American colleges and universities are sometimes called ivory towers, self-contained communities with high minded ideals. But they are still run by people, and people can be pretty awful sometimes. Today on the Best of Our Knowledge, we’ll talk to a pair of researchers who say there are growing cracks in higher ed’s ivory tower. We’ll […]

#1505: Cracks In The Ivory Tower

Every day, faculty members at schools and universities throughout the world are making discoveries that shape our ways of thinking and redefine our understanding of today's knowledge-driven society. Since 1990, The Best of Our Knowledge has highlighted breakthroughs across disciplines and across the globe, putting you in touch with the men and women at the forefront of their fields. Each week this program examines some of the issues unique to college campuses, looks at the latest research, and invites commentary from experts and administrators from all levels of education.

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Hairy bodies. Compound eyes. Feather-like antenna. The perhaps misunderstood moth is in the limelight in the experimental documentary film, “The Night Visitors.” The movie provides a glimpse into a world many of us overlook. We’ll speak with filmmaker Michael Gitlin.

The Night Visitors

The April 8th solar eclipse will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for millions. We’ll meet students who are using balloons to study the celestial event.



And what’s better than a sturdy pair of shoes? Horseshoes, that is. We’ll learn about a program that is educating future farriers.

Atmospheric study and shoeing horses

From Mexico to Maine, the April 8th solar eclipse will carve a path of darkness across North America. We’ll learn how NASA is preparing to study the event.



And commercial interest in space is at an all-time high. We’ll learn more from the U.S. Office of Space Commerce.

Eclipse research and space commerce

What’s your favorite board game? We’ll explore the history of board games in America.



And we’ll visit an upstate New York woodworking shop that is opening its doors to the community.

Board games and woodworking

In an age of smartphones and streaming, where physical media is disappearing, we’ll take a trip to the largest collection of popular music in the world – and meet the man who has dedicated most of his life to cataloguing recordings and historic materials.



And we’ll attend a groundbreaking for a new middle school in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

#1505: Cracks In The Ivory Tower

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