UConn 360: The UConn Podcast

This week, we talk with Milton Levin '04 Ph. D., Associate Research Professor in the Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, about his research work, but also about the thing UConn's roughly 90,000 Instagram followers will recognize instantly: his breathtaking pictures of campus locations, especially Horsebarn Hill. Professor Levin tells us how he got interested in photography, what it'...

This week, we welcome Fany Hannon, Director of the Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center, which is celebrating its golden anniversary this year. Fany talks about how the Center emerged from the civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s, what it's been like trying to keep a student-oriented organization running during a global pandemic, and why so many generations of Latinx Huskies conside...

In this episode, Matt Necci '03 (CLAS), an attorney and UConn Twitter all-star, talks about what it means to be really involved with a community, his work with the Husky Ticket Project, why he's optimistic about Hartford, and more. He also talks about what it was like to be in the scalding, vinegary center of the Hot Sauce Challenge phenomenon of spring 2021. 

Every year, UConn sends out a video celebrating the arrival of the holiday season - creative, funny, moving, and surprising, these videos are produced by the talented team at University Communications. On this week's episode, we interview videographer Angelina Reyes, the producer of the 2021 holiday video, to learn about what goes into turning a barn into a movie set, and what it's like to work wi...

It's been a minute! But now your favorite UConn-centric podcast is back-ish! Join Tom and Julie as we catch you up on what's been happening at UConn over the last six months, and talk about what comes next for UConn 360. 

In our last episode before the big summer hiatus, we talk with Prof. Bart Roccoberton Jr. about his work using the puppet arts to build bridges between artists in the US and China; we hear from Sage Phillips '22 about her activism and scholarship on behalf of her fellow Native American students; and we go all the way back to 1881 to experience what a semester was like when UConn first opened its d...

This week, our colleague Courtney Chandler talks with Dr. Sarita Arteaga, the associate dean for students at the UConn School of Dental Medicine, about the challenge of recruiting a diverse group of future dentists; newly-hired assistant men's basketball coach Luke Murray talks about what makes a successful recruiter; and we learn the strange saga of the Hate Man, who generations of UConn students...

This week, Allison Lombardi, an associate professor in the Department of Education Psychology, tells us about College and Career Readiness for Transition (CCR4T), a five-year measurement study that aims to evaluate high school students' preparation for their next steps; Stuart Brown, campus director of student services at UConn Waterbury, describes how he's been helping the Palace Theater during t...

This week, we talk with Ben Shaiken '10 (CLAS), who was elected to the Mansfield Town Council in 2015 and is now deputy mayor, about his work in the nonprofit world and the challenges faced by elected officials; and we head back to the 1940s to learn how long it takes, once committees get involved, for a good idea to reach fruition (hint: a long time). 

This week, we're celebrating the 50th anniversary of Joni Mitchell's album "Blue" with music professor Peter Kaminsky, who has organized a virtual conference at UConn to explore the legacy of the landmark recording; we're talking with Aswad Thomas '15 MSW, national director of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, about how his experience as a victim of gun violence led him to a life of advocacy...

This week, Crystal Maldonado '10 (CLAS) stops by to talk about how bleak times helped inspired her critically-acclaimed YA novel "Fat Chance, Charlie Vega"; we speak with History Professor Alexis Dudden about attempts to discredit the experience of women who were forced into sexual slavery during World War II; and we learn about the brief period in history when UConn experimented with running the...

This week, we talk with distinguished political commentator Stu Rothenberg '77 Ph. D. about the latest happenings in a sleepy little town called Washington, D.C.; in the latest installment of our Brave Space series, Political Science Prof. Christine Sylvester interviews Timothy Bussey '18 Ph. D. about their work in the diversity, equity, inclusion and LGBTQIA+ fields; and we hear about a time not...

This week, we talk to Ryan Allred '20 Ph. D. about "phubbing": the act of being too distracted by your phone to give your full attention to the person right in front of you. We also talk with Professor Nathanael Okpych about his book "Climbing a Broken Ladder," which provides insight into how children in foster care can be provided with better opportunities to succeed in college. Finally, we visit...

This week, we hear from a voice that's very familiar to Husky fans - John Tuite, the PA announcer whose booming tones are an inseparable part of the gameday experience. We also talk with Professor Sandra Chafouleas about ways parents can support their kids during the uncertainty and stress of pandemic-era schooling, and we learn about a member of the Class of 1941 who became a famous foe of the Lu...

This week, we speak with School of Fine Arts faculty members Cora Lynn Deibler and Earl MacDonald about the new collaborative work of animation "By Our Love"; student Tomaso Scotti tells us about what it's like to host the My First Year Story podcast; and we learn about a bygone student tradition that is probably best left in the past. 

This week, we talk with Prof. Sharde Davis and Mason Holland '23 (CLAS) about UConn's newly-launched course on antiblack racism; John Bell, director of the Ballard Institute & Museum of  Puppetry drops by to talk about engineering and puppetry; and we learn about how the University prepared for nuclear attack at the dawn of the 1960s.

This week, we talk with Larry Wasiele, the sculptor who created the iconic statue of Jonathan that stands in front of Gampel Pavilion, and we look back on a year that many of us would just as soon forget. 

This week, we hear from Kenneth Fuchs, professor of music composition, about his new recording with the United States Coast Guard Band; Donald Pendagast '20 MBA talks about how his Curated CT startup is helping local businesses; and we travel back to a time when a house ordered from a Sears catalog was the center of UConn student journalism. 

Big East basketball is back! We hear from a variety of voices about the significance of UConn's return to the conference where we became a national powerhouse; we talk to Avinoam Patt, Doris and Simon Konover Chair of Judaic Studies and Director of the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, about the critical importance of understanding the Holocaust in relation to contemporary ev...

This week, we sit down with School of Law Professor John Aloysius Cogan Jr., who talks about why this week's arguments on the Affordable Care Act before the Supreme Court could be so critical; and we travel back to the mid-1970s to learn an iconic UConn building's original name. 

This week, we talk with History Prof. Manisha Sinha about the 2020 presidential election's significance within US history, as part of our ongoing Brave Space series; Political Science Prof. Evan Perkoski discusses his study of civil society's role in preventing (or worsening) mass violence; and we learn about homecoming traditions of days gone by. 

This week, we uncover a lost documentary about American blues legends, and learn about a time on campus when Spring Break meant students could finally take off their hats.

This week, the Brave Space feature launches with Kelly Ha, a Master's of Social Work student who talks about her experiences as an Asian American and the #IAmNotaVirus campaign; we talk with Professor David Yalof about the future of the Supreme Court; and we learn what Mirror Lake replaced on campus. 

This week, Adam Giardino '11 (CLAS) tells us what he's doing to make the sports broadcasting world more welcoming and inclusive for diverse voices via a new scholarship and grant program; we meet new UConn 360 student worker Tyler Silverio '21 (CLAS); and Tom horses around ... historically. 

This week, we talk with Professor Caitlin Lombardi about how family income can adversely affect the development of math skills in children, and we learn about how the Hurricane of 1938 left an indelible mark on campus, but couldn't stop classes from being held.