Sam: Welcome to the Sound of Science on WNIJ, I’m Sam from NIU STEM Outreach. Megan: And I’m Dr. Megan Brown from NIU Geology and Environmental Geosciences. I worked as a geologist in an environmental consulting firm on the East Coast, focusing on remediation of groundwater and soil. Sam: Megan is here to explain a bit more about hydraulic fracturing and maybe cast it in a slightly different light. Megan: Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process of breaking apart porous rock to release

Jeremy: Welcome to the Sound of Science on WNIJ. I’m Jeremy from NIU STEAM.

Jeremy: Welcome to the Sound of Science on WNIJ. I’m Jeremy from NIU STEAM. Sam: And I’m Sam. Today’s question comes from Abus from Rockford. Abus: I would like to know: why does magnetism make an object float? Jeremy: That’s an excellent question, Abus. I think most of us know that magnets can attract or repel each other depending on which way they’re facing. You might’ve even seen objects that seem to float in mid-air by using this magnetic force to oppose the force of gravity. Sam: To answer

SAM: Welcome to the Sound of Science on WNIJ. I’m Sam from NIU STEM Outreach.

SAM: Welcome to the Sound of Science on WNIJ. I’m Sam from NIU STEM Outreach. PHILIPPE: And I’m Philippe Piot from NIU Physics – and Sam, I want to talk about particle accelerators which are becoming increasingly useful for everyday life. S: You and I could talk all day about them. For our listeners, though, give us a thumbnail. P: Particle accelerators boost the energy of particles and beams for various applications. For example, CERN in Europe collided two proton beams to confirm the Higgs

Jeremy: I’m Jeremy Benson with Sam Watt from NIU STEM Outreach, and it’s time for another episode of the Sound of Science on WNIJ.

Jeremy: I’m Jeremy Benson with Sam Watt from NIU STEM Outreach, and it’s time for another episode of the Sound of Science on WNIJ. Sam: Today’s question comes from Pablo, and it’s not just out of this world - it’s interstellar. Pablo asks, “How do scientists know if an object came from outside our solar system?” Jeremy: That’s a really good question, Pablo. Especially since scientists are now studying the second interstellar object that we’ve detected. Sam: The easiest way to tell where these

Jeremy: I’m Jeremy Benson

Jeremy: I’m Jeremy Benson Sam: And I’m Sam Watt Jeremy: And this is the Sound of Science on WNIJ. Sam: Today’s question comes from Peter who asks, “How can scientists take a picture of black hole?” Jeremy: Let’s see if we can’t shed some light on that one for you Peter. You may have heard the team that produced the first black hole images just received an award for their work. But how do you take a picture of something that doesn’t emit any light? Sam: To create their images, scientists didn’t

Sam: Welcome to the Sound of Science on WNIJ. I’m Sam from NIU STEM Outreach.