Best UConn TIP Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 149: It’s Halloween Time, Let’s Study Horror Films! 22:07

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18h ago22:07

22:07

It’s October here at UConn (and everywhere else!), which means it is almost Halloween and horror film season. Our guest on this episode of the UConn 360 podcast is professor of English Greg Semenza, who has been a member of the UConn faculty since 2006 and teaches a class called “The Horror Film” that has 100 students enrolled in each of the last s…

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Episode 148: A Community Program for Literacy and Nutrition 15:46

16d ago15:46

15:46

Husky Reads is one of the longest-running community impact programs for UConn Husky Nutrition & Sport out of the Neag School of Education here at UConn. Husky Reads is designed to promote nutrition and literacy among preschool children. The curriculum includes a series of 10 weekly lessons that introduce the preschool-age children to MyPlate while …

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Episode 147: Caring For Family Members With Dementia 18:10

1M ago18:10

18:10

Amanda Cooper is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication and her research focuses on the ways in which individuals and families navigate difficult transitions across the lifespan, particularly at the end of life. She has recently published a study in the Journal of Family Communication about what family members can do to maintain …

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Episode 146: Happy Birthday School of Pharmacy! 22:01

1M ago22:01

22:01

It’s a special year for the UConn School of Pharmacy in 2025-26 as it celebrates its centennial year. Dean Phil Hritcko joins us on the UConn 360 podcast to tell us about all the festivities that are planned, including the Centennial Celebrationon Oct. 18. Dean Hritcko also gives us an update on what is new in the School of Pharmacy and explains th…

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Episode 145: A Special Summit Comes to UConn 20:09

2M ago20:09

20:09

The Dodd Center for Human Rights will be presenting its Second Human Rights Summit from October 22 and 24 and this year’s event will focus on Sport and Human Rights. The opening keynote event of the summit will feature a conversation with two pivotal figures in the history of sports and activism—Tommie Smith and John Carlos, the 1968 Olympians whos…

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Episode 144: Kicking Off a New Season 18:35

2M ago18:35

18:35

It is a new season for athletics at UConn and it all starts with the women’s soccer team hosting an exhibition game on Wednesday night. Head coach Margaret Rodriguez is our guest for this episode as her Huskies won the Big East tournament last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. “Mags” played at UConn and was a long-time…

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Episode 143: Keeping UConn in Tip-Top Shape 19:05

3M ago19:05

19:05

Eric Kruger is UConn’s Vice President of Facility Services and University Planning and took time out of his busy schedule to join us on the UConn 360 podcast. Eric oversees a team of skilled and dedicated workers who keep the UConn campuses running and in good condition, in addition to new buildings and construction. Eric was named to his current p…

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Episode 142: Weathering the Storm 19:55

3M ago19:55

19:55

It’s the middle of summer and the weather is great! But, we all must be aware that hurricane season is upon us. Fortunately, the UConn Extension works with colleagues from across the United States as part of the national Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN). The goals of the network are to help residents, communities, businesses, and municip…

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Episode 141: Well, Well, Well… 22:33

4M ago22:33

22:33

Episode 141: Well, Well, Well… Water affects every part of our life, especially when it comes to our supply where we live. Mike Dietz is director of the Connecticut Institute of Water Resources, which is part of the UConn Extension. Among the services offered by the institute of testing of home well water, which is recommend to be performed every o…

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Episode 140: A Large and Historic Puppet Collection 21:06

4M ago21:06

21:06

Professor of puppet arts Matthew Isaac Cohen has laid hands on each of the 23,000 puppets that comprise the largest Indonesian puppet collection in the world. Over the last eight years, he has researched the Dr. Walter Angst and Sir Henry Angest Collection of Indonesian Puppets at the Yale University Art Gallery, Cohen has taken great care with eac…

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Episode 139: Takin’ Our Licks 17:14

5M ago17:14

17:14

UConn is known for many things – great academics, championship sports …. and the world’s great ice cream (in our humble opinion!). Joining us on this edition of the podcast is Bill Sciturro, who is the manger of the UConn creamery that is responsible for making the ice cream that is sold at the UConn Dairy Bar. Bill tells us a little bit about the …

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Episode 138: Novel Brands Give Consumers New Choices 19:04

5M ago19:04

19:04

When somebody scrolls through the top product categories on Amazon odds are some 60% of the brands for sale will be ones you’ve never heard of before. That poses a challenge for marketers looking for their brands to be chosen among the many options, including familiar ones. UConn marketing professor Danielle Brick has researched how novel brands ca…

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Episode 137: UConn’s Rudd Center Studies Various Food Issues 19:41

