John works with the radio team to create our weekly show, and is helping to build our State of Science Reporting Network. He’s also been a long-time guest host on Science Friday.
He and his wife have three cats, thousands of bees, and a yoga studio in the sleepy Northwest hills of Connecticut.
John likes building radio collaborations. He helped bring together 18 stations across the Northeast to cover environmental issues, which eventually led to the New England News Collaborative, worked with NPR on their Collaborative Coverage Project, and with the national talk program America Amplified.
For 25 years, John oversaw news programming at WNPR, where he started the daily talk show, Where We Live. He’s also produced award-winning long-form documentaries on mental health and care for the elderly, and hundreds of short stories for NPR and public radio stations, including one about virtual reality in dentistry that’s actually pretty embarrassing to listen to now.
You can also see him doing live events for The Connecticut Mirror, The Connecticut Forum, and The International Festival of Arts & Ideas.
John grew up in Pittsburgh, and is as big a Mr. Rogers fan as you’ll find anywhere.
11:52
Will Nations Share Their COVID-19 Vaccines?
As the U.S., Russia, and other nations push forward on COVID-19 vaccine trials, what happens to countries that can’t develop their own?
17:11
How Zero Gravity Can Reveal Basic Biological Questions
Astronauts just bioengineered human cells on the International Space Station.
11:44
What’s The Game Plan For A COVID-19 Outbreak In Pro Sports?
Different sports are using combinations of ‘bubbles,’ testing, and quarantine to try to keep the season in play. But will it all work?
5:08
New Science Diction Episode: Learn About The Fishy History Of Ketchup
Ketchup is an essential companion of American summer cuisine, but where did it come from?
29:44
Living With Coronavirus, Behind Bars
For months, the incarcerated population has been battling COVID-19—and the struggle to contain the disease is highlighting systemic public health issues.
11:23
Coronavirus Mutations Aren’t Necessarily Bad News
Why we need to slow down and look carefully at new coronavirus research, plus why so-called ‘murder hornets’ aren’t a reason to panic.
12:07
As You Snooze, Your Brain Reviews
People implanted with a brain-computer interface ‘replayed’ newly-learned behaviors while dozing off.
12:26
A New World, Shaped By COVID-19
A roundup of the COVID-19 stories that will define the “new normal,” including tracking spread through smartphone location data and ventilator triage.
27:09
Jane Goodall Reflects On 60 Years Of Research And Conservation
Jane Goodall on her research in the Gombe, and the need for hope and cooperation in the modern world.
6:07
The New ‘Science Diction’ Podcast Brings You: Vaccine
Here’s what cows have to do with your yearly flu shot.