Radio

Rethinking how the inflation rate is calculated

Every month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics sends hundreds of workers out to stores to gather prices of about 80,000 goods and services. But a new computer program from MIT just combs through the Internet and grabs inflation data online.

Aired on Marketplace on April 18th, 2013

Listen Here Running time 3:17

Latino Neighborhoods: Improving Health Through Ethnic Pride?

As a group Latino Americans, especially those who live in Latino neighborhoods, are often found to outlive members of other ethnic groups of the same, or higher, socioeconomic status. I look into this health phenomenon sometimes called the “barrio advantage.”

Aired on PRI’s The World on April 3rd, 2013

Listen Here Running time 5:12

Millennials likely to take debt to their graves

A new study suggests Gen Y borrowers shows their repayment patterns don’t match up with past generations. (And that’s not a good thing.)

Aired on Marketplace on January 31st, 2013

Listen Here Running time 3:36

For some, freelance gigs trump full-time jobs

Hiring is down, and self-employment is up. I find two people who’ve found creative ways to work for themselves, with financial success.

Aired on Marketplace Money on January 4th, 2013

Listen Here Running time 5:10

Headhunters adapt to gig-based economy

As the number of contract jobs rise, recruiters want a piece of the action.

Aired on Marketplace on January 4th, 2013

Listen Here Running time 2:55

The Math Behind Holiday Packages

How do packages get from point A to point B when so many people buy gifts online? I visit a UPS distribution center to find out.

Aired on Marketplace on December 17th, 2012

Listen Here Running time 3:26

Gas Price Gouging

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, most New York drivers face multi-hour lines for gas, if they can even find an open station. A thriving black market for fuel has emerged to meet those needs.

Aired on Marketplace Morning Report on November 6th, 2012.

Listen Here Running time 1:26

Flavor Wars

I visit my local snack aisle, a flavor lab, and taste expert Barb Stuckey to discover the science and business behind bold new flavors.

Aired on the Marketplace Morning Report on October 9th, 2012.

Listen Here Running time 2:28

Let’s Talk About Sex

The Bronx ranks among the worst areas in the nation for teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Yet teens in this borough engage in sex at the same rates as their peers in the rest of the nation, and they use condoms more. What’s going on here?

Aired on NPR’s Latino USA on August 31, 2012.

Listen Here Running time 5:41

The Bimusical Brain

People who grow up with two language systems seem to have a cognitive advantage over those of us who grew up with just one. What about people who grow up with two musical systems? Patrick Wong of Northwestern University studies the bimusical brain as a possible correlate of biculturalism.

Aired on PRI’s The World July 18th, 2012

Listen Here Running time 5:32

Babies as Parasites

Once they’re born, babies are adorable. But when they’re still inside you, they can have some pretty parasitic impacts. I take a look into the chemistry behind pregnancy’s greatest drawbacks.

Aired on the Chemical Heritage Foundation‘s podcast, Distillations, on May 11th, 2012

Listen Here Running time 6:17

The Mind Science Foundation Podcast – Teens and Oxytocin

We’ve all been teens ourselves, so why do we have so much trouble relating to them? And why do we even bother relating to each other in the first place?

Teen brain researcher Abigail Baird and neuroeconomist Paul Zak walk us through their answers to those questions in this episode of the Mind Science Foundation’s podcast.

Link to iTunes here.

Breaking Down Memory

I unpack the implications of recent memory research with a live audience at Brooklyn’s Union Docs performance space.

Performed for the Radio Cabaret March 17th, 2012.

Listen Here Running time 5:45

Language, Money, and the Future

How much could the way we talk about the future affect our savings habits? A lot, says behavioral economist Keith Chen.

Aired on PRI’s The World October 24th, 2011.

Listen Here Running time 5:35

Fecal Sludge: Ghana’s Next Black Gold

A sewage revolution breaks ground in Ghana this summer. In the capitol city of Accra, sanitation engineers aim to turn human waste into a new profit source.

Aired on Living Planet on Deutsche Welle Radio July 28th, 2011. Aired on NHPR’s Word of Mouth September 15th, 2011.

Listen Here Running time 5:18

My Robot

Back in December 2009, Brooklyn make-up artist Jessica Jade Jacob needed a job. She had experience with sculpting movie special effects, so a friend asked her to take over her position on a special assignment. This piece follows the unexpected details of that job.

Aired on Montreal’s CKUT August 3rd 2011 and on REMIX XM Satellite Radio in Cambridge, Massachusetts August 18th, 2011.

Listen Here Running time 5:58

The Tongue Map

A commentary piece on the science lesson that just won’t go away.

Listen Here Running time 3:07

Aired on the Chemical Heritage Foundation‘s podcast, Distillations, on September 2nd, 2011.

Observatory’s Podcast

This is part of my collaboration with the Brooklyn arts and lecture space, Observatory. The podcast covers February’s events at this Gowanus headquarters for all things art and science. We revisit February’s Retrofuturology exhibit, get acquainted with the Observatory members Wythe Marschall and Ethan Gould of theHollow Earth Society, and ponder the lectures “The Secret History of the Ouija Board,” “Perceptions of Motion,” and “The Morton Skull Collection.”

Produced March 2011

Listen Here Running time 17:01

A Fish Tale

The death of one little blind fish helped this scientist see river evolution in a whole new way.

Aired on NHPR’s Word of Mouth on February 15th, 2011 and on KUOW Presents on March 8th, 2011.

Listen Here Running time 5:30

Roadtrip

A less scientific, more personal piece–an audio postcard from my move across the country this September. My boyfriend Bruce and I spent three weeks in a minivan traveling from Seattle, Washington to Brooklyn, New York. I collected sounds along the way.

Listen Here Running time 3:45

To the Moon!

What can we learn from studying the moon? And what’s the value of returning there? I talk with a local researcher and a NASA scientist about the future of moon exploration.

Listen Here Running time 4:08

Aired on KBCS in Seattle on August 19th, 2010 and on NHPR’s Word of Mouth on October 4th. Also available on prx.org.

Once Upon a Crow…

Crows! Legends! Scientific explanations!

Listen Here Running time 5:37

Aired on KBCS Community Radio in Seattle on July 1st, 2010, as well as WILL Public Radio in Illinois and REMIX XM Satellite Radio in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Also available on prx.org.

Generics-First Policy For Anti-Psychotics Draws Controversy

Washington state needs to save money. So they’re asking doctors to turn to generic drugs first when prescribing for Medicaid patients. But critics say the state’s scrimping on the wrong group of people.

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Aired May 6th 2010 on KUOW Seattle.

Reaching Seattle’s Hidden Population of Meth Users

A new study by the Seattle Counseling Service finds that women are often overlooked in methamphetamine treatment programs. The Service is trying to reach out a particularly ignored subset of meth users: lesbian, bisexual and transgender women.

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Aired April 15th, 2010 on KUOW Seattle.