6M ago19:41

19:41

UConn’s nationally-renowned Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health promotes solutions to food insecurity, poor diet quality, and weight bias through research and policy. Marlene Schwartz is the director of the Rudd Center and joins us on the podcast. She is also a professor of Human Development and Family Studies. Marlene talks about how the Rudd C…

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Episode 136: UConn Professor Looks at Role of Law in Businesses 23:25

6M ago23:25

23:25

Robert Bird, a professor of business law in UConn’s School of Business, has a new book out - “Legal Knowledge in Organizations: A Source of Strategic and Competitive Advantage.” Bird tells us that most companies believe that lawyers and legal knowledge are only necessary to avoid breaking the law or getting stuck in a lawsuit. Legal knowledge, howe…

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Episode 135: The Future of Clothing Is So Smart 20:44

7M ago20:44

20:44

John Toribio is a doctoral student at UConn in polymer chemistry – and is the first student to join us in this current format of the UConn 360 podcast. In addition to his studies, he is the CEO and CTO of Zemi Labs, (zemilabs.com), which is a start-up company creating smart clothing for comprehensive health and fitness. The company creates wearable…

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Episode 134: Irish Studies at UConn 23:30

7M ago23:30

23:30

It is March, which means Saint Patrick’s Day and Irish-American Heritage Month in the United States. Here at UConn, Mary Burke is a professor in the Department of English and oversees the Irish Literature Concentration. She joins us on this episode of the UConn 360 podcast to talk about Irish studies on campus and her background as a scholar and pr…

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Episode 133: A New Book from Coach Calhoun 22:14

8M ago22:14

22:14

Former UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun won three national championships for the Huskies, but the relationship he has with players goes well beyond in the court. Calhoun has recently finished his third book - “More Than a Game: How the UConn Dynasty Was Built on a Culture of Caring” – which he co-authored with sportswriter Dom Amore. The bo…

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Episode 132: Helping High School Athletes Eat Right 21:50

8M ago21:50

21:50

Jennifer Fields is an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at UConn and recently published a study about high school athletes and their lack of knowledge in nutrition. Fields knew that college student-athletes often turned to unscientific outlets, like social media, for nutritional information in the absence of formal education. Given this, …

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Episode 131: Hope Springs Eternal 24:20

8M ago24:20

24:20

Husky baseball coach Jim Penders joins this edition of the UConn 360 podcast as he enters his 22nd season guiding this historic program. He is just the fifth coach to guide the team in the past 100 years and Penders talks about the responsibilities that carries. The Penders family has deep baseball and athletic roots in Connecticut and nationally, …

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Episode 130: Trying to Make the Roads Safer 25:28

9M ago25:28

25:28

There are many ways that UConn impacts the citizens of Connecticut beyond its obvious academic mission. The Connecticut Transportation Institute is one of the outlets and it is led by director and associate research professor Eric Jackson. The institute serves to advance the maintenance and enhancement of transportation systems and safety, with a p…

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Episode 129: Stopping the Loneliness on Campus 25:30

9M ago25:30

25:30

Anna Mae Duane is the director of the UConn Humanities Institute and is currently coordinating a year-long series of events to address the feeling of loneliness that some college students have. Anna was inspired to do this when she received a letter from a UConn student who had given up on companionship. Anna talks about events that happened in the…

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Episode 128: Seeing the Skies in Storrs! 21:02

10M ago21:02

21:02

UConn is the home to the oldest planetarium in the state of Connecticut as it was originally built in 1954. The facility underwent extensive renovations in 2023-24, led by the efforts of assistant professor of physics in residence Matt Guthrie. Guthrie worked with a number of different areas of campus on the project, which includes a new projector,…

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Episode 127: Togetherness in Tradition 22:44

11M ago22:44

22:44

It’s the start of the holiday season and people are getting ready to celebrate all kinds of traditions. Associate professor of anthropology Dimitris Xygalatas joins the UConn 360 podcast to talk about his research in why rituals and events like holidays are so important to the human experience. Dimitris has performed research all over the world on …

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Episode 126: Off to Mars…Via Houston! 17:27

11M ago17:27

17:27

Jason Lee, an associate professor in the College of Engineering at UConn, has wanted to travel into space since he was a child. He got a chance to do that for 45 days – without ever leaving earth! For 45 days, Lee, lived in NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog habitat at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, participating in a simulated journey to Ma…

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Episode 125: Cheese, Glorious Cheese 28:57

12M ago28:57

28:57

UConn is known around the country for great academics, championship basketball and the greatest ice cream you can find. Now, award-winning cheese can be added to that list! Cheeses produced at UConn’s Creamery have recently won major awards in national and regional contests, including winning a first prize at the American Cheese Society Annual Judg…

