February 8, 2010     Money and Schools How many teachers should be laid off?  How big will class sizes get? Should music and art be dropped?  Should school kids have to pay to play football -- or any other after-school activity? In the midst of a state budget crisis, these are some of the questions now facing school administrators across the WMRA region. We'll find out how they plan to answer these questions.   Listen to the program Guests: Don Ford, Ph.D. - Superintendent of Schools for the Harrisonburg City School Division. Gary McQuain, Ph.D. - Superintendent of Schools for the Augusta County School Division. Pamela Moran, Ph.D. - Superintendent of Schools for the Albemarle County School Division. If you were to discover that a child of yours had a serious mental illness, how would that discovery change your life? February 1, 2010     Campaigning for Children's Mental Health A new coalition says thousands of Virginia parents are grappling with just such a situation, and getting far too little help doing so. This coalition of service groups from across the Commonwealth calls itself The Campaign for Children’s Mental Health. We take a close up look at their agenda and their hopes for improving mental health services for Virginia's children.   Listen to the program Guests: Margaret Nimmo Crowe - Senior Policy Analyst at Voices for Virginia's Children. Mary Fulbright - pseudonym of a Virginia parent whose teenage son was hospitalized with mental illness. Deborah Kipps-Vaughan, Psy.D - Clinical Psychologist, Former President of the Virginia Academy of School Psychologists, as well as Assistant Professor of Graduate Psychology at James Madison University. Peter Sheras, Ph.D. - Clinical Psychologist. Former Chairman of the Region Ten Community Services Board.  Current Chair, Department of Human Services at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education. January 25, 2010     On Lying Everybody does it... some more than others. Most of us have, at some point, gotten in trouble because of it. But is lying causing serious problems for our society as a whole? James Mahon thinks so. Even though he says actual lies do not get told as often as most people think. On the other hand, Greg Henriques believes people may be doing some version of lying more frequently than they realize. On this edition, we ask a philosopher and a psychologist to share their findings about the telling of lies.  Listen to the program Guests:  Gregg Henriques, Ph.D. - Associate Professor as well as Director of the Combined-Integrated Doctoral Program in Clinical and School Psychology at James Madison University.  James E. Mahon, Ph.D. - Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy, Washington and Lee University. January 18, 2010     Project Implicit Deep in your mind there are powerful prejudices affecting you every day... below your conscious awareness. At least so say scientists behind the international research project that measures bias, called Project Implicit. Are they right about you? You can take one or more of their online bias measurement tests for free at Project Implicit. The test is based at Harvard University.  The man in charge is based at the University of Virginia. On this edition, we ask him why we know so little about our own minds.  Listen to the program Guest: Brian Nosek, Ph.D. - Director, Project Implicit.  Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia and Principal Investigator at UVa’s Implicit Social Cognition Lab. January 11, 2010     Editors' Roundtable -- What's News in 2010? Predicting the future is an uncertain business -- but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun trying.   So we asked newspaper editors from across our region what we might expect in 2010 -- based on the big news stories they covered in 2009.    Listen to the program Guests: Rob Longley - City Editor of Harrisonburg's Daily News-Record. Maria Hileman - Managing Editor of The Winchester Star. Hawes Spencer - Editor and Publisher of Charlottesville's weekly The Hook. Lee Wolverton - Managing Editor of Waynesboro's daily The News-Virginian. December 14, 2009     Putting 'Young Adulthood' Back Into Adolescence When should kids actually grow up? A Charlottesville psychologist says teens need more tools to make the transition to adulthood. His new book is based on years of research about the problems facing teens, how those problems have changed, and what can be done to make adolescence a more successful experience.  Or, as the subtitle of his new book suggests, “How we can help our teenagers grow up before they grow old.”   Listen to the program Guest: Joseph Allen, Ph.D. - Professor of Psychology and Director of the Virginia Adolescent Research Group at the University of Virginia.  