Best National Design Academy Podcasts (2025)

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What Do You Want Out of Life? A Philosophical Guide to Figuring Out What Matters 1:04:41

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3d ago1:04:41

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What do you want out of life? To make a lot of money, work for justice, run marathons, sing in a choir, have children, travel the world? The things we care about in life—family, friendship, leisure activities, work, our moral ideals—often conflict, preventing us from doing what matters most to us. Even worse, we don’t always know what we really wan…

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Medieval Medicine with Prof. Deborah Hayden 54:49

6d ago54:49

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This week Prof. Deborah Hayden, our Head here in the Dept. of Early Irish, Maynooth University, explains what it was like both to go the, or become a, doctor in medieval Ireland! Taking us through a chronological development from the early medico-legal texts through the surge in scientific writing in the later Middle Ages she explains everything fr…

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NATIONAL RIDESHARE MONTH WITH JUSTIN BOOGAARD - GOGO GRANDPARENT; DOWNSIZING, HOARDING & MOVING YOUR PARENTS AUTHOR MARTY STEVENS-HEEBNER, Train Your Brain Day Exercises, National Gratitude & Positive ...

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In our 1st episode for October, host and gerontologist, Sherri Snelling, has two great expert interviews to share: 1) Justin Boogaard – Co-Founder and CEO of GoGoGrandparent. We’re celebrating October National Rideshare Month with Justin! You’ll learn how this rideshare company has created a concierge service specifically designed for older adults …

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The Light Between Apple Trees: Rediscovering the Wild Through a Beloved American Fruit 50:27

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As a child in the foothills of the Himalayas, Priyanka Kumar was entranced by forest-like orchards of diverse and luscious fruit—especially apples. These biodiverse orchards seemed worlds away from the cardboard apples that lined supermarket shelves in the United States. Yet on a small patch of woods near her home in Santa Fe, Kumar discovered a wi…

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Make Your Manuscript Work: A Guide to Developmental Editing for Scholarly Writers 54:04

14d ago54:04

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Developmental editing holds the power to make a manuscript connect with publishers and readers, yet few scholarly writers have the training to do it well. Make Your Manuscript Work: A Guide to Developmental Editing for Scholarly Writers (Princeton UP, 2025) offers scholars a practical method for assessing and refining the features of their texts th…

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Poets and Poetry with Dr Elizabeth Boyle 52:30

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Welcome back for season three! Hope you missed us as much as we missed recording our chats on all things medieval Ireland! Today we have Dr Elizabeth Boyle back for the first episode of the new season (as is becoming tradition) to learn about poets and poetry. We discuss everything from Poet-President Michael D. Higgins, the power of satire, constr…

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Leading Toward Liberation: How to Build Cultures of Thriving in Higher Education 52:26

24d ago52:26

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In Leading Toward Liberation: How to Build Cultures of Thriving in Higher Education (JHU Press, 2025), Dr. Annmarie Caño reimagines academic leadership as a practice rooted in liberation and equity. Drawing on her experiences as a Latina, first-generation college student, clinical psychologist, and higher education administrator, Caño shows how lea…

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WORLD ALZHEIMER’S DAY WITH DR. TINA SADARANGANI OF ENLIGHTENED CAREGIVER AND THE CAREMOBI APP, Latest Alzheimer’s Research Including Copper & Journaling to Reduce Dementia Risk; Dopamine Design and Depression ...

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In our second September episode, host and gerontologist, Sherri Snelling, focuses on World Alzheimer’s Month as she talks with Dr. Tina Sadarangani, creator of Enlightened Caregiver in Instagram for dementia caregiving tips and inspiration as well as her innovative new app, CareMobi, for family care coordination. Sherri and Dr. Tina also talk about…

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Jonn Elledge, "A Brief History of the World in 47 Borders: Surprising Stories Behind the Lines on Our Maps" (Experiment, 2024) 56:57

1M ago56:57

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In this eye-opening investigation into the most remarkable points on the map, a single boundary might, upon closer inspection, reveal eons of history—from epic tales of conquest, treaties, and alliances to intimate, all-too-human stories of love, greed, and folly. Sometimes rooted in physical geography, sometimes entirely arbitrary, none of the lin…

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THE ART OF CONSCIOUS AGING WITH WAYNE LEHRER; Self Care Month Hacks: Walking, Sleepmaxing & Grandparenting; Centenarian Breakfast Secrets; How Drugs Are Increasing Deaths from Falls for Seniors; How Solo ...

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In this September episode, host and gerontologist, Sherri Snelling, talks with Wayne Lehrer, author of the new book, “The Art of Conscious Aging for National Healthy Aging Month. For CAREGIVER WELLNESS NEWS, Sherri dives into the secrets of living longer such as eating the breakfast foods that those who reach age 100 love for National Centenarian D…

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I Have Avenged America: Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Haiti’s Fight for Freedom 56:17

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“My name has become a horror to all those who want slavery,” declared Jean‑Jacques Dessalines as he announced the independence of Haiti, the most radical nation‑state during the Age of Revolution and the first country ever to permanently outlaw slavery. Enslaved for the first thirty years of his life, Dessalines (c. 1758–1806) joined the revolution…

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Designing and Facilitating Workshops with Intentionality 47:49

2M ago47:49

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Designing and Facilitating Workshops with Intentionality offers practical guidance, tools, and resources to assist practitioners in creating effective, engaging workshops for adult learners. Drawing from three key learning frameworks and the author’s considerable expertise in facilitating workshops across both educational and corporate settings, th…

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Jumping Through Hoops: Performing Gender in the 19th Century Circus 34:42

2M ago34:42

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Jumping Through Hoops: Performing Gender in the 19th Century Circus, by Betsy Golden Kellem, reveals the hidden history of early female circus performers: boundary-breaking women like Lavinia Warren, known as the Queen of Beauty; to Millie-Christine McKoy, the Two-Headed Nightingale; to Patty Astley, the mother of the modern circus. These astoundin…

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Who Needs College Anymore: Imagining A Future Where Degrees Don’t Matter 51:42

2M ago51:42

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In this optimistic yet practical assessment of how postsecondary education can evolve to meet the needs of next-generation learners, Kathleen deLaski reimagines what higher education might offer and whom it should serve. In the wake of declining enrollment and declining confidence in the value of a college degree, she urges a mindset shift regardin…

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Bones Tell Stories: The Reach of Forensic Anthropology 28:02

2M ago28:02

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Send us a text In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Tania Delabarde, leading forensic anthropologist at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Paris, where she has been instrumental since 2013 in the identification of unidentified bodies and coordination of Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) protocols. Dr. Delabarde’s career spans some of the world’…

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GOLDEN GIRLS 2.0 INTERVIEW WITH SAVENIA FALQUIST OF HOMESHARE; Taylor Swift’s Caregiving News, Caregiver Grief Awareness & Help, Friendships & Health, Relaxation Day Tips, Parkinson’s and Golf, the Beach ...

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Our August episode has host and gerontologist, Sherri Snelling, talking with Savenia Falquist of HomeShare Oregon about a roommate finding service for older adults. Looking to support older adults who are living at home and help them with avoiding loneliness while also boosting their financial resilience, this is what we call “Golden Girls 2.0.” Sa…

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Tackling the Everyday: Race and Nation in Big-Time College Football 58:04

2M ago58:04

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Big-time college football promises prestige, drama, media attention, and money. Yet most athletes in this unpaid, amateur system encounter a different reality, facing dangerous injuries, few pro-career opportunities, a free but devalued college education, and future financial instability. In one of the first ethnographies about Black college footba…

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Citizenship Stripping: You Are Not American 54:36

2M ago54:36

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Over the last two centuries, the US government has revoked citizenship to cast out its unwanted, suppress dissent, and deny civil rights to all considered “un-American”—whether due to their race, ethnicity, marriage partner, or beliefs. Drawing on the narratives of those who have struggled to be treated as full members of “We the People,” law profe…

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Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life 56:38

2M ago56:38

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In an overloaded, superficial, technological world, in which almost everything and everybody is judged by its usefulness, where can we turn for escape, lasting pleasure, contemplation, or connection to others? While many forms of leisure meet these needs, Zena Hitz writes, few experiences are so fulfilling as the inner life, whether that of a bookw…

