Thursday, November 6, 2008

Still going strong - despite lack of updates!

Ah, it's a busy life, the life of a science radio show person. So busy that regular blogging hasn't happened in aaages! But Free Radicals: Science, Culture and Connection has still been happening every Monday 11:30-noon on CKUT 90.3fm here in Montreal. We've covered topics from climate change to tracing genetic heritage to digital copyright. The last six weeks of shows are available on the CKUT archives.

We'll see if I get back to regular updates now!
Robyn
p.s. My regular gig these days is in that medium known as "print" - craaazy: Hour

Monday, February 18, 2008

Free Radicals - The Neuroscience of Aging

Two shows from McGill researcher and PhD candidate in neuroscience, Jonathon Burman, on the topic of aging and age-related disease. What can neuroscience research discover about how we age and if it is possible to treat and prevent age-related diseases?

The February 4 show features an interview with Dr. RĂ©mi Quirion on Alzheimer Disease and brain cell development.
Listen to the show!

The February 11 show features an interview with Dr. Sigfried Hekimi on the molecular genetics of biological rates and aging.
Listen to the show!

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Free Radicals - GeekMontreal.com

Our January 28 show saw an action-packed studio talking about all things geek. Or a few things geek. Mostly though, what it means to be a geek these days - it turns out to be kind of awesome. Alex Megelas and Ossie Michelin from geekmontreal.com talk with Free Radicals about the website they've set up to connect people in the Montreal area with diverse interests and various levels of geekery (they even have a board-games night!) The conversation addresses definitions of 'geek' and the social implications and opportunities surrounding interests that could be termed part of 'geek culture,' whatever that might be.

Listen to the show!

Free Radicals - Reading and the Brain

On our January 21 show, we feature an interview from another science radio show - Groks Science, out of Berkeley, California. The interview with Prof. Maryanne Wolf, Director of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University, discusses the evolution and development of the reading brain. She is the editor of Dyslexia, Fluency and the Brain, and has also written/designed three empirically proven instructional programs on thinking skills for middle school students, on reading and writing for elementary school students, and on linguistic awareness for emergent readers.

Listen to the show!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Free Radicals - Art, Space and Time

January 14 - Today's show delves into the depths of space and time through the art of Calgary-based artist Robyn Moody. Moody's latest exhibition runs until February 9 at SKOL gallery and features a piece called TARDIS (named after the space-time vehicle in Doctor Who) and an installation called Constellation. I talk to Robyn Moody about his latest work, how he uses electronics and mechanics, and his take on our human interpretations of space and time.

You can see his exhibition at SKOL gallery, 372 St Catherine O. #314, until February 9. It's great!

Listen to the show!

Free Radicals - Compassionate Minds

January 7 - our first show of 2008! The show is pretty low-key today but addresses an issue of importance during a time of new year's resolutions - compassion. Where does it come from and how does it manifest in society? Today's show is the other bookend to the pre-holiday show about happiness, featuring a ted.com talk by psychologist Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence. His talk looks at the psychological and neurological basis of compassion and how it is linked to socialization - why do we empathize with others in the first place? And what is true compassion?


Listen to the show!