Lead author of Escaping the Endless Adolescence: How We Can Help Our Teenagers Grow Up Before They Grow Old. December 7, 2009     Forgotten Refugees What does it mean to be a refugee? In some parts of the world the term “refugee” can mean something very different than what you probably think. The view that refugees should be of concern to all of us is our focus.   Listen to the program Guests: Jennifer Byrne, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of Political Science, James Madison University. Kelsey McNamara, Senior Year Undergraduate, majoring in Justice Studies at James Madison University. David Owusu-Ansah, Ph.D. - Professor of African Studies, James Madison University. November 30, 2009     The Push to Restore Voting Rights In Virginia, tens of thousands of people lack something they would have if they lived almost any other place in America. They do not have the right to vote.  Because, although they have served their time and paid their debt to society, at some point earlier in their lives they committed a crime. Is it time to do what 48 other states do -- and restore voting rights to such people?   Listen to the program Guests: Sue Lewis - Action Director, League of Women Voters of Virginia. Rev. Hunter Mabry - Regional Coordinator, Criminal Justice and Mercy Ministries of the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church. Jim Printy - former Director of Education, Shenandoah Valley Detention Center.  Member, Central United Methodist Church of Staunton Voter Rights Restoration effort. November 23, 2009     Mixing Religion and Politics:  A History Valerie Cooper thinks we could learn a lot from the historical example of Americans from the early 19th century. People who believed politics and religion not only went together, but deserved open, forthright discussion before every type of audience. We examine how religion and politics have combined in America’s past, and Valerie Cooper’s personal campaign to create a more civil discourse on such issues in the modern world.   Listen to the program Guest: Valerie Cooper, Th.D. - Assistant Professor, Department of Religious Studies, University of Virginia. November 16, 2009     The Graffiti of Pompeii Rebecca Benefiel studies graffiti. She believes it can tell a lot about a society's culture. Especially if it was written by people of all classes, about all manner of issues, and got placed on every type of venue -- from the public court house to the walls of private homes. Even if it was written 2000 years ago. The Lexington researcher shares her findings about the graffiti of Pompeii.   Listen to the program Guest: Rebecca Benefiel - Assistant Professor of Classics, Washington and Lee University. November 9, 2009     Virginia Politics Update Election 2009 is now history. So what will the election results mean for the future of the Commonwealth? Our political experts will gaze into the crystal ball, and field your comments and questions.   Listen to the program Guests: Bob Gibson - Executive Director of The Thomas C. Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and former political writer at The Charlottesville Daily Progress. Anita Kumar - Richmond-based political reporter for The Washington Post. Bob Roberts, Ph.D. - Professor of Political Science and Public Administration, James Madison University. November 2, 2009     When Innocents Die Shannon Meehan went to school in Virginia.  Then he went to war in Iraq. Meehan’s new book “Beyond Duty” describes what happens when an American soldier discovers he’s responsible for the deaths of civilians. On this edition, Captain Meehan and his co-author tell us what they see as the hidden costs of  war.   Listen to the program Guests: Shannon Meehan - Captain, U.S. Army.  Former leader of a tank platoon in the 1st Cavalry Division.  Recipient of a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.  Lead author of Beyond Duty: Life on the Front Line in Iraq [Polity, 2009].   Roger Thompson - Professor of English and Fine Arts, Virginia Military Institute.  Co-author of Beyond Duty: Life on the Front Line in Iraq [Polity, 2009]. October 26, 2009     The Race for the House All one hundred districts making up the Virginia House will be on the November ballot.  Thirteen of those districts either fall completely within, or touch upon a portion of, the WMRA region. On this edition we examine the issues statewide, and talk with the two candidates running for the only open seat in the Shenandoah Valley.   