The KGNU Science Show
CU-Boulder Electrical Engineers Amina Belkadi and Garret Moddel explain how scientists are working to pull energy from radiantly heated air, and why their efforts might expand renewable energy production AND help cool the planet.
Producer: Shelley Schlender
Executive Producer: Joel Parker
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:15 — 20.4MB)
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Skunk Canyon Son
gbirds (Starts 1:00) Scott Severs and Steve Jones hike Boulder’s Skunk Canyon Trail explaining why spring is late this year, plus why Skunk Canyon is home to so many song birds.
Longmont Beavers (Starts 12:00) Scott Severs, Wildlife Expert for the City of Longmont, explains how beavers can promote stream health, and why urban spring runoff makes it challenging for beavers to live in city streams.
Executive Producer: Joel Parker
Producer: Shelley Schlender
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:55 — 24.7MB)
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(Entire Show) Larry Gold, Boulder entrepreneur and scientist, invites listeners to register on line for the 12th annual GoldLab symposium. Due to COVID, it’s a virtual symposium this year, Thursday and Friday, May 13-14.
Extended version coming soon.
Executive Producer: Joel Parker
Show Producer & Host: Shelley Schlender
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:56 — 24.7MB)
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We speak with CU-Boulder Geneticist Tom Johnson about his ground-breaking research into the genetics of aging and ways to improve lifespan and healthspan. We feature excerpts from Ariel Lavery’s StoryCorps interview with her dad, Tom Johnson, and we speak with Johnson about his recent diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia.
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Producer: Shelley Schlender
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:58 — 24.7MB)
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(Whole Show) Longer “healthspan” might be why the most popular Non-COVID story in Science Magazine last year involved the body-building supplement alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG), fed to middle-aged mice. Buck Institute of Research on Aging Scientist Gordon Lithgow explains.
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Producer: Shelley Schlender
Additional Music: Stop This Train – by John Mayer.
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:55 — 24.7MB)
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Scratch & Sniff COVID Test (starts 1:00) CU Scientist Dan Larremore explains how a smell test app might offer an affordable COVID screening that’s way more accurate than a temperature check.
Ice Age BONE Fire (starts 6:00) Archeologist John Hoffecker and local volunteers recreate a Paleolithic “campfire” that used bones as the primary fuel. Volunteers who helped with this project — Josh Steinsiek, Dustin Goodew of Arapahoe Meat Company, Outdoorspeople Lin and Henry Ballard, Amber O’Hearn and Siobhan Huggins.
Engineer Sam Fuqua
Host/Producer: Shelley Schlender
Additional Contributions: Edie Hill, Composer
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:09 — 24.9MB)
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CU COVID TESTING UPDATE (starts 1:00) We join CU Engineering Professor Cresten Mansfeldt as he and his students open a sewer manhole and do maintenance on their wastewater COVID early warning system. We also get an update on COVID status at CU Boulder.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPOTTED FEVER & CLIMATE CHANGE (starts 11:15) Brown dog ticks that carry Rocky Mountain Spotted fever usually bite dogs. But they prefer to bite people over dogs when temperature rise to 100 degrees. UC-Davis scientist Laura Backus explains her new study and its implications in a time of climate change.
Host: Shelley Schlender
Producer:Shelley Schlender
Engineer:Sam Fuqua
Additional contribution: Music from Lynn Patrick
Executive Producer:Beth Bennett
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:37 — 25.3MB)
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CU-Boulder Sociologist Andrea Tilstra discusses how this decade’s reduction of lifespan in the US ties closely with two factors 1) easier access to painkillers and opioids, and 2) the obesity epidemic and the related health problems that come with it. Tilstra also explains the quesitons a social scientist/demographer asks when examining the COVID-19 pandemic, the COVID-19 Boulder County local tracking of the pandemic, and the human factors to consider as people face the stresses of social distancing and trying to stay connected.
Producer and Host: Shelley Schlender
Engineer: Maeve Conran
Executive Producer: Jill Sjong
Additional Contributions: Music from Lynn Patrick
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:11 — 24.9MB)
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In this final show in our four-part series on CU Boulder & COVID, we look at how CU Boulder Contact Tracing and CU data collection has revealed that the biggest spreader of COVID-19 on CU Boulder’s campus is students “socializing” in risky ways, particularly in off-campus parties at sororities, fraternities and large student apartment buildings on “The Hill” near CU Boulder. In contrast, attending in-person classes on CU is not a spreader of COVID-19, and neither are the residential halls. This show features news from the CU Chancellor’s office about a stronger call to reduce the spread, the leader of CU Contact Tracing Matthew McQueen, and Boulder County Spokesperson Chana Goussetis, explaining Boulder County Covid Data.
Producer: Shelley Schlender
Additional Contributions: Angele Sjong
Engineer: Maeve Conran
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:07 — 25.8MB)
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PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES IN COVID-19 TESTS (starts 1:00) Beth Bennett reviews the years progress and challenges in COVID-19 Tests, including the latest tests at CU Boulder.
CU UPDATE ON COVID-19 (starts 4:15) CU Media Relations spokesperson Candace Smith gives an update on the CU COVID-READY DASHBOARD including progress on getting the Sawyer Lab ultrafast test back in action at CU-Boulder.
WASTEWATER TESTING AT CU DORMS (Starts 9:50) CU Environmental Engineer Cresten Mansfeldt explains how and why CU Boulder is testing for evidence of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 with daily checks of wastewater coming from CU dorms.
Producer: Shelley Schlender
Additional Contributions: Beth Bennett
Engineer: Maeve Conran
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:57 — 24.7MB)
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