John leads the audio team that creates our weekly radio show and daily podcast.
John loves working on journalism collaborations. He helped build our State of Science Reporting Network; brought together 18 stations across the Northeast to cover environmental issues; a project which eventually led to the New England News Collaborative; worked with NPR on their Collaborative Coverage Project; and hosted the national collaborative 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 elder care, and reported hundreds of short stories for NPR and public radio stations. These covered everything from politics to PFAS to basketball shoes, including one story about virtual reality in dentistry that’s actually pretty embarrassing to listen to now.
You might know his voice as a long-time guest host on Science Friday, and you can still see him periodically hosting live events for The Connecticut Mirror.
He and his wife and their three cats live in the sleepy Northwest hills of Connecticut, where they run LAM Yoga, a small studio that leads international yoga retreats. But John grew up in Pittsburgh, and is as big a Mr. Rogers fan as you’ll find anywhere.
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.
12:27
What Can Vampire Bats Teach Us About Socializing In A Pandemic?
Illness changes how these small mammals interact. An expert says it’s not so different from how people are socializing amidst the coronavirus.
16:30
Poetry Wields Science In ‘Unaccountable’ Times
Poet Jane Hirshfield takes on crises both biological and human in her new book “Ledger.”
16:57
Fact-Checking Your Coronavirus News Feed
Experiencing COVID-19 information overload? Two experts offer clarity on the studies taking over news headlines this week.
7:44
In Trump’s State Of The Union, A Promise To End AIDS—But Silence On Climate Change
President Trump said he wants to end the spread of HIV in the U.S. by 2030. But he stayed silent on climate change.