KGNU - How On Earth

With graduation season upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is Part 2 of our annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists and engineers who have or will soon receive their Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in a STEM-related field.  They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next. Dhruv Kedar – Physics Topic: A Fully Crystalline Cryogenic Reference Cavity   Kathleen McGuire – Anthropology Topic: Navigating the Needs of the Many and the Few: Examining the Relationship between Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) Group Function and Individual Variation on St. Catherines Island Brian Alden – Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences Topic: Investigating the Properties of Merging Galaxy Clusters with Radio Halos/Relics Using X-ray Derived Pressure Maps   You can listen to Part 1 of this year’s special or all past year Graduation Special episodes. Host / Producer : Joel Parker Executive Producer : Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:

This week on How on Earth, Beth replays in interview with Professor Mike Breed, who has been studying social insects, including ants and bees, at the University of Colorado here in Boulder, for decades. She spoke with him last year about the fascinating biology of these important pollinators, in an interview that is still timely, because the many problems facing honeybees, and other bees are continuing to mount. He describes the challenges these important insects face in the modern world, and what we can do to protect them. Executive Producer: HOE Team Show Producer: Beth Bennett Additional Contributions:Benita Lee & Joel Parker Engineer: Sam Fuqua Listen to the show:

CU-Boulder’s 14th annual Gold Lab Symposium on the Science of Health takes place this Thursday and Friday at CU-Boulder’s Muenzinger Auditorium and on line.   You can sign up for the symposium  here.   In today’s show, Larry Gold, founder, scientist and entrepreneur, talks about some key scientific discoveries being discussed at this year’s symposium, along with the implications for health and health care. This week, we focus one on of the new findings that will be discussed at the Symposium, in a talk by scientists. Andreas Beyer & Argyris Papantonis The talk is titled, “Living in the Fast Lane: Accelerated Copying of Genetic Information with Aging.”  For more about the science paper from Nature related to this topic, go here. Host / Producer : Shelley Schlender

With graduation season upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is Part 1 of our annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists and engineers who have or will soon receive their Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in a STEM-related field.  They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next. Rob Streeter – Electrical Engineering Topic: High-resolution Deep-tissue Microwave Thermometry   Amanda Hampton – Applied Math Topic: On the Three-Dimensional, Quadratic Diffeomorphism: Anti-integrability, Attractors, and Chaos Jacob Kravits – Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering Topic: Balancing Cost, Water, Emissions, and Reliability in Power Systems Operations You can listen to Part 2 of this year’s special or all past year Graduation Special episodes. Host / Producer : Joel Parker Executive Producer : Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:

In this week’s show Beth speaks with Adam Alexander, author of The Seed Detective, a treasure trove of stories about heirloom seeds and the plants they grow into. Not only does he entertain with his adventures in exotic places, but he also takes the reader on a journey through the history of many common cultivated plants such as peas, lettuce, brussels sprouts, and beans. Executive Producer: Beth Bennett and Shelley Schlender Show Producer: Beth Bennett and Colette Czarnecky Engineer: Shannon Young Listen to the Show:

Iceland Geothermal – NesjavellirPowerPlant Energy  Technology that will Power the World (Entire Show)  We look at a climate change discussion from CU-Boulder’s Conference on World Affairs about our Energy Future – where the panelists included ideas about hydrogen, geothermal and nuclear power . . . and we get audience reaction both pro . . and con. Go here for complete 90-minute video recorded panel discussion Experts featured include: Moderator and Former Boulder Mayor Sam Weaver CU-Boulder professor and fellow of the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute Kyri Baker National Renewable Energy Lab Chief Research Officer Peter Green   Mothers for Nuclear board member Emma Redfoot The Energy Switch book author, Peter Kelly-Detwiler Also interviewed in this episode is Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center member, Rich Andrews. Producer/Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Music contributions:  Bonobo and Hydrogen Seas.