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Every Purchase Matters: How Fair Trade Farmers, Companies, and Consumers are Changing the World 57:38

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We all have the power to change the world through the products we buy. This simple premise has driven the growth of the conscious consumer movement for decades. Indeed, what started with a handful of niche sustainability brands has exploded into the mainstream with labels like Organic, Non-GMO, and Fair Trade Certified now adorning products in majo…

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Teacher by Teacher: The People Who Change Our Lives 51:08

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Teacher By Teacher traces the journey of the tenth U.S. Secretary of Education and is a deeply personal love letter to all the teachers in our lives. The story of John B. King Jr.’s inspiring path to President Obama’s Cabinet begins the day that his mother died. He insisted on going to school that day, knowing he would find comfort in his classroom…

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Cat and Mouse: How Toxicologists Chase Ever-Evolving Designer Drugs 21:20

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Send us a text In this compelling episode, Dr. Kayla Ellefsen—Deputy Chief Toxicologist at the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office in Austin, Texas, United States-offers a rare look into the science of forensic toxicology and its critical role in death investigations. She dismantles Hollywood myths about quick test results and flashy labs, reve…

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Rehearsals for Dying 1:00:11

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Deena stepped out of the shower and opened her towel in the steam. “Does my breast look weird?” These words irrevocably change the lives of writer Ariel Gore and her wife. As they descend into a world of doctors and tests, medications and insurance, sickness and treatments and hope and pain and more, they discover just how little they truly knew—de…

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Religion in the Lands That Became America 1:08:08

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Until now, the standard narrative of American religious history has begun with English settlers in Jamestown or Plymouth and remained predominantly Protestant and Atlantic. Driven by his strong sense of the historical and moral shortcomings of the usual story, Thomas A. Tweed offers a very different narrative in this ambitious new history. He begin…

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NATIONAL DAY OF JOY WITH SAUDIA GAJADHAR – COMFORT KEEPERS; Sandwich Generation Month latest news & lifestyle changes, International Self-Care Day July 24, Rucking is the New Walking, Joy vs. Happiness ...

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Our July episode has host and gerontologist, Sherri Snelling, talking with Saudia Gajadhar, Chief Happiness Officer at Comfort Keepers about this year’s National Day of Joy survey among older adults and family caregivers and Comfort Keepers’ role in the new PBS documentary, “Caregiving.” In CAREGIVER WELLNESS NEWS, Sherri shares the latest stats to…

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The Entrepreneurial Scholar: A New Mindset for Success in Academia and Beyond 59:52

3M ago59:52

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In the increasingly competitive world of academia, simply mastering your discipline is no longer enough to guarantee career success or personal fulfillment. The Entrepreneurial Scholar: A New Mindset for Success in Academia and Beyond (Princeton UP, 2025) challenges scholars at all stages—from doctoral students to tenured professors—to break free f…

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#17. Unearthing Connections: Teaching With Truth Across Curriculum 8:11

3M ago8:11

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In this episode of Learning by Design, Krishna Cart introduces a new professional development course designed for K-12 educators, focusing on integrating archaeology into teaching. The course, titled 'Unearthing Connections,' emphasizes the importance of hands-on learning and critical thinking, encouraging students to explore biblical texts through…

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Overcoming ABD Pitfalls: Tips for Getting Unstuck 53:13

3M ago53:13

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The ABD [All But Dissertation] phase can either feel liberating—no more coursework or comps!—or like the floor has dropped out. The scaffolding that prepared you for being a graduate assistant, passing comps or conducting your research gives way to a new, wide open space where you are just supposed to write. While some people will flourish in this …

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Decolonizing Ukraine: The Indigenous People of Crimea and Pathways to Freedom 51:19

4M ago51:19

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Decolonizing Ukraine, by Dr. Greta Lynn Uehling, illuminates the untold stories of Russia's occupation of Crimea from 2014 to the present, revealing the traumas of colonization, foreign occupation, and population displacement. Drawing upon extensive fieldwork in Ukraine, including over 90 personal interviews, Dr. Uehling brings her readers into the…

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AARP CAREGIVER ANSWER BOOK AUTHORS BARRY JACOBS & JULIA MAYER; Alzheimer’s & Brain Health Month Blood Tests, Popcorn Brain; Sunshine Cures for Alz and MS; Employer Wellness Month, Sound Bathing & Gardening ...

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For our June episode host and gerontologist, Sherri Snelling, talks with the authors of the new “AARP Caregiver Answer Book” – Barry Jacobs and Julia Mayer. They share some of the insights from the book including the difference in caring for a spouse versus an older parent, how and why families need to have the caregiving conversation, how to adopt…

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Secrets of the Killing State 1:09:40

4M ago1:09:40

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In the popular imagination, lethal injection is a slight pinch and a swift nodding off to forever-sleep. It is performed by well-qualified medical professionals. It is regulated and carefully conducted. And it provides a “humane” death. In reality, however, not one of those things is true. Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal In…

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Considering Leaving Academia? 53:35

4M ago53:35

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Today we again explore what it means to leave academia, as Dr. Sophia Basaldua-Sun shares how an informational interview was key to her success in landing a job outside academia, and what her life in the world of publishing is like. Leaving Academia is an ongoing sub-series with the Academic Life, with guests candidly sharing their decisions to sta…

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Sin and Penance with Dr Elaine Pereira Farrell 55:28

4M ago55:28

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Welcome to the last episode of season two! Thank you everyone for their continued support. Today we chat to one of the foremost experts on the Penitentials, Dr Elaine Pereira Farrell, who explains how these prescriptive documents list various sins and the corresponding recommended penances (e.g. fasting, prayers, fines). We learn how the Penitentia…

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How Schools Make Race: Teaching Latinx Racialization in America 43:17

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In How Schools Make Race: Teaching Latinx Racialization in America, (Harvard Education PR, 2024) Laura C. Chávez-Moreno uncovers the process through which schools implicitly and explicitly shape their students’ concept of race and the often unintentional consequences of this on educational equity. Dr. Chávez-Moreno sheds light on how the complex in…

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Trans Technologies 1:03:27

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How can technology creates new possibilities for transgender people? How do trans experiences, in turn, create new possibilities for technology? Trans Technologies, (MIT Press, 2025) by Dr. Oliver L. Haimson, explores how and why mainstream technologies often exclude or marginalize transgender users. Trans Technologies describes what happens when t…

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Education, Not Indoctrination: Santos Muñoz on Policy 8040 and Parental Rights 0:33

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By https://masterpiece-academy.castos.com/

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National Museum of Ireland Part 2 with Maeve Sikora and Matthew Seaver 54:57

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We are back this week in the National Museum of Ireland, Archaeology, on Kildare Street, in Dublin City centre, which is open 7 days a week and free to the public. We are joined by Maeve Sikora, Keeper of Irish Antiquities, and Assistant Keeper Matt Seaver. In addition to chatting more about the Words on the Wave exhibition, Maeve and Matt tell us …

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Moments of Impact: How to Design Strategic Conversations That Accelerate Change 1:01:44

5M ago1:01:44

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In our fast-changing world, leaders are increasingly confronted by messy, multifaceted challenges that require collaboration to resolve. But the standard methods for tackling these challenges—meetings packed with data-drenched presentations or brainstorming sessions that circle back to nowhere—just don’t deliver. Great strategic conversations gener…

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#16. Policy 8040, Transparency and Parental Partnership 1:33:25

5M ago1:33:25

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Santos Munoz on Restoring Trust in Loudoun County Public Schools On February 20, 2008, a U.S. Navy ship launched a missile at a crippled satellite — a classified mission known as Operation Burnt Frost. One of the officers behind that historic moment was Santos Muñoz, a decorated U.S. Air Force space and missile officer. Now, Muñoz is stepping into …

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The Freedom Academy 53:20

5M ago53:20

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When Professor Asha Rangappa began posting online about the lessons she was teaching in the Yale University course on Russian intelligence and information warfare, the public took notice. Many reached out for a copy of the syllabus, and began lamenting that they couldn’t take her course. This led to the creation of a series of free lessons and pres…