Listen to the program Guests: (POLITICAL ANALYSTS) Chelyen Davis - Government and political reporter for The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star. Rosalind Helderman - Richmond-based political reporter for The Washington Post. Isaac Wood - Political Analyst, The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. (CANDIDATES) Richard P. "Dickie" Bell - Republican Party candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates, 20th District. Erik D. Curren - Democratic Party candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates, 20th District. October 19, 2009     The Race for Governor Are you ready for election day in Virginia? If not, what do you still need to know in order to make an informed voting decision? Politics watchers Anita Kumar, Bob Gibson and Bob Roberts will be on hand to answer questions about the Commonwealth's upcoming elections -- and anything else about politics you'd like to know. The two major party candidates for Virginia Governor have been invited to participate, too.   Listen to the program   Guests: (POLITICAL ANALYSTS) Bob Gibson - Executive Director of The Thomas C. Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and former political writer at The Charlottesville Daily Progress. Anita Kumar - Richmond-based political reporter for The Washington Post. Bob Roberts, Ph.D. - Professor of Political Science and Public Administration, James Madison University. (CANDIDATES) Creigh Deeds - Democratic Party candidate for Governor of Virginia, originally accepted an invitation to participate in a portion of this program by phone.  Later, campaign officials notified WMRA that a scheduling problem had arisen.  In place of the candidate, Richard Cranwell, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, spoke as a representative of the Deeds campaign. Bob McDonnell - Republican Party candidate for Governor of Virginia, was extended an invitation to participate in a portion of this program by phone.  Campaign officials said that a scheduling problem prevented his participation.  In place of the candidate, Tim Murtaugh, Director of Communications for the Republican party of Virginia, spoke as a representative of the McDonnell campaign. October 12, 2009     To Infinity and Beyond Bob O’Connell studies outer space. You have heard of some of his work. He headed up the group of scientists who developed new technology recently installed on the Hubble telescope. We talk with the Charlottesville-based astrophysicist about future plans for looking ever deeper into outer space.   Listen to the program   Guest: Robert W. O'Connell, Ph.D. - Chair, Scientific Oversight Committee, Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3. Vice President, American Astronomical Society. The J.D. Hamilton Professor of Astronomy at the University of Virginia. Hubble Photos - courtesy Space Telescope Science Institute. Hubble Newscenter - courtesy Space Telescope Science Institute. October 5, 2009     The Politics of Health Care Reform There was a time when Eric Patashnik’s research into questionable medical practices did not draw much attention outside his limited academic field. Similarly, Tim Jost's book on the evolution of health insurance in America, and how that compares to other places around the world, might not once have been considered a "must read." But in the midst of a national debate on the future of health care, these two Virginia scholars are getting a lot more attention.   Listen to the program   Guests: Timothy Stoltzfus Jost, J.D. - The Robert L. Willett Family Professor of Law, Washington and Lee University School of Law. Author of Health Care at Risk: A Critique of the Consumer-Driven Movement (Duke University Press, 2007). Eric Patashnik, Ph.D. - Professor of Politics and Public Policy, as well as Associate Dean of the Batten School of Leadership, at the University of Virginia. Author of Reforms at Risk: What Happens After Major Policy Changes Are Enacted (Princeton University Press, 2008). September 28, 2009     The Ethics of Human Research Trials Amidst all the debate over health care reform, one critical aspect is being missed, in the view of legal scholar Robin Wilson. She wants more focus on the ethics of medical research, especially that involving human subjects. Wilson’s new book documents the case of the first American to die while participating in gene therapy research. Even though that death occurred ten years ago, Wilson says very little has changed to protect those who participate in future studies.   Listen to the program   Guest: Robin Fretwell Wilson, J.D. - Professor of Law, Washington and Lee University.  Co-editor of “Health Law and Bioethics: Cases in Context” (Aspen Publishing, 2009). September 21, 2009     Improving Marriage Have changes in divorce law hurt the institution of marriage? Brad Wilcox believes they have.  What’s more, he believes a lessening commitment to marriage, along with increasing frequency of divorce, is hurting America’s poor the most. On this edition, we ask the Virginia sociologist and head of the National Marriage Project about his proposals for making marriage stronger.   