EnvIowa Podcast

Ingrid Gronstal Anderson, Environmental Compliance Specialist at the University of Iowa Power Plant, explains the unique challenges faced by a university-based utility and recent strides the plant has made toward a renewable energy portfolio.

In episode 7 of EnvIowa, we sit down with Dr. Larry Weber to learn more about the Iowa Watershed Approach. Dr. Weber is a UI professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of IIHR–Hydroscience and Engineering, which is the parent organization of the Iowa Flood Center. Dr. Weber explains how the $96.9 million project came to be and how it improves quality of life for Iowans while protecting our natural resources and health. He tells of successes the Iowa Flood Center has had with its flood reduction and water quality improvement programs and discusses the organization’s fight to maintain state-funding earlier this year.

In this episode of EnvIowa, we talk with Jeff Biggers, writer in residence at the University of Iowa and Natalie Himmel, an English and International Studies Major at the University of Iowa about the Climate Narrative Project. The Climate Narrative Project, launched in 2014, is a special media arts initiative through the UI Office of Sustainability designed to train a new generation of climate storytellers. The project reaches across many academic disciplines using theatre, film, creative writing, spoken word poetry, yoga, and dance to grapple with how stories can change the way we view climate and spur action.

In Episode 5 of EnvIowa we speak with Dr. Gregory Carmichael, Karl Kammermeyer Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and Co-Director of the UI Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, about his extensive research on global air pollution. Dr. Carmichael shares his experiences collaborating with scientists in China, explains why air quality issues in East Asia should matter to Iowans and offers some perspective about what climate change research may look under the new federal administration.

Dr. Chris Jones, IIHR Research Engineer, discusses his recent research which found that soybean crops contribute more to the nutrient pollution in Iowa's waterways than previously thought. He explores more specifically the ways in which soybeans cause an increase in nitrates found in water, and outlines possible solutions to the problem.

Dr. Betsy Stone, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Iowa, discusses the third annual Iowa Climate Festival taking place on campus this Saturday. Stone provides more detail about the three featured presenters and the family-friendly climate science fair that will follow the symposium.

The University of Iowa Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research is proud to present the first episode of its new monthly podcast, EnvIowa. Each month, EnvIowa hosts Jenna Ladd and Jake Slobe will discuss environmental news, research, and initiatives that affect Iowans. To kick off season one, EnvIowa discusses the coming introduction of new science standards to schools across the Hawkeye state with Scott Spak, assistant professor of urban and regional planning and civil and environmental engineering, and Ted Neal, clinical science instructor at the University of Iowa. The podcast explores the ins and outs of the Next Generation Science Standards, what researchers know about how climate science is currently being taught in the state, and how the new standards will enhance learning for students.