Spider faculty often appear on podcasts, offering insights on science, culture, history and a wide range of other subjects. From mental health tips for families to teaching rats to drive, listeners are sure to learn something new. Check out these recent episodes.

Remarkable People

English professor Elisabeth Gruner recently shared her expertise on writing, reading, and learning with Guy Kawasaki on his podcast Remarkable People.

“At the beginning of my classes, I tell students just to write for three minutes,” Gruner said. “It doesn’t matter what you’re writing about, but put some words down, because the more you get used to putting words down, the easier it gets to put more words down. Writing begets writing, I absolutely believe that.”

She also discussed her belief that the fundamental purpose of a college education is to change lives, and how she wants to teach her students to become critical thinkers. Listen to the full episode here.

No Need to Explain with the Mental Health Mamas

As a clinical psychologist, Janelle Peifer sees patients struggle to take time for themselves. On No Need to Explain with the Mental Health Mamas, a podcast cohosted by Tina Hallock, she discussed the challenges of finding time for rest.

“The expectation that you are constantly doing more to be able to survive and have to be working constantly can be really exhausting,” Peifer said. “The idea of a vacation can feel like an indulgence, or that it’s risky to do.”

Peifer told listeners to make sure to take time to prepare for a vacation or time off, to help prevent anxiety while unplugging. She elaborated in an article last year on why vacations are so stressful.

Listen to the full episode of No Need to Explain with the Mental Health Mamas.

Native America Calling

Leadership studies professor David Wilkins spoke on Native America Calling, a call-in program about issues important to indigenous communities. Wilkins is a citizen of the Lumbee Nation of North Carolina and an expert in indigenous sovereignty and policy. In the podcast, he discussed native displacement during the Dust Bowl.

Thousands of Native Americans had their land taken away “through various fraudulent actions by state officials and local officials,” Wilkins said. “It was a very dark period.”

He also explained that it was not until the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 that indigenous groups began to have some land returned and gained access to federal programs.

Listen to the full episode.

Ceramic Tech Chat

Chemistry professor Ryan Coppage discussed the science of making ceramics in a recent episode of Ceramic Tech Chat.

“If you ever go in a glaze room, everything is chemistry,” he said. “There’s copper carbonate, copper oxide, cobalt carbonate, cobalt oxide, different valences of every metal imaginable.”

He explained that after taking a couple of chemistry courses, he began to see the science behind the art of ceramics, and how each of those compounds play a role in creating art.

“It is such a perfect manifestation of inorganic chemistry,” he said.

Learn more about how Coppage became a chemist and an artist by listening to the full podcast.

People First Radio

On the health and wellness podcast People First Radio, Kelly Lambert, professor of behavioral neuroscience, spoke about how habitat affects lab animals and what that shows about human behavior.

“We house rats in different environments, and the more complex the environment, the more complex the brain becomes,” Lambert said. “Animals in an enriched environment learn faster. More experiences  make our brains more competent and better able to learn new skills.”

Learn more about how Lambert is teaching rats to drive in her lab on campus by listening to the full episode of People First Radio.