Made in the Middle

We take a step back from the history lessons in this episode to talk about a startling trend in American society today, prejudice against Asian Americans amidst the global pandemic of COVID-19. We hear from one of the earliest guests on our podcast, professor Laura Huang of the Harvard Business School. She walks us through her book, Edge: Turning Adversity into Advantage, and we discuss its’ relevance to the ballooning trend of identity-misunderstanding in America. Producer, Joshua Allan LaBure also steps behind the mic on this episode to give an update on the status of our show. Listen on iTunes or Spotify .

What do summertime cocktails, a Missouri doctor and parasitology have in common? They're all part of the history of malaria treatment. But in this episode, we not only talk about the history of treating this infectious disease, we also dive into the current research being developed in the heart of the Midwest today. We hear from two researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and learn the ins and outs of malaria treatment in this episode made possible by a collaboration with the podcast, Innovation Overground . We thank our Midwest co-host Dr. Michael Dixon of UneMed , Sarah Richardson of American History Magazine , and the State Historical Society of Missouri for the use of their photographs and historical documents on Dr. John Sappington. Thanks also to Dr. Jonathan Vennerstrom and Dr. Caroline Ng from the University of Nebraska Medical Center for sharing their research and time. Country Doctor libations were provided by Tyler Schaeffer of Ink Well bar in Omaha Nebraska

The origins of the office cubicle and it's creator's ideas about office design might surprise you. Open vs closed offices? Oh yes, we talk about it. In this episode, we delve into the history of the company now synonymous with Mid-Century Modern design, Herman Miller . Throughout the conversation we discuss current research and trends about the workplace; the ways it affects us and why we all find it so dang funny. We owe a big thanks to Meghan McCarty Carino of Marketplace, Harvard Business School’s Dr. Ethan Bernstein , and Dr. William Kramer of the University of Nebraska, Omaha. Thanks also to the Herman Miller Archives for the photographs featured on our website for this episode, as well as Amy Auscherman and Joseph White of Herman Miller for their historical accounts of the this American icon. Special thanks to our in-studio guest, Jason Shawrz and to my father, Gordon Freeman Newton. Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify to never miss an episode. Reach out with comments or citation

The boom of boutique fitness in America would likely not exist without a young girl from rural Iowa. In this episode, we get into the Midwestern origins of Jazzercise with founder and CEO, Judi Sheppard Missett. Then we discuss the changing face and message of “female fitness” today. Join us as we talk about the hormonal, skeletal, and social structures that makes working out different across genders and sexes. Listen on iTunes and Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. For more information on any of our special guests, explore the links below: Kali Rahder and Kacie Baum from The Barre Code Amber Quiñones, teacher of “Thick” at The Assembly Sarah Smith, pelvic floor specialist Judi Sheppard Missett, Founder and CEO of Jazzercise Professor Dr. Danae Dinkel, from UNO College of Health and Kinesiology

This conversation takes a trip through the history of wrapping paper; taking twists and turns along the way to talk about the psychology and neurobiology of unwrapping. Thanks to our special guest, Stephanie A. Jesseau, Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska, in Omaha. Additional thanks to all those interviewed for this episode: Dr. Uzma Khan from University of Miami Rich Daniels of FunPak Annette Choi Dr. Nick Hobson Samantha Bradbeer, Hallmark Historian Tania Luna, author of Surprise Bookishbox

We start our conversation talking about The Center Mall, one of the first indoor malls in America. The Center Mall is unique to Omaha, but the concept of the American mall was blooming all over the US during the revolutionary decades of the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s. As the birth of the mall coincided with the beginning of the American civil rights movement, we have a conversation about what the status of the mall can tell us about society as whole. We also dig into the afterlife of these American icons with special guests like, photojournalist, Seph Lawless as well as Jack Thomas of deadmalls.com . Subscribe on iTunes and Spotify . For more information on this episode's topics and guests: Seph Lawless Website Seph Lawless YouTube deadmalls.com A national interative exhibit about Redlining available in Omaha. Theme music by: Nathan Blake Lynn Sound design by: Ben Sollee If you have a story to share about The Center Mall, or a mall in your hometown (dead or alive), please reach out to us

We explore the origins as well as the social, psychological and philosophical implications of the popular American “boardgame”, The Ouija Board. There is more than a Midwestern connection here, the entire United States has experienced Ouija crazes throughout history. To find out why, we talk to researchers, skeptics and believers. Expect science, history and culture in this month’s conversation. We would like to thank The Ouija Team from the University of British Columbia @UBC, Gene Orlando of the Museum of Talking Boards website, Lawrence Punky Chapman, and the Omaha Public Library. Thank you also to Michael Shermer @michaelshermer, as well as Michael and Casandra Beacom of Great Plain Supernatural Investigations. Listen and subscribe on iTunes or spotify More information on our interview guests can be found by following the links below: Michael Shermer: michaelshermer.com or skeptic.com UBC Visual Cognition Lab: www.facebook.com/UBC.viscoglab or Great Plains Supernatural

In this month’s episode we explore the idea that the familiar American broadcast voice comes from the American Midwest. We take a walk through radio history, the innerworkings of the human ear and psychological influences on listening to find out how all of this has formed the American broadcast voice . Omaha native, Kurt Andersen, author and host of Public Radio’s Studio 360 , joins us for the conversation. We would like to thank our special guest, author and host of Studio 360 , Kurt Andersen. We also thank The Durham Museum for the archival photographs and Melonie Workhoven for the family photos and stories of her father. Lastly, a big thank you to the professors and authors we interviewed for this episode: Dr. Shawn VanCour, Dr. Laura Huang, Dr. Dennis R. Preston and Dr. Mary M. Flaherty. To request citations from this episode or to suggest a topic for "Made in the Middle" please email emily.chennewton@kios.org . https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/made-in-the-middle/id1473043910

If you google “science podcast” , you’ll get just about 1,010,000,000 results, including podcasts, instructional videos, science blogs, and peer reviewed journals. We live in an age of free-flowing information with an incredibly curious public ready to ingest the constant feed of information. In our premiere episode of “Made in the Middle”, we look to the popular 19 th century World’s Fairs, as early versions of the science and tech podcasts we all stream from our pockets today. World’s Fairs served up education coated in entertainment and one exhibit in Omaha Nebraska, took this idea to the extreme. Spoiler Alert: there were babies – live babies! We would like to thank Martha Grenzeback of the Omaha Public Library, for her research assistance . As well as Tom O'Connor, Senior Associate Director of the UNMC Media Team for connecting us to medical professionals with expertise in the area of neonatology. To satisfy your thirst for more on this subject, check out the resources linked

todd.hatton@ops.org (Todd Hatton)