Simplified

If you want to start an argument at the dinner table, I personally suggest bringing up Artificial Intelligence. There are some that believe AI to be the answer to all of the world's problems, and some that think it could bring about the world's demise. It's one of those topics where the spectrum of support and opinions is incredibly wide. Whether you consider this phenomenon an indicator of progress or a harbinger of doom, our chat with AI researcher Dr. Brian Butler is worth your time. He's been looking into this technology for several years and can tell us plainly what it is, where it's coming from, and where he and other experts think it's going. He brings us good news, bad news, and just, well, news about AI that he thinks our listeners should know!

A distrust and even dislike for news folk isn't necessarily new, (and in more than a few cases, not unwarranted) but in the last decade it seems that politics, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the endless void of Facebook has made many more civilians villainize "The Media™". So to break down what journalists SHOULD do, whether they do it or not, and why they should do it, we brought in someone who has made the clarification and explanation of media ethics their life's work. Dr. Chris Roberts at the University of Alabama is the authority on media ethics-- he's quite literally the vice chairman of the ethics committee of the Society of Professional Journalists. We're picking up right where we left off in part one of our discussion. In part two, we're going a bit more in-depth on the relationship between the public and the news media.

There's the awards, the in-depth reporting, the great photos, and many other things that news outlets can brag about. One thing that most journalists are still working on however is earning solid trust from most of the public. A distrust and even dislike for news folk isn't necessarily new, (and in more than a few cases, not unwarranted) but in the last decade it seems that politics, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the endless void of Facebook has made many more civilians villainize "The Media™". So to break down what journalists SHOULD do, whether they do it or not, and why they should do it, we brought in someone who has made the clarification and explanation of media ethics their life's work. Dr. Chris Roberts at the University of Alabama is the authority on media ethics-- he's quite literally the vice chairman of the ethics committee of the Society of Professional Journalists. In part one of our in-depth conversation on what news media should and shouldn't do in their pursuit of the truth, he lets our listeners know what the news outlets you engage with should be doing, and how to know if they're doing it.

May is mental health awareness month, and organizations across the United States use this time to educate Americans on how to both understand mental health issues and offer support to people who are struggling. We're joining those voices with our last Simplified episode of the month: an informative chat with Dr. Abby Horton, an Assistant Professor at The University of Alabama’s Capstone College of Nursing. Dr. Horton has over a decade of researching wellness and mental health on her resume, making her the perfect guest to answer questions from Lacey (and the listening audience!) about what goes on in our heads and how to best take care of them.

Hurricane season has technically already started on Pacific Ocean side of the country, but the Atlantic side (that's our side btw) will be heating up very soon. Scientists say 97% percent of hurricanes occur from June to November, as Alabamians and their southeastern neighbors know all too well. Our guest today has been interviewed by national news entities on this topic, and if he's good enough for NPR, he's certainly good enough for us- Dr. Jason Senkbeil is a professor in the department of geography at The University of Alabama. His research has focused on atmospheric hazards and applied climatology with weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes and climate change trends. He joins Lacey to break down the how, when, and where of every step of these dangerous storms.

Some of the biggest changes we've seen the current administration make is on legislation and regulations regarding environmental issues. A lot of protections have changed or gone away completely, and projects that could negatively impact the earth are getting approved easier. Alabama is no exception- the state legislature just this year passed a bill that says the state cannot impose stricter environmental regulations than the feds. But what is environmental law? Why does it matter? Why do so many people care, why should I care? William Andreen has answers to all of that and more. The Professor Emeritus of Law at Alabama, Professor Andreen has been studying environmental law for decades. He's here to help us better understand what these laws are, and what we stand to lose if we get rid of them.

Primary elections for multiple state offices are less than three weeks away. Local elections such as these don't see the turnout that presidential elections do in our state, and that needs to change, because Dr. Regina Wagner says so! She's a political science professor at the University of Alabama and gave us tons of information on the processes and importance of state-level elections. Whether you're a republican, democrat, or somewhere in-between, your voice matters and needs to be counted.

Part two of our conversation with sleep expert Dr. Adam Knowlden is here! Do you know anyone that says "yeah, I actually get perfect sleep every single night"? Me neither. That's why it felt appropriate to interview today's guest, Dr, Adam Knowlden, who has been studying sleep habits and sleep hygiene for years. He is an associate professor of health science and director of the SLUMBRx Lab at the University of Alabama, and is a certified award-winning sleep-knower. There was so much good information in our discussion that we'll be turning our interview with him into two parts!

Do you know anyone that says "yeah, I actually get perfect sleep every single night"? Me neither. That's why it felt appropriate to interview today's guest, Dr, Adam Knowlden, who has been studying sleep habits and sleep hygiene for years. He is an associate professor of health science and director of the SLUMBRx Lab at the University of Alabama, and is a certified award-winning sleep-knower. There was so much good information in our discussion that we'll be turning our interview with him into two parts! Tune in next week for part two.

Today Lacey sits down with a pro on social media culture, influence and history. Dr. Jessica Maddox is an Associate Professor of Entertainment and Media Studies at the University of Georgia, but spent 7 years of her academic career at the University of Alabama. In this episode, she chats with Lacey about how people can get dependent on social media, how these websites design themselves to make them as "scrollable" as possible, and how humans have craved connections (like the ones social media seems to provide) for centuries.