have three grad students from the University of Colorado at Boulder: * Joe Villanueva in the Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology department. * Annie Miller, in the Integrative Physiology department. * Marcus Piquette, in the Astrophysical and Planetary Science department. Each of them works in a lab with an advisor and is doing projects that will eventually lead to a thesis and getting a PhD, and they talk about what they do and what grad school is like. Host: Joel Parker Producer and Engineer: Joel Parker Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Additional Contributions: Beth Bennett, Susan Moran Click below to listen to the show:

Today we had a terrific show with two local guests.  First, Sarah McQuate, Post-Doc at the University of Colorado joins us to talk about CUCafe, a student run group committed to creating dialogues and safe spaces for underrepresented student on campus.  We talk about their role in the most recent Inclusion and Diversity Summit on campus along with their on-going efforts and events. cucafeseminar.wordpress.com   Next, Julie Rehmeyer, a award-winning science tells us about her experience as a math graduate student at MIT and her investigative research into Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  These two stories form interesting connections as we discuss the meaning of intuition; a skill that is acknowledge as powerful in the mathematics community but not necessarily cultivated or nourished.  Additionally, Julie finds resilient solutions using her analytical and intuitive skills when enduring a incapacitating experience with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, treatment for which is scarce and poorly understood in the scientific community. HERE is here latest article on the research of CFS Hosts: Susan Moran, Kendra Krueger Producer: Kendra KRueger Engineer: Kendra Krueger Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Additional Contributions: Joel Parker Listen Here:

In today’s show we offer the following feature: The Horse (starts at 6:25)  Next to our connection with dogs and cats, perhaps the deepest bond humans have developed over time is with horses.  In fact, hands down, the horse has done more for us than either of those furry pets. That is, horses lie at the very foundation of our human civilization. Modern humans evolved with the horse.  A new book explores the deep history of this deep bond, and the far deeper history of the horse itself and its evolutionary biology over millennia. Ever wonder why  horses have such big teeth—unlike other hoofed mammals?  The book, which spans the globe as well as the horse’s anatomy, is called The Horse: The Epic History of Our Noble Companion.   Its author, journalist Wendy Williams joins host Susan Moran to talk about these beautiful creatures. Williams will speak on Nov. 16 at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Hosts: Susan Moran, Kendra Krueger Producer: Joel Parker Engineer: Kendra Krueger Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Additional Contributions: Shelley Schlender Click below to listen to the show:

Amy Sheflin Photo credit: Carolyn Hoagland Mighty Microbes (start time: 5:45): Microbes – fungi and bacteria and probably viruses — are essential to life on Earth. They’re found in soil and water and inside the human gut. There’s a lot happening these days in microbiology, as scientists try to better understand what role these invisible powerhouses play in our health and that of the planet. Amy Sheflin, a PhD candidate at Colorado State University in the department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, speaks with host Susan Moran about her and others’ research into how microbial communities an enhance the health of our human gut, soils and crops. Hosts: Susan Moran, Joel Parker Producer: Susan Moran Engineer: Joel Parker Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Listen to the show here:

The teenaged brain is wired differently than the adult. Brains (starts at 4:35) This week on How on Earth we interview Professor Marie Banich, from the University of Colorado here in Boulder. Dr Banich uses cutting edge methodologies, particularly structural and functional MRI, to examine the role of the prefrontal cortex, as well as other brain regions, in executive function. Today she tells us about work that was recently funded by NIH to characterize how these systems change over the course of development. Hosts: Beth Bennett and Joel Parker Producer: Beth Bennett Engineer: Joel Parker Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Listen to the show:

Wolf Gaze courtesy Carl Safina Beyond Words (starts 5:00) Last week, we brought you excerpts from an interview with MacArthur Genius Grant Award winner, scientist and naturalist, Carl Safina, about his ground-breaking book:  Beyond Words – What Animals Think and Feel.  Last week’s excerpts focused on elephants and then on the mysterious accounts of killer whales assisting people in danger at sea.  This week, we bring you more from “Beyond Words”  Safina takes us to the world of wolves in Yellowstone.  And we’ll look again at killer whales, and how they fare when captured for the entertainment trade. Hosts: Susan Moran & Kendra Krueger Producer: Shelley Schlender Engineer: Kendra Krueger Executive Producer: Beth Bennett

HANDOUT IMAGE: “Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel” by Carl Safina (credit: Henry Holt) ***ONE TIME USE ONLY. NOT FOR RESALE Up Close and Personal – Astrophysicist Joel Parker (starts 3:00)  talks about why he volunteers to educate people about science and outer space. Beyond Words:  What Animals Think and Feel, by Carl Safina.  (starts 4:10) We talk with MacAurther Grant winner, naturalist and scientist, Carl Safina, about his new book.  His publisher has kindly offered a limited number of these books as a gift to listeners who call and pledge their support to KGNU. Hosts: Shelley Schlender and Joel Parker Producer: Shelley Schlender Engineer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Beth Bennett

Genetically-modified crops GMOs (start time 5:35) An interview with Dr Sharon Collenge, an ecologist at the University of Colorado. Dr Collenge is an advocate of using new genetic technologies to make slight modifications to plant genomes which can increase yield, protect against disease and reduce pesticide use. Host: Beth Bennett Producer: Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran Additional contributions: Joel Parker, Beth Bennett Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Listen to the Show:

Rock Arch Stability (Starts 5:24) How on Earth’s Daniel Strain  talks to Jeffrey Moore, a geologist who studies the West’s iconic rock arches — and watches them for signs that they’re about to collapse.   Neonicotinoids and Silent Spring – (Starts 15:33) We share a story from H2O radio warning about a pesticide that’s linked to the collapse of honeybee colonies, and growing concerns that it’s dangerous for other forms of life, it’s persistent in the environment and might bring about a new Silent Spring.  This information will be part of this week’s Western Apicultural Society conference in Boulder.   Hosts: Shelley Schlender and Daniel Strain Producer: Shelley Schlender Engineer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Susan Moran Listen to the show:

Raising drinking glasses to celebrate – drinking?Image courtesy of Huffington Post This week on How on Earth, we speak with Dr Paula Hoffman, a neuropharmacologist – she’s scientist who studies what drugs do in the brain- who works on the genetics of alcohol and other drugs of abuse. Paula reviews the action of alcohol on different neurotransmitter systems of the brain then describes some of the genetic issues which predispose people to risk for becoming alcoholics. Finally she talks about research done in her lab which has resulted in preliminary understanding of genetic networks involved. Host: Beth Bennett Producer: Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran Executive Producer: Susan Moran Listen to the show: