Context

The future of nuclear energy in the US is changing and Idaho National Laboratory, recently designated by Congress as the National Reactor Innovation Center,  is leading the way.  Coupled with cutting edge research the lab and its partners are moving forward with plans to build and demonstrate advanced reactor designs including small modular reactors and micro reactors. Ryan Weeks has ove...

Post-World War II Idaho politics were unpredictable, intraparty challenges were common, partisanship, often exemplified by newspaper treatment of candidates, was extreme and anti-Communism, a defining theme of the period, was often an emotional, divisive and decisive issue. The turmoil produced some notable political characters, brought to an end the colorful and controversial career of perhaps th...

The Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial is the only Anne Frank memorial in the United States, is one of the few places in the world in which the entire text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is on public display, and is recognized as an international Site of Conscience. Constructed in the heart of Idaho’s capital city, how did it happen and what is its import to the community an...

Terry and Kam will discuss the contemporary Black experience in Idaho. Ranging from growing up and living in Idaho, gender, queerness, and other life experiences, they both will highlight how all these play into the intersectionality that is not only the Black experience but also the human experience. United States Navy Veteran, Graduate School of Social Work at Boise State Alum Terrence (Terry) S...

From the 1955 incident of the Boys of Boise to the recent Supreme Court decision that protects LGBTQ rights in the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Idaho's LGBTQIA+ community has had a long journey seeking equal rights. Cheryl and Gabrielle will discuss historic and current activities that have affected the LGBTQIA+ the community. Cheryl Oestreicher is the Head of Special Collections and Archives/Associate...

Scott Slovic discussed a unique program at U of I in which he is a part of. Semester in the Wild is a program which has taken students from across the world into the Frank to learn about the environment and understand how the wilderness exists and functions. Dr. Scott Slovic is an English professor at the University of Idaho.  Dr. Slovic teaches courses in interdisciplinary environmental huma...

Larry LaRocco recalled his time with Senator Frank Church and the battle to establish the wilderness at the core of Idaho. Larry LaRocco was elected to two terms as U.S. Representative from Idaho’s First District, where he served on the House Banking and Interior Committees. While in Congress LaRocco passed legislation into law creating the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conserva...

General Manager Kevin Greene will talk about the incredible history of baseball in Idaho Falls. He’ll speak to all the notable players that have come through the city in the last 80 years and also cover the history of the ballpark, not just Melaleuca Field built in 2008, but all the professional stadiums in Idaho Falls which have always been on this same lot. Also, not only did the Idaho Falls Chu...

People generally know Boise's agricultural history, but little about its industrial history. Jennifer Stevens will treat the audience to an overview of the city's robust 20th century industrial history and the systematic dismantling of its industrial relics to make way for Boise's modern "green" identity. Dr. Jennifer Stevens is an urban environmental historian and an Assistant Clinical Professor....

Presented by the Idaho Humanities Council, Context is our way of connecting you to experts, scholars, and ideas. Our goal is to help provide context on topics, both fun and serious, which shape the world we live in. We hope to strike the spark on your sense of exploration and discovery as you listen. Get involved at www.idahohumanities.org Find us on Instagram & Facebook