Listen to the program   Guest: W. Bradford Wilcox, Ph.D. - Director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and a Senior Fellow at the Institute for American Values.  Author of the lead article in the new journal National Affairs titled “The Evolution of Divorce”. September 14, 2009     Teaching Girls Do girls learn differently than boys? Abigail James says there is overwhelming evidence that they do.  She also believes girls can excel at the traditionally male fields of math and science, if teachers come to appreciate differences in male and female styles of learning.   Listen to the program   Guest: Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. - Educational consultant, former secondary school science and math teacher.  Author of  Teaching the Female Brain: How Girls Learn Math and Science (Corwin Press, 2009), and Teaching the Male Brain: How Boys Think, Feel, and Learn in School (Corwin Press, 2007). August 24, 2009     A History of Big Government If you think big, powerful national government is a relatively new phenomenon in America, at least one historian would beg to differ. On this edition we talk with a Virginia scholar who says exceptional power coming out of Washington is nothing new.  In the midst of current debates over the role of the federal government, Brian Balogh says there are lessons to be learned from similar controversies that raged across the U.S. throughout the 19th century.   Listen to the program   Guest: Brian Balogh, Ph.D. - Chair of the "Governing America in a Global Era" (GAGE) Program at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, as well as an Associate Professor of History at UVa.  Co-host of BackStory with the American History Guys. Author of  A Government Out of Sight: The Mystery of National Authority in Nineteenth Century America (Cambridge University Press, 2009). August 17, 2009     A Virginia Politics Update Virginia’s General Assembly is being called to special session beginning Wednesday, August 19th. Reason enough to call in the experts. One of our favorite political update panels is back to help sort through the session’s likely outcome.  And there is no shortage of other developing Virginia political news to ask them about, too.   Listen to the program   Guests: Bob Gibson - Executive Director of The Thomas C. Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and former political writer at The Charlottesville Daily Progress. Anita Kumar - Richmond based political reporter for The Washington Post. Bob Roberts, Ph.D. - Professor of Political Science and Public Administration, James Madison University.     August 10, 2009     Studying Children Who Speak of Past Lives What happens when you die? For the past forty years a Virginia research center has been studying that question by tracking down the stories of children who claim to remember past lives.  More than two thousand such stories have been collected all over the world. On this edition, we speak with the man who now heads this research effort.   Listen to the program   Guest: Jim B. Tucker, M.D. - Lead Researcher on the “Children Who Claim to Remember Previous Lives” project at the University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies.  Author of Life Before Life: Children’s Memories of Previous Lives.     August 3, 2009     The Departing Delegate Not long after his first election, he had the political pundits talking. “Here is an up and comer,” many said.  "High office could very well be in his future." But he surprised them all. First turning down a chance to run for the U.S. Senate.  Then saying no to a run for lieutenant governor.  And now, after just four terms in Virginia’s House of Delegates, announcing that he’s leaving elective office altogether. But he still has plenty to say about the state of politics in the Old Dominion.  On this edition, we pursue political insight from departing Delegate Chris Saxman.   Listen to the program   Guest:   Chris Saxman - Republican currently representing the 20th House of Delegates District [includes Staunton, Highland County and portions of Augusta and Rockingham Counties] but who recently dropped out of a race for re-election.  Mr. Saxman is also General Manager of Shenandoah Valley Water Company.     July 27, 2009     A Parenting Memoir Thirty years ago Katie Letcher Lyle got news no parent wants to hear. Her baby daughter had cerebral palsy. Three decades later, having spent most of her life as a writer, Lyle decided it was time to author her most personal book yet.  We ask Katie Letcher Lyle to explain how she came to see parenting a disabled child as the most heart-wrenching -- and heart-warming -- experience in her life.    