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Episode 124: Hoop Dreams 28:24

1y ago28:24

28:24

Coach Tom Moore is entering his 20th season (during two stints) on the UConn men’s basketball coach staff and has been part of four national championships with the Huskies. He has been involved in college basketball at every level – a head coach in Division I and III and an assistant coach in Division I and II. He talks to us about the similarities…

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Episode 123: Holocaust Education 20:20

1y ago20:20

20:20

Alan Marcus is a professor in UConn’s Neag School of Education and among his areas of focus is global education with an emphasis on the Holocaust and teaching difficult history. Last year, he led a program at E.O. Smith High School in Storrs that Taught lessons about the Holocaust and larger issues of identity. The program, which was also offered t…

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Episode 122: Meet Our Dean of Students 17:55

1y ago17:55

17:55

Fany DeJesus Hannon serves as the Dean of Students and absolutely loves her job…and UConn students. A native of Honduras, she embraces her Latino heritage and applies it to how she and her office help Huskies succeed. The Dean of Students office works with virtually every area of campus to help undergraduates get the most of their college experienc…

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Episode 121: Helping Huskies Earn Scholarship and Fellowships 22:54

1y ago22:54

22:54

It’s the second week of classes on all of UConn campuses and our guest on this week’s UConn 360 podcast is busier than ever. Vin Moscardelli is the director of the Office of National Scholarships & Fellowships, which helps identify students for such honors as the Rhodes, Fulbright, Truman and Udall programs. Moscaredelli’s office guides students th…

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Episode #120: A Real Pain in the Knee 18:27

1y ago18:27

18:27

Neal Glaviano is an assistant professor at UConn in the Department of Kinesiology and serves as the clinical education coordinator for the master’s in athletic training program. He works with a number of areas on campus ranging from athletics to ROTC. Neal joins us in this episode and talks about treatments for knee pain for everyone from college a…

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Episode 119: A Firefighter for UConn... and Beyond 23:08

1y ago23:08

23:08

UConn Deputy Fire Chief Chris Renshaw is involved in virtually every aspect of campus life. He is a key part of the Division of University Safety whose mission is to make sure the entire campus community is safe on a day-to-day basis. Chris is also heavily involved in special occasions like a Presidential visit and sporting events. When he’s not ke…

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Episode 118: Researching the Arctic 21:04

1y ago21:04

21:04

UConn faculty have performed research all over the globe, but few have gone to a more remote place than professor of marine science Penny Vlahos. Vlahos, along with two other UConn researchers, travelled to the Arctic in May of 2023 to gather samples from sea ice that is expected to be extinct by 2040 and gather clues about our future without it. S…

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Episode 117: Hittin’ the Links with Coach Pezzino 18:50

1+ y ago18:50

18:50

UConn golf coach Dave Pezzino has been on campus for 17 seasons and has led the elevation of the program to the national scene. He joins us on the latest version of the UConn 360 podcast to talk about that climb and what it is like to be part of the overall Husky culture. Coach Pezzino also gives us some insight on his experience playing alongside …

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Episode 116: The New Kids…and Children’s Lit 16:14

1+ y ago16:14

16:14

The UConn 360 podcast is back…with some new co-hosts. Izzy Harris and Mike Enright of University Communications have taken over the reins of UConn 360 and hope to live up the high standards of information and entertainment provided by colleagues Tom Breen and Julie Bartucca. In this first (or 116th) episode, Izzy and Mike introduce themselves to th…

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Goodbye - or Maybe Au Revoir? 15:18

1+ y ago15:18

15:18

After six years, 115 episodes, two national awards, and countless memories that will last a lifetime, UConn 360 is going on indefinite hiatus. Does this mean you'll never again hear from the only podcast known to science that covers the University of Connecticut from every conceivable angle? Probably not! Who knows? The future is unwritten, as Tom'…

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The Politics of Wild Weather 24:46

2y ago24:46

24:46

From raging wildfires in Canada to record rainfall in New York City to an out-of-nowhere hurricane slamming into Mexico, 2023 has been yet another year with abundant evidence that our weather is getting harder to predict - and disasters harder to manage - as the planet continues to heat. Talbot Andrews, assistant professor of political science, foc…

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How Hip Hop Conquered the World 53:11

2y ago53:11

53:11

This year marks the 50th anniversary of hip hop, which emerged from block parties in the South Bronx to become the dominant form of popular music in the United States and beyond. How did this unlikely underdog story happen? What kind of changes to the music and culture have taken place over five decades? What do you do when Chuck D from Public Enem…

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How You Like Them Apples? 35:59

