Spark Science

Jul 28 2021 100 ep. 38 mins 201
Spark Science Podcast artwork

Our tagline is sharing stories of human curiosity. We want to make science more accessible and less intimidating. This is done by sharing narratives that include scientists’ backgrounds, humor, work, and struggles. We strive to humanize the “scientist” so that STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) may become relatable and welcoming.

  Science  Society & Culture  TV & Film
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Speculative Fiction

Jul 28 2021 29 mins  
Do you like Sci-Fi and Fantasy? Then you like Speculative Fiction and so do we. Dr. Lysa Rivera joins us again, after being one of Spark Science’s first guests, to talk about the history of Black and Brown voices in this genre and to also share some great recommendations, beyond Octavia Butler. However we of course talk about her too. At WWU, Dr. Rivera specializes in Chicano/

Misinformation

May 18 2021 29 mins  
Why do people believe false stories on social media? Who is most susceptible to misinformation or to the more malicious version, disinformation? In this episode, we speak with Ph.D. candidate in Cognitive Psychology at Northwestern Nikita Salovich. Her research on how “fake news” grows and how we can slow or stop the spread. Spark Science encourages our listeners to get vac

mRNA Vaccines

Apr 29 2021 29 mins  
“Which one did you get, Pfizer or Moderna?” This was the big question at the start of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout but how do these vaccines work? Why do they have to be kept at ultracold temperatures? What is mRNA? These questions are answers in this episode featuring WWU Biology professor and RNA researcher, Dr. Suzanne Lee. Lastly, if you haven’t already, Spark Science w

COVID-19 Follow-up with Dr. Vijai Bhola

Apr 13 2021 29 mins  
It has been a year since we have talked with Infectious Disease Specialist, Dr. Vijai Bhola. He is now our go-to regular medical doctor to answer our questions about the pandemic one year in. We discuss the various vaccines, the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic on different populations, and predictions for the future. One takeaway that Dr. Bhola would like to convey is to �

Perseverance and the Martian Clock

Mar 31 2021 29 mins  
What is “Mars Time”? Are you excited about machines flying on another planet? Or Martian rock coming back to Earth? If you are curious about spacecraft on the Red Planet then check out our Season 7 Premiere featuring one of the best communicators in town, NASA Scientist and Western Washington University Geophysicist, Dr. Melissa Rice. We reference her Op-Ed “A Wright Brot

Conservation in Zambia

Aug 22 2020 23 mins  
For our Season 6 Finale, we speak with conservationist, storyteller, filmmaker and fellow pop culture enthusiast, Luwi Nguluka. She shares her path from medicine to wildlife activism. Luwi is the co-founder of "Women For Conservation", Zambia's first network for women working on wildlife initiatives and is involved in the “This is not Game” bushmeat campaign which tackles the i

Nature Photography & The Philippines

Aug 15 2020 27 mins  
The old adage "A picture is worth a thousand words" explains how photography can create conservation stories accessible across cultures. Our guest for this episode uses beautiful images to help save wetlands around the world. Gab Mejia is a National Geographic Explorer, Nikon Ambassador for Asia, Jackson Wild Media Lab Fellow, and an engineering undergraduate student. Join us for a

Student’s Stories S6- Part 3

Aug 08 2020 30 mins  
Backyard Botany & Birdsongs - In the first segment WWU student Liz Cunningham interviews a local expert about how a love for gardening can help science spread. The second segment shares how bird and whale song expert Dr. John Bower became an ornithologist at Fairhaven College.

Sharing Science Part 2: Trust w/ Dr. Maktoufi

Aug 01 2020 20 mins  
What makes people accept scientific information? This episode is part 2 of our short Sharing Science series where we talk to researchers who study how science is communicated. Our guest is Dr. Reyhaneh Maktoufi a Civic Science Fellow at NOVA and a producer for Story Collider. She is also an artist who uses comics to emphasize the importance of trust and encourage empathy in science

Sharing Science Part 1: Humor w/ Dr. Yeo

Jul 25 2020 25 mins  
How do we humans interact with scientific information? This episode is part 1 of our short Sharing Science series where we talk to researchers who study how science is communicated. In this episode, our guest is Dr. Sara K. Yeo from the University of Utah. She specializes in Science and Risk communication and most recently has started to study how humor is used to share scientific