Listen to the program   Guest: Katie Letcher Lyle - Lexington, Va. based writer.  Author of more than 20 books, including novels, poetry, nature guides, and historical non-fiction.  On this edition we focus on her memoir, All Time is Now: Adventures with Jennie.     July 20, 2009     At Reagan’s Side Tax Cuts.  The Evil Empire.  Morning in America.  Iran Contra. Is there a theme you best remember from the Reagan era? On this edition we speak with the authors of a new book compiled from interviews with many of those who were closest to Ronald Reagan throughout his political career.   Listen to the program   Guests: Stephen F. Knott, Ph.D. - Associate Professor of National Security Studies, United States Naval War College.  Former co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center.  Co-author of At Reagan’s Side: Insiders’ Recollections From Sacramento To The White House. Jeffrey L. Chidester - Chair of the National Discussion and Debate Series at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. Co-author of At Reagan’s Side: Insiders’ Recollections From Sacramento To The White House.     July 13, 2009     On Cars While he was growing up in Detroit, Mike Smitka’s family had no connection to the auto industry. Now Smitka lives in Lexington.  And his auto expertise spans the globe. We ask the long-time specialist in automobile economics about the future of the troubled industry -- including his explanation for how a decades-old battle over frozen chickens could affect what kind of car you drive in the future.   Listen to the program   Guest: Michael J. Smitka, Ph.D. - Professor of Economics, Washington and Lee University.   Author of Competitive Ties: Subcontracting in the Japanese Automotive Industry and the online “blog”  AutosandEconomics.   June 29, 2009     Resilience What is “resilience”? Does it have anything to do with how you were able to get out of bed and get on with your day even on those mornings when you really didn't want to? What about those people who have suffered devastating loss -- yet manage to not only keep going but eventually thrive in life? Researchers Anne Stewart and Lennie Echterling believe resilience, as a factor of human psychology, has received far too little attention.  They are working to change that.  We ask them about those efforts -- and about their theory that better understanding of resilience could benefit all of us.   Listen to the program   Guests: Lennis G. Echterling, Ph.D. - Professor of Psychology and Director of Counseling Psychology at James Madison University.  Co-author of the college textbooks Thriving! A Manual for Students in the Helping Professions and Crisis Intervention:  Promoting Resilience and Resolve in Troubled Times. Anne Stewart, Ph.D. - Professor of Psychology, James Madison University.  President of the Virginia Play Therapy Association.  Co-author of the college textbook Thriving! A Manual for Students in the Helping Professions and Becoming a Community Counselor. June 22, 2009     New Law On the first of July a host of new laws go into effect in Virginia.  Mental health reforms.  Creative ways of protecting the environment.  And plenty of new regulations that you probably haven't heard about. What changes will affect you the most? We speak with two lawmakers who had a say in much of the new legislation -- one Republican, one Democrat.   Listen to the program   Guests: Emmett Hanger, Jr. - Republican representing the 24th State Senate District, which includes Albemarle County (Part); Augusta County (All); Greene County (All); Highland County (All); Rockbridge County (Part); Rockingham County (Part); and the Cities of Staunton, Waynesboro and Lexington. David Toscano Ph.D., J.D. - Democrat representing the 57th House of Delegates District, which includes Charlottesville and portions of Albemarle County.   June 15, 2009     Virginia Politics Update The governor's race in Virginia is gaining nationwide attention. Will the Old Dominion deepen its hue toward blue?  Or will Republican predictions of an Obama backlash come true? It might seem early to ask those questions -- but the political ads on TV and the robo-calls on your voice mail are already coming fast and furious. We seek the views of journalists, political scientists, our audience -- and the two major-party candidates for governor -- about the Old Dominion’s changing political landscape.   Listen to the program   Guests: Creigh Deeds - Democratic Party candidate for Governor of Virginia. Bob Gibson - Executive Director of The Thomas C. Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and former political writer at The Charlottesville Daily Progress. Anita Kumar - Richmond-based political reporter for The Washington Post. Bob McDonnell - Republican Party candidate for Governor of Virginia. Isaac Wood - Political Analyst, The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.   June 8, 2009     Asking for Help in Hard Times Profits are down across America.  But what about those endeavors that never intended to make a profit? On this edition we ask our audience to bring us up to date on how the non-profit groups most important to them are coping with a difficult economy. We also speak to people who are doing some coping of their own, in fields as diverse as poverty, the arts, and higher education.   Listen to the program   Guests: Ralph Alan Cohen - Founding Executive Director of the Staunton, Virginia based American Shakespeare Center and Blackfriars Playhouse. Robert D. Sweeney - Senior Vice President for Development and Public Affairs, University of Virginia. Martin L. White - Chief Operating Officer, Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.   June 1, 2009     The Chemistry of Cooking Scientist Marcia France knows a lot about chemistry. She also knows a thing or two about cooking. What happens when you combine those fields of endeavor? We get the story behind the perfect poached egg, why onions make you cry, and much more  -- as Washington and Lee professor Marcia France brings her Science of Cooking class to the airwaves.   Listen to the program   Guest: Marcia France, Ph.D. - Professor of Chemistry, Washington and Lee University.   May 18, 2009     Allergy Alternatives Coughing, sneezing, rasping, wheezing. Seasonal allergies strike at different times for different people.  If this is your time of year, you are likely not feeling as healthy as you would like. We talk with a panel of experts about a variety of approaches to dealing with allergies.   Listen to the program   Guests: Greg Gelburd, DO - Family Physician, co-founder of the Charlottesville-based Downtown Family Health Center. Kathleen Maier - Herbalist, Director of Sacred Plant Traditions, a Charlottesville-based center for herbal studies. Thomas A.E. Platts-Mills, MD, PhD - Professor of Medicine, Allergy and Clinical Immunology as well as Division Head for the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at the University of Virginia.   May 11, 2009     Honing Your Job Hunting Skills When is the last time you went looking for a job? Even if the economic downturn has not yet affected your field, you might still worry that at some point, you'll need to look for new employment. We seek advice from a panel of experts -- and solicit listener input too -- on how best to hone your job hunting skills.   Listen to the program   Guests: Denise Meadows - Coordinator of Employer Relations and Recruiting Services, Department of Career and Academic Planning, James Madison University. Joyce Robbins - President, Robbins Staffing Solutions. Lee Witherow - President,  Adams and Garth Staffing and Executive Search. May 4, 2009     Schooling Your Brain Curiosity is a fragile thing. That is a key point to understand, says Dan Willingham, if you want to improve your ability to learn. We talk with this cognitive scientist about how mental processes work, and about why Dr. Willingham claims our brains are not very well designed for thinking.   Listen to the program   Guest: Dr. Daniel T. Willingham - Author of Why Don’t Students Like School: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom; and a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia.  Dr. Willingham is also author of the "Ask The Cognitive Scientist" column at American Educator magazine.   April 27, 2009     The New Community Project They say they want to promote justice, end hunger, solve poverty, and save the planet through simple, small actions taken by everyday people. While international in focus, one of their primary U.S. operations is based in the Shenandoah Valley. We talk with Virginia-based members of “The New Community Project.”   Listen to the program   Guest: Tom Benevento - Coordinator of the “Undoing Global Warming/Sustainable Living Homestead Program” at the New Community Project. Adam Campbell - A volunteer at the Shenandoah Valley Region branch of the New Community Project. Beth Schermerhorn - Staff Member, Shenandoah Valley Region branch of the New Community Project.   April 20, 2009     Got Dirt? Feel like digging in the dirt? There is good evidence that when times get tough, more of us get gardening. We seek some expert insight from our perennial gardening adviser Dave O’Neill.   Listen to the program   Guest: Dave O’Neill - Co-owner of Radical Roots Community Farm in Keezletown.   April 13, 2009     A Virginia Politics Update Virginia’s Republicans battle over party leadership.   