chronic pain on the brain Chronic pain science and treatments (start time: 4:27) In this week’s show host Susan Moran interviews two experts on the emerging neuroscience of and mind-body treatments for chronic pain, which is a leading cause of disability in the U.S. As many as one in five Americans suffer from chronic pain. The problem has cost the country more than $600 billion in treatments and lost work-time. Our guests today are at the forefront of research and clinical treatment of chronic pain. Dr. Yoni Ashar is an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in the Department of Internal Medicine. Several years ago he led the Boulder Back Pain Study on a mind-body program called Pain Reprocessing Therapy.  Brad Fanestil, MD, is an internist and the director of the Center for Mind Body Medicine at Boulder Community Health. Stay tuned for details on a Part II discussion on mind-body medical treatments for chronic pain, anxiety and other ailments. Relevant resources: * New randomized back-pain study (led by Dr. Ashar) seeks subjects. * The Way Out, by Alan Gordon * Lecture by Dr. Fanestil on treating chronic pain with mind-body medicine * Curable app for managing chronic pain Hosts: Susan Moran, Joel Parker Producer: Susan Moran Engineer: Joel Parker Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Listen to the show here:

We share news about upcoming science events, cancer-causing additives in Easter candy, and we hunt for Colorado’s native Easter Daisies. By Jialiang Gao www.peace-on-earth.org Tibetan Watershed in Danger (Starts 1:00)  Lobsang Yangtso speaks 11 AM Wednesday at CU Boulder about the crucial need to protect Tibet’s “Roof of the World” and its role in the world water supply.  Wednesday’s 11 AM Seminar is also on Zoom. The Nuclear Legacy of Rocky Flats.  (Starts 3:52) Regis University conducts this symposium tonight with  keynote speaker Kris Iversen, author of Full Body Burden, Growing up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats. From Environmental Working Group Cancer Causing Additives in Easter Candy   (Starts 10:20) The Environmental Working Group  wants to ban Easter Candy ingredients that carry a cancer risk C Stephen R. Jones Boulder’s Native Easter Daisies  (Starts 15:20) We join Boulder Naturalists Steve Jones and Ruth Carol Cushman, as they hunt for a deep-rooted little flower called the Easter Daisy along Boulder’s geologic wonder known as the Six Mile Fold. Host & Show Producer: Shelley Schlender Engineer: Shannon Young Executive Producer: Beth Bennett  

Today on How on Earth, Beth speaks with William Penuel, faculty in the School of Education at CU Boulder, and part of the Renee Crown Wellness Institute. He designs and studies curriculum materials, assessments, and professional learning experiences for teachers in STEM education, especially in science. His work is beginning to focus more on cultivating compassion and dignity in schools and on promoting equitable collaboration in small group learning in STEM classrooms. Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Show Producer: Beth Bennett Additional Contributions: Joel Parker Engineer: Shannon Young Listen to the Show;

Photo credit: WateReuse Colorado Water Recycling for Climate Resilience (start time: 7:54) When you poured tap water into your coffee maker this morning, or flushed the toilet, you may not have been thinking about where that water came from, or where it flowed to next. Pegged to World Water Week, on this week’s How On Earth host Susan Moran interviews Austa Parker, PhD, an environmental engineer who is a consultant for the firm Brown and Caldwell on national water-reuse issues. She formerly worked for Denver Water and as an adjunct professor at CU Boulder. Our discussion focuses on direct potable reuse (DPR), the process of transforming treated wastewater, including human effluence, into drinking water. Climate change, intensifying droughts and population growth in the already parched U.S. West are pressuring states and cities to pursue DPR as a means of becoming more climate-resilient. Resource links: WateReuse Colorado WateReuse Association (national) Colorado’s regulations (passed in late 2022) on direct potable reuse Hosts: Susan Moran, Joel Parker Show Producer: Susan Moran Engineer: Joel Parker Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Listen to the show here: