UConn 360: The UConn Podcast

The UConn 360 podcast is back…with some new co-hosts. Izzy Harris and Mike Enright of University Communications have taken over the reins of UConn 360 and hope to live up the high standards of information and entertainment provided by colleagues Tom Breen and Julie Bartucca. In this first (or 116th) episode, Izzy and Mike introduce themselves to the audience and then are joined by Professor Victor...

After six years, 115 episodes, two national awards, and countless memories that will last a lifetime, UConn 360 is going on indefinite hiatus. Does this mean you'll never again hear from the only podcast known to science that covers the University of Connecticut from every conceivable angle? Probably not! Who knows? The future is unwritten, as Tom's favorite band once observed. So put on your best...

From raging wildfires in Canada to record rainfall in New York City to an out-of-nowhere hurricane slamming into Mexico, 2023 has been yet another year with abundant evidence that our weather is getting harder to predict - and disasters harder to manage - as the planet continues to heat. Talbot Andrews, assistant professor of political science, focuses on how institutions, public policy, and the p...

This year marks the 50th anniversary of hip hop, which emerged from block parties in the South Bronx to become the dominant form of popular music in the United States and beyond. How did this unlikely underdog story happen? What kind of changes to the music and culture have taken place over five decades? What do you do when Chuck D from Public Enemy keeps giving you the brushoff? To answer these q...

Once upon a time, UConn was home to abundant orchards - where Gampel Pavilion sits now, and later at the Cold Spring Orchard not too far away. It's been many years since UConn grew its own apples, pears, and other tree fruit, but that's about to change.   The Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources is working to revive UCon...

It may seem hard to believe, as we bask in the glow of a fifth national championship, but there was a time when the UConn men's basketball team was little more than an afterthought. The Huskies had joined the newly created Big East Conference in 1979, which coincidentally would be the last time they'd play in the NCAA tournament for more than a decade. A doormat in the best basketball conference i...

Tom and Julie get a break this week from their hectic podcast production schedule when colleague Elaina Hancock interviews Professor of Earth Sciences Robert Thorson - known far and wide as "Thor" - whose expertise runs from Henry David Thoreau to New England stone walls to cutting-edge geology. In this interview, Elaina and Prof. Thorson talk about the "Anthropocene" - the current age the earth f...

Nationally, about 12% of children live with a parent who abuses alcohol or other drugs, and about 80% of parents in the child welfare system have substance use disorder. Margaret Lloyd Sieger is an Assistant Professor in the UConn School of Social Work who teaches courses in substance use disorder, research, program evaluation, and social policy. Her professional and practice background includes c...

Dimitris Xygalatas is an anthropologist and cognitive scientist who studies some of the more peculiar aspects of what it means to be human: ritual, music, sports fandom, and other things that help people connect with each other and make sense of their lives. He is an associated professor in anthropology and psychological sciences at UConn, and the head of the Experimental Anthropology Lab. His mos...

Hey! Have you heard that the UConn Huskies men's basketball team are YOUR 2023 NCAA national champions? OF COURSE YOU HAVE. In this episode, recorded hours after the final game, Julie and Tom talk about it in a very sleep-deprived way that will either capture the lingering excitement of the moment or make you wonder if the fumes from the soundproof paneling have started to finally get to us.   The...

This week, we sit down with UConn School of Law Dean Eboni S. Nelson for a wide-ranging discussion on everything from the U.S. Supreme Court to the future of legal education. Dean Nelson, who arrived at UConn in July 2020, says that the growing public impression of the nation's top court as essentially a political body doesn't bode well for its ability to fulfill its mission as ultimate arbiter of...

“Neurodiversity” has become a familiar term across American society, but mere awareness of autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, and other neurological differences doesn’t mean much for the people who live with these – especially when it comes to finding work. Studies differ on exact numbers, but the unemployment rate among neurodivergent people (a more precise term than neur...

If you've ever looked at a copy of UConn Magazine, visited the UConn Today website, or received any UConn-related material in the mail, you've probably seen the work of Peter Morenus. University photographer for nearly three decades, Morenus has photographed everyone from first-year students on their first day moving in to U.S. presidents. Here, he talks with UConn 360 about some of his most memor...

In this episode, we sit down (finally in our real studio!) with Leo Lachut '89, Director of Academic Support and Assistant Director of First Year Programs and Learning Communities. A first-generation college student himself, Leo talks about how, while student needs have remained roughly the same since his undergraduate days, the resources to help them succeed have vastly expanded.   But there's an...

We're joined by Michael Willig, executive director of the Institute of the Environment and a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, who talks about why he doesn't lose hope even in the face of grim news about the climate and environment. One of the things that encourages him is the work that UConn is doing on a number of fronts, which he tells us about. He a...

In this episode, Dr. Loneke Blackman Carr discusses the multiple caregiver role experienced by many Black women. She describes this as "The Black Superwoman Phenomenon,” which essentially means they keep their families and communities afloat, but to the detriment of their own health.  Her research is the first study to examne this role specifically in the context of a weight loss intervention. We...

It's been a little over four years since UConn 360's humble origins in a conference room on North Eagleville Road, and now we have 100 episodes under our award-winning belts. Join us for a star-studded celebration that includes such beloved characters from the UConn 360 Cinematic Universe as co-founder Ken Best, who tells us about an exhibit he's working on that will be on display in Homer Babbidg...

Many people probably think they know exactly what's in the dietary supplements and even prescription medications they take. Many people are WRONG. Professor C. Michael White, head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, drops by to tell us about flaws in the FDA oversight process when it comes to medications, counterfeit drugs, and how dietary supplements can pose real risks to people. And, in thi...

Hartford native Frederick Law Olmsted is famous for his work in designing Central Park, but he was also a driving force behind human-shaped landscapes from Niagara Falls State Park to Smith College to the Institute of Living. Sohyun Park, assistant professor in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, recently cohosted...

Stuart Miller, a professor of Hebrew, History, and Judaic Studies and Academic Director of the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, has been a force at UConn since 1982. Professor Miller is an expert in the history and literature of the Jews of Roman and Late Antique Palestine and throughout his career has worked closely with archaeologists, having served for many years on the s...

Preston Green is a professor of educational leadership and law at the University of Connecticut and the John and Maria Neag Professor of Urban Education at the Neag School of Education. He's a nationally recognized expert on school choice, charter schools, and the complex legal landscape of American public education. He's also a great follow on Twitter, and a fun person to talk to about issues tha...

John Bell is an associate professor in the Department of Dramatic Arts, the director of the Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry, and one of the most fun guests we've ever had. He stopped by to tell us about the astonishing diversity of puppeteering traditions, the everyday objects that serve as puppets without being thought of that way, and even why some people are creeped out by puppets. He al...

This week we return to the fabled UConn 360 Studio for a talk with Victoria Kostour '22, a first-generation Ukrainian-American and the president of the Ukrainian Student Association. She tells us what it's been like to watch the war in Ukraine from here in the United States, how she and her fellow students have responded with activism and organizing, and how the UConn community has supported her....

This week we're joined by Jason Oliver Chang, Associate Professor of History and Asian American Studies, to talk about the pop-up course on anti-Asian racism he helped create for UConn; the increase in anti-Asian racist incidents and attacks since the start of the pandemic; and the role of scholarship in maintaining a strong democracy. We also take a stroll on Tom's History Sidewalk (real name pen...

This week, we sit down with Tanya Rhodes Smith, director of the Nancy A. Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work in the UConn School of Social Work. She tells us about how social work is inherently political, how social workers can help make positive changes for individuals and society, and how research indicates that higher rates of voter participation correlate with better overall health i...