The General Assembly grapples over budget priorities in the midst of an election year.  Virginia Democrats heat up the race to choose their candidate for Governor.   These are just some of the issues ripe for analysis as we seek to make sense of the latest shifts in Virginia’s political landscape.   Listen to the program   Guests: Bob Gibson - Executive Director of The Thomas C. Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and former political writer at The Charlottesville Daily Progress. Anita Kumar - Richmond-based political reporter for The Washington Post. Bob Roberts, Ph.D. - Professor of Political Science and Public Administration, James Madison University.   April 6, 2009     Mine Action Efforts of the Virginia-based Mine Action Information Center are our focus.  We hear about how the Center’s work to mitigate the explosive remnants of war has been winning praise around the world for more than a decade now.  Even though many Virginians have never before heard about those efforts.   Listen to the program   Guests: Dennis Barlow - Director of the Center for  International Stabilization and Recovery at James Madison University and former Director of Humanitarian Policy at the U-S Defense Department. Suzanne Fiederlein, PhD. - Victim Assistance Team Leader and Senior Research Associate with the Mine Action Information Center at James Madison University. Anne Stewart, PhD. - Professor of Psychology and an Education Team Leader with the Mine Action Information Center at James Madison University.   March 30, 2009     Getting Excited About Science What does it take to get kids excited about science? We examine that question with the help of several people involved in state wide efforts to improve science education.   Listen to the program   Guests: Linda Cauley - Director of the Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School and an Environmental Science Teacher there. Eric J. Pyle, Ph.D. - President, Virginia Association of Science Teachers.   Associate Professor of Earth Science Education and Co-Director of  the Center for STEM Education and Outreach at James Madison University. Robert Kolvoord, Ph.D. - Professor of Integrated Science and Technology and Co-Director of the Center for STEM Education and Outreach at James Madison University. March 23, 2009     Altruistic Medicine One is based in Rockingham County.  The other in Charlottesville. Both spent many years as family physicians.  Now, one travels several times each year to the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.  The other focuses much of his attention on two impoverished regions in South America. We seek their insight into what may be the truest form of altruistic medicine.    Listen to the program   Guests: Gregory Gelburd, D.O. - One of the founders of the Downtown Family Health Care Center in Charlottesville. Dr. Gelburd’s practice combines traditional western medicine with alternative therapies such as homeopathy and energy healing. John Glick, M.D. - Medical Acupuncturist. Family Health Physician. Director of Global Outreach, Gesundheit! Institute. March 9, 2009     A Virginia Politics Update Virginia lawmakers have reached agreement on a revised state budget, coming to terms with an almost $4 billion deficit in the process. So who won, and who lost, in this latest round of budget adjustments? We examine state budget cuts in detail -- as well as other highlights from the Virginia General Assembly's most recent lawmaking.   Listen to the program   Guests: Chelyen Davis - Government and political reporter for The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star. Bob Gibson - Executive Director of The Thomas C. Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and former political writer at The Charlottesville Daily Progress. Bob Roberts, Ph.D. - Professor of Political Science at James Madison University and author of From Watergate to Whitewater: The Public Integrity War. Monday, March 2, 2009     Journalism’s Ethics Checker She’s been a working reporter for most of the past 30 years -- much of that spent reporting on the business of journalism. Then, in October 2007, she accepted a two-year appointment as the independent Ombudsman for National Public Radio. We meet the woman who describes her current job as “Explaining NPR to the listeners, and the listeners to NPR.”   Listen to the program   Guest: Alicia C. Shepard - NPR Ombudsman and author of  Woodward & Bernstein: Life in the Shadow of Watergate (2006, Wiley). Monday, February 23, 2009     The Obesity Epidemic It is called “metabolic syndrome.” It can lead to degenerative disease and early death. It has a lot to do with where you store fat in your body.  But some people seem far more susceptible than others. We ask two Virginia researchers to explain the latest findings on metabolic syndrome and other critical aspects of the obesity epidemic.   