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Brittany Friedman, "Carceral Apartheid: How Lies and White Supremacists Run Our Prisons" (UNC Press, 2025) 46:52

5M ago46:52

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In Carceral Apartheid: How Lies and White Supremacists Run Our Prisons, Dr. Brittany Friedman delves into how the California Department of Corrections deployed various official, clandestine, and at times extralegal control techniques—including officer alliances with imprisoned white supremacists—to suppress Black political movements, revealing the …

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#15. What Actually Helps Students Read and Write Better? 15:21

5M ago15:21

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Why are so many students still struggling with reading and writing—and what actually works to help them succeed? In this episode, Krishna Cart, MA Ed, NBCT, explores how explicit, structured literacy instruction is changing the game at Masterpiece Academy’s Reading and Writing Lab. With only 33% of fourth graders reading at or above grade level, an…

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Ireland and St Gallen in Early Medieval Europe with the National Museum of Ireland 58:11

5M ago58:11

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This week Matt Seaver, Assistant Keeper of Irish Antiquities and Dr Diarmuid Ó Riain, curatorial researcher, welcomed us in to the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare St. to see the unique new exhibition: Words on the Wave. This is an incredible display of precious manuscripts from the Abbey of St Gall, Switzerland — some returning to Ireland for t…

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Live from the Underground: A History of College Radio 52:35

5M ago52:35

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Bands like R.E.M., U2, Public Enemy, and Nirvana found success as darlings of college radio, but the extraordinary influence of these stations and their DJs on musical culture since the 1970s was anything but inevitable. As media deregulation and political conflict over obscenity and censorship transformed the business and politics of culture, stud…

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# 14. Sharpening Arrows: A Family's Guide to the National Bible Bee 4:05

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In this special podcast trailer, John and Krishna Cart—regional hosts and passionate family ministry leaders—invite you to the transformative journey of the National Bible Bee. With only 3% of American teens reading the Bible daily and more than half walking away from the church by their twenties, families face a spiritual crisis. But there is hope…

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Rot: An Imperial History of the Irish Famine 1:09:46

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In 1845, European potato fields from Spain to Scandinavia were attacked by a novel pathogen. But it was only in Ireland, then part of the United Kingdom, that the blight’s devastation reached apocalyptic levels, leaving more than a million people dead and forcing millions more to emigrate. In Rot, historian Padraic X. Scanlan offers the definitive …

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ELDER LAW ATTORNEY HARRY MARGOLIS; LINDA KAFKA OF NEURODESIGN ACADEMY; Older Americans Month; May Mental Health Month; Pop Culture: Martin Sheen, Bradley Cooper, Seth and Lauren Miller Rogen - New Films ... 1:37:48

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May is a BIG month and we have two great guests for this episode: Harry Margolis, Elder Law Attorney and Linda Kafka, Founder/Principal of Neuro Design Academy. Since May is both National Elder Law Month and Home Modification Month, these two experts are perfect for this episode to share valuable information caregivers do not want to miss! In our C…

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The Zinc Connection: The Pancreas, Diabetes and Beyond 23:58

5M ago23:58

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Send us a text In this episode, we explore the connection between zinc and diabetes, focusing on functions of zinc in the pancreas and for blood glucose control. Using animal models of obesity and prediabetes, researchers investigated how mild zinc deficiency—similar to levels potentially seen in humans—affects the pancreas and regulation of blood …

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#13. Inside our Affiliation with Liberty University Online Academy 14:17

5M ago14:17

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Blended, Biblical, and Built for Purpose In this episode of Learning by Design, host Krishna Cart unpacks how The Masterpiece Academy is redefining Christian education through its powerful affiliation with Liberty University Online Academy (LUOA). This conversation offers a full overview of the blended learning model, in which students receive accr…

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The Royal Irish Academy Library with Barbara McCormack 49:09

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In this episode, we chat about the incredible academic and public resource that is the Library in the Royal Irish Academy. Academy Librarian Barbara McCormack tells us all about the collection of medieval manuscripts including some of Ireland's oldest manuscripts the Cathach of Columba and the Stowe Missal. Please visit the library yourself or chec…