Can Brands Be True Advocates for Social Issues? (0:35)

Guest: Kim Sheehan, PhD, Professor of Advertising and Brand Responsibility, University of Oregon

Lately, a lot of companies have put out ads or changed their logo in support of Black Lives Matter or to encourage people to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. There’s a long tradition of for-profit companies taking a stance on a political or social issue when it suits their needs. (Originally aired 12/11/19)

 

How We’re Saving the California Condor (16:09)

Guest: Tim Hauck, Condor Program Manager at the Peregrine Fund

Condor 1000 was recently spotted and tagged as a healthy bird in Zion National Park. This particular condor is special because it was the 1000th born since conservation efforts began in 1982. And it was the first to successfully fledge in Zion National Park. It’s now survived an entire year in the wild, which is another major feat. Condors are the world’s largest flying land bird, but they’re also at great danger in the wild. (Originally aired 11/25/2019)

 

How Bear Hibernation Might Work for Humans (34:29)

Guest: Heiko Jansen, PhD, Professor of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience at Washington State University in Pullman

Imagine if humans hibernated like bears? Science fiction has toyed with this idea for a long time – putting astronauts into hibernation could help them weather a years-long trip into space more easily. And they’d need less food and oxygen. Even if it wasn’t full hibernation, but just a way to slow some of the body’s systems down, that could be really useful in treating diseases like diabetes or cancer. (Originally aired 1/22/2020)

 

Teaching Slavery in the American Classroom (52:50)

Guest: Anthony Brown, Professor of Curriculum & Instruction in Social Studies Education at the University of Texas at Austin, Project Lead “Teaching Texas Slavery”

How come I never learned about Juneteenth in school? I saw so many people asking that question this last week as the nation paid closer attention to the June 19 holiday celebrating the end of slavery in America. It’s a common oversight in the curriculum, but also underscores how ill-equipped many teachers are to cover the history of slavery with their students.It’s not uncommon for well-meaning teachers who want to engage their students in the lesson to end up organizing role-playing activities like mock slave auctions or Monopoly-type games where winning means escaping slavery. But these simulations can be traumatic for students and are shown to be ineffective in helping children learn about slavery. (Originally aired 12/18/2019)

 

The London Mansion Where British Spies Eavesdropped on Nazi German Generals (1:11:54)

Guest: Jerome M. O’Connor, Historian, Journalist, Author of “The Hidden Places of World War II.”

During WWII, a luxurious three-story mansion on the outskirts of London was used to house dozens of high-ranking German generals captured in combat. Why should they be given such luxurious accommodations given the way they were treating Allied prisoners of war – not to mention the atrocities of the death camps? Well it wasn’t about pampering the generals. It was about spying on them. Everything in the mansion was wired to listen in on the generals. (Originally aired 1/14/20)

 

Is Your Online Reputation Worth Defending? (1:24:02)

Guest: Rich Matta, CEO of ReputationDefender

Have you Googled yourself lately? That first page of search results could affect your next job hunt. Public figures, like politicians, have a lot riding on what pops up when voters search them online. And corporations have whole teams dedicated to burnishing their image online. ReputationDefender is one of the leading tech companies in a growing industry that helps people and businesses manage their digital footprint. (Originally aired 02/25/20)