2y ago35:59

35:59

Once upon a time, UConn was home to abundant orchards - where Gampel Pavilion sits now, and later at the Cold Spring Orchard not too far away. It's been many years since UConn grew its own apples, pears, and other tree fruit, but that's about to change. The Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture in the College of Agriculture, Health…

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Reliving UConn’s Dream Season 21:11

2y ago21:11

21:11

It may seem hard to believe, as we bask in the glow of a fifth national championship, but there was a time when the UConn men's basketball team was little more than an afterthought. The Huskies had joined the newly created Big East Conference in 1979, which coincidentally would be the last time they'd play in the NCAA tournament for more than a dec…

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Learning to Live in the Anthropocene 27:54

2+ y ago27:54

27:54

Tom and Julie get a break this week from their hectic podcast production schedule when colleague Elaina Hancock interviews Professor of Earth Sciences Robert Thorson - known far and wide as "Thor" - whose expertise runs from Henry David Thoreau to New England stone walls to cutting-edge geology. In this interview, Elaina and Prof. Thorson talk abou…

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Getting It Right on Substance Use Disorder 34:39

2+ y ago34:39

34:39

Nationally, about 12% of children live with a parent who abuses alcohol or other drugs, and about 80% of parents in the child welfare system have substance use disorder. Margaret Lloyd Sieger is an Assistant Professor in the UConn School of Social Work who teaches courses in substance use disorder, research, program evaluation, and social policy. H…

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How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worthwhile 29:23

2+ y ago29:23

29:23

Dimitris Xygalatas is an anthropologist and cognitive scientist who studies some of the more peculiar aspects of what it means to be human: ritual, music, sports fandom, and other things that help people connect with each other and make sense of their lives. He is an associated professor in anthropology and psychological sciences at UConn, and the …

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We Are the Champions, My Friend 32:17

2+ y ago32:17

32:17

Hey! Have you heard that the UConn Huskies men's basketball team are YOUR 2023 NCAA national champions? OF COURSE YOU HAVE. In this episode, recorded hours after the final game, Julie and Tom talk about it in a very sleep-deprived way that will either capture the lingering excitement of the moment or make you wonder if the fumes from the soundproof…

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Perception Matters: Supreme Court Edition 38:27

2+ y ago38:27

38:27

This week, we sit down with UConn School of Law Dean Eboni S. Nelson for a wide-ranging discussion on everything from the U.S. Supreme Court to the future of legal education. Dean Nelson, who arrived at UConn in July 2020, says that the growing public impression of the nation's top court as essentially a political body doesn't bode well for its abi…

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A Big Mountain to Climb: Neurodivergency and the Workplace 30:29

2+ y ago30:29

30:29

“Neurodiversity” has become a familiar term across American society, but mere awareness of autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, and other neurological differences doesn’t mean much for the people who live with these – especially when it comes to finding work. Studies differ on exact numbers, but the unemployment rate among ne…

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The Person Who Makes Sure UConn is Picture-Perfect 27:01

3y ago27:01

27:01

If you've ever looked at a copy of UConn Magazine, visited the UConn Today website, or received any UConn-related material in the mail, you've probably seen the work of Peter Morenus. University photographer for nearly three decades, Morenus has photographed everyone from first-year students on their first day moving in to U.S. presidents. Here, he…

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First Year Programs and the Limo Code 19:46

3y ago19:46

19:46

In this episode, we sit down (finally in our real studio!) with Leo Lachut '89, Director of Academic Support and Assistant Director of First Year Programs and Learning Communities. A first-generation college student himself, Leo talks about how, while student needs have remained roughly the same since his undergraduate days, the resources to help t…

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The Case for Not Despairing Over the Fate of the Earth 25:48

3y ago25:48

25:48

We're joined by Michael Willig, executive director of the Institute of the Environment and a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, who talks about why he doesn't lose hope even in the face of grim news about the climate and environment. One of the things that encourages him is the work that UConn is doing on…

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The ’Black Superwoman’ Dilemma 34:18

3y ago34:18

34:18

In this episode, Dr. Loneke Blackman Carr discusses the multiple caregiver role experienced by many Black women. She describes this as "The Black Superwoman Phenomenon,” which essentially means they keep their families and communities afloat, but to the detriment of their own health. Her research is the first study to examne this role specifically …

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Folks, We Are 100 33:35

3+ y ago33:35

33:35

It's been a little over four years since UConn 360's humble origins in a conference room on North Eagleville Road, and now we have 100 episodes under our award-winning belts. Join us for a star-studded celebration that includes such beloved characters from the UConn 360 Cinematic Universe as co-founder Ken Best, who tells us about an exhibit he's w…