More Boys Should Read Little Women

Guest: Anne Boyd Rioux, author, "Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters,"  professorof English at the University of New Orleans

There’s a lot that boys can learn from reading “Little Women.”

 

Let’s squish some bugs!

Guest: Mark Hostetler, Professor in Dept. of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation at the University of Florida

Ever wondered what kind of bug is the owner of that nasty splotch of guts on your windshield?  Mark Hostetler did, and wrote a book about it, so you can fill your morbid curiosity to your heart’s content? 

 

Are small nukes good nukes?

Guest: Robert Rosner, Founding Co-director of the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics and Physics, faculty in the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago

A company called Nuscale is the first in America to propose a viable plan for an SMR, or Small Modular Reactor. This is a nuclear reactor which is much smaller than traditional reactors, theoretically safer, and much less expensive. If everything goes according to plan, then this would be the future of nuclear energy.

 

The Truth about Cannibalism

Guest: Bill Schutt, professor of biology at LIU Post and research associate in his residence at the American Museum of Natural History

Often we think that cannibalism was isolated to uncivilized island peoples.  The history of cannibalism might be closer to home than we think.

 

Dr. Seuss Museum

Guest: Kay Simpson, President of The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum

Our Special Collections Producer, Jeff Simpson, spoke with Kay Simpson, President of The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum located in Springfield, Massachusetts.

 

An algorithm can tell you if your baby is hungry, sleepy, or sick by decoding their crying

Guest: Lichuan Liu, PhD, director of the Digital Signal Processing Laboratory and Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology at Northern Illinois University   

In an age of algorithms dominating online interactions, a team of researchers and electrical engineers have developed a “cry language recognition algorithm” that can identify why a baby is crying.