Choose to be Curious

Dina Pavlis, an avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast, talks about killer whales, honey bees, walking dunes, and the joy of exploring beyond your front door. She shares her experience of living on the Oregon Coast and the fascinating soundscape of Florence. The podcast also explores the power of connecting through shared interests and learning, preserving the Oregon Dunes through curiosity, and everyday adventures that add a sense of discovery to our lives. An entertaining discussion on the concept of curiosity using analogy slips from a jar.

Where does research begin? Tom Mullaney and Christoper Rae say it starts way before we think it does. Their book, Where Research Begins: Choosing a Research Project That Matters to You (and the World) is a remarkable book -- a workbook, really. They provide a curiosity-informed, generative process for finding and really understanding the questions underlying anything you might want to learn more about. A read both rigorous and delightful - I recommend it! Tom Mullaney is a Professor of Chinese History at Stanford University, a Guggenheim Fellow, and co-author of Where Research Begins. We had a great time digging into their curiosity practices... More about Tom Mullaney here: https://history.stanford.edu/people/thomas-mullaney Find Where Research Begins here: https://whereresearchbegins.com Theme music by Sean Balick. “Distill” by Darby, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Jaison Manjaly, Principal investigator and chief cheerleader of The Curiosity Lab at IIT Gandhinagar, discusses the Lab's interdisciplinary research on curiosity and its efforts to encourage curiosity at every turn. Topics covered include the definition of curiosity, the impact of the caste system on knowledge accessibility in India, lab outreach efforts through camps and clubs, and the importance of fostering curiosity through small choices.

Caroline Nickerson, Advisor at SciStarter, talks about the power and accessibility of citizen science. She highlights the global impact and educational benefits of participating in research projects. Nickerson discusses collaborations with libraries, schools, museums, and organizations like Verizon and All of Us Research. Learn how citizen science reaches diverse participants through events, libraries, and health fairs.

In 2017 Eva Marie Carney read a news story that changed her life. I invited her to share how being open to new information -- and allowing that information to influence not only her thinking but also her actions -- has enabled her to change other lives as well. This is an exploration of curiosity, very much as applied. Curiosity, in this case, in service of ending period poverty. Eva Marie Carney founded The Kwek Society which provides pads, tampons, liners, and underwear, along with educational materials and moon time bags filled with supplies to Indigenous students and communities needing these expensive menstrual supplies. Learn more here:  https://kweksociety.org Music this week: "Easement" and "Thirteens" by Bulwark, and "Great is the Contessa" by Contessa, all, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Claire Bown teaches techniques to help people connect more with art. Her guide How to Look at Art (Slowly) is as rich a compendium of curiosity practices as I've ever found. Claire's professional focus is museums, but she'd be the first to tell you: the skills she shares are useful anywhere... Check out Claire's work at Thinking Museum: https://thinkingmuseum.com Theme music by Sean Balick; "Purple Light" by Marble Run, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Amina Luqman-Dawson, author of Freewater, discusses the role of curiosity in her book and in understanding history. The podcast explores the inspiration behind her book, the importance of curiosity in storytelling, and the responsibility of parents to ensure freedom. It also emphasizes the need to be open-minded and empathetic to connect with history and the experiences of others.

Filmmaker Antonio Villaronga discusses his experiences in filmmaking and the role of curiosity in the process. They also explore playful analogies to curiosity and share personal experiences at Joint Base Meyer Henderson Hall, including witnessing ceremonies and meeting buglers who have been playing since they were 11.

Just in time for Valentine's Day we consider curiosity and how we experience and express love. Hailey Magee is a certified coach, educator, and writer who helps folks worldwide set empowered boundaries and break people-pleasing patterns.  She says curiosity is her love language. That seemed like a conversation we would all want to have! Check out Hailey Magee: https://www.haileymagee.com Read Hailey's original blog post "Why Curiosity Is My Love Language" Gary Chapman developed the idea of love language: https://5lovelanguages.com Take a moment to enjoy the poetry of Robert Frost, kindness of the Poetry Foundation: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/robert-frost Theme and other music by Sean Balick.

In this episode, linguistics professor Sonja Lanehart explores the influence of language on our understanding of curiosity. They discuss African American women's language, linguistic justice, decolonizing language, and the controversy around the word 'the'. They also engage in a playful game of analogies to deepen their understanding of curiosity.