As Science Friday’s director and senior producer, Charles Bergquist channels the chaos of a live production studio into something sounding like a radio program. He coordinates in-studio activities each week from 1-4. And then collapses. He also produces pieces for the radio show. His favorite topics involve planetary sciences, chemistry, materials, and shiny things with blinking lights.
Charles has been at Science Friday longer than anyone on staff except Ira, and so serves as a repository of sometimes useful, sometimes useless knowledge about the program. He remembers the time an audience member decided to recite a love poem during a live remote broadcast, the time the whole staff went for ice cream at midnight in Fairbanks, Alaska, and the name of that guy Ira is trying to remember from a few years back who did something with space.
He hails from southeastern Pennsylvania and worked for a while as a demonstrator at the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia’s science museum (favorite devices: Maillardet’s Automaton, the stream table, the Chladni plates). He has a degree in chemistry from the University of Delaware, home of the Fighting Blue Hens, and a master’s in journalism from New York University’s Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program. However, he attended the program prior to the addition of ‘Health’ to its name, which may explain his slight unease when covering medical topics.
Outside the walls of Science Friday, he enjoys backpacking, camping, cooking not-entirely-healthy things, reading escapist fiction, and trying to unravel his children’s complicated stories.
7:29
A Space-Launch Loss, Blood and the Brain, and Thought-Controlled Medical Nanobots
Science journalist Sophie Bushwick explains some of the week’s top stories in science, including Thursday’s explosion of a SpaceX rocket in Florida.
7:25
A Planetary Neighbor, Recovering a Lost Spacecraft, and Iceman Fashion
Science journalist Rachel Feltman discusses a newly discovered exoplanet neighbor, and other stories from the week in science.
7:57
A Quantum Satellite, 500-Year Floods, and Scanning Your Purchases
Science journalist Amy Nordrum describes a Chinese experiment designed to test quantum communication systems. Plus, why scanning your own groceries could lead to sticky fingers.
16:57
As Automation Advances, Are Jobs in Danger?
As “robots that can weld cars” give way to “robots that can drive cars,” what’s ahead for the workforce?
12:17
Debating Science in the 2016 Election
A group proposes 20 science-based policy questions for the presidential candidates to address in the months ahead.
17:45
The Vulnerability Of U.S. Voting Systems
If hackers are targeting the servers of political campaigns, might attacks on election systems themselves soon follow?
11:26
Should People Be Made Stronger, Faster, or Smarter Through Technology?
A new survey finds many Americans are dubious about using certain new technologies for human enhancement.
16:44
A Celebration of the Life in Flight Around Your Porch Light
We join the fifth annual celebration of National Moth Week.
6:12
The Art, and Science, of the Biodesign Challenge
A competition challenges art and design students to face the brave new world of biotechnology.
7:25
A Jovian Arrival, Titan’s Chemistry, and a Goat’s Gaze
Researchers have found that Saturn’s moon Titan could have the right chemical conditions to create precursors to life. Plus, what a goat’s gaze has in common with puppy behavior.