Listen to the program   Guests: George A. Beller, M.D. - Past President of the American College of Cardiology, former Chief of Cardiology at the University of Virginia Medical Center, currently the Ruth C. Heede Professor of Cardiology at UVa. Sharon Strang, RN, MSN, FNP-C - Nurse Practitioner and  Assistant Professor of Nursing at James Madison University. Monday, February 16, 2009     Garson on Health Care  We talk with the medical doctor who’s written numerous books about his profession and the need to change it. This while serving on countless reform commissions, heading up a prestigious medical school, and now serving as chief administrator of a major university.   Listen to the program   Guest: Arthur “Tim” Garson, Jr., M.D., M.P.H. - Pediatric Cardiologist;  former President of the American College of Cardiology;  former Chair of the National Advisory Council on Health Care Research and Quality;  former Dean of the University of Virginia Medical School; current Executive Vice President and Provost of UVa; author of Health Care Half Truths: Too Many Myths, Not Enough Reality. Monday, February 9, 2009     Charities in Recession The troubled economy is hitting many Virginia charities doubly hard. Less money is coming in.  But more people need help. How to cope? We pursue that challenge on this edition.   Listen to the program   Guests: Marsha Deavers - Director, Elkton Area United Services. Elton, Va. Jon Nafziger - Vice President for Community Initiatives, Thomas Jefferson Area United Way, Charlottesville, Va. Joe Shtulman - President, United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley, Winchester, Va. Mert Tokman, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of Marketing, James Madison University. Monday, February 2, 2009     The Doctor of Perception Psychiatrist Bruce Greyson has spent more than 30 years studying “NDEs” -- Near Death Experiences. Today he heads up a research center pursuing scientific understanding of the paranormal. We ask for his insights on the nature of reality.   Listen to the program   Guest: C. Bruce Greyson, M.D. - Co-author of  The Near-Death Experience: Problems, Prospects, Perspectives;  Editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies; and Director, Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia. Monday, January 26, 2009     Season Got You Down? For some folks, winter weather can cause the blues. For others there is an actual biologic condition where reduced hours of sunlight can provoke clinical depression.  And for lots of us, these days, worries about the state of the world in general could be cause for more than a little anxiety. We talk with researchers studying the biology and psychology of depression. We also seek out tips on how to keep your spirits up in challenging times.   Listen to the program   Guests: Ignacio Provencio, Ph.D. - Associate Professor of Biology, University of Virginia. Lead author of a new study connecting genetic mutations to Seasonal Affective Disorder. Bethany Teachman, Ph.D. - Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia. Monday, January 19, 2009     Preparing for the Obama Era When Barack Obama becomes president, what things would you like to see change? We ask our listeners to describe their hopes for the Obama era. And to help keep our expectations realistic, we turn to the Virginia researcher who has spent years studying the history of ethics in American politics.   Listen to the program   Guest: Robert N. Roberts, Ph.D. - Professor of Political Science at James Madison University. Author of Encyclopedia of Presidential Campaigns, Slogans, Issues and Platforms, as well as From Watergate to Whitewater: The Public Integrity War, and Ethics in U.S. Government: An Encyclopedia of Investigations, Scandals, Reforms and Legislation. Monday, January 12, 2009     What Now, Virginia Lawmakers? Most of us rarely give much thought to the work our tax dollars do. Until they are about to stop doing it. The Virginia General Assembly opens its 2009 session January 14. We talk with Assembly members and Virginia's governor about proposed cuts in education, mental health, law enforcement and many other tax-funded programs, as lawmakers struggle to deal with a mounting, multi-billion dollar deficit.   Listen to the program   Guests: Timothy M. Kaine - Governor of Virginia. Delegate Chris Saxman - Republican representing the 20th House of Delegates District, which includes Staunton, Highland County and portions of Augusta and Rockingham Counties. Delegate David Toscano Ph.D., J.D. - Democrat representing the 57th House of Delegates District, which includes Charlottesville and portions of Albemarle County.