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11. Adams, Michael, Author (45:14)

Date:
2016-08-14
Main contributors:
Adams, Michael, Shanahan, James
Summary:
This week, we’ll hear from Michael Adams, Provost Professor of English at Indiana University, and author of “In Praise of Profanity” (Oxford University Press, 2016). Adams sees “In Praise of Profanity” as a continuation of 2009’s “Slang: The People’s Poetry.” In it, he argues that profanity is not only oversimplified as being taboo, it is also valuable and essential as a vehicle of communication and an element of style. Adams is an English language historian and a frequent contributor to various dictionaries and academic journals. Though his published articles often explore arcane aspects of language, he also writes books aimed at broader audiences. They include “Slayer Slang: A ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Lexicon” and “From Elvish to Klingon: Exploring Invented Languages.”

12. Wexler, Nancy, Geneticist (43:33)

Date:
2016-08-07
Main contributors:
Wexler, Nancy, Shanahan, James
Summary:
This week, we’ll hear from Nancy Wexler, a leading geneticist and neuropsychologist whose research led to the identification of the Huntington’s disease gene. Her research has also led to the discovery of the genes responsible for familial Alzheimer’s disease, kidney cancer, two types of neurofibromatosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and dwarfism. In spring 2016, Wexler received the inaugural Hermann J. Muller Award, which is named for a renowned geneticist, a Nobel Laureate, a social activist and an esteemed IU Bloomington faculty member (1945-67). The Muller award and lecture series recognizes luminary international geneticists whose discoveries, like Muller’s, have or are making a significant impact on the field of genetics and society.

13. Bochman, Matt, Molecular Biologist (32:40)

Date:
2016-07-24
Main contributors:
Bochman, Matthew, Shanahan, James
Summary:
Water. Hops. Malted barley. Yeast. Put them together and you have a delicious beer — usually. But as IU molecular biologist Matthew Bochman shares on this week’s podcast, conditions common to the production of certain craft beers can sometimes inhibit their production, risking a growing segment of a nearly $55 billion industry. On this week's episode of Through the Gates, Bochman explains how yeast is used to produce beer and how his research has helped one local brewery improve their product.

14. Douglas, Trevor, IU Chemistry Professor; Dana Johnson, Author (41:08)

Date:
2016-05-29
Main contributors:
Douglas, Trevor, Johnson, Dana, Shanahan, James
Summary:
This week, Through the Gates host Jim Shanahan is joined by Trevor Douglas, the Earl Blough Professor of Chemistry in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Chemistry. Douglas is part of a research team working toward a material that may eventually fuel cheap, efficient cars that run on water — work being funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The team has created an efficient biomaterial that catalyzes the formation of hydrogen — one half of the “holy grail” of splitting H2O. Also on this episode, we’ll hear from California-based author Dana Johnson, an associate professor of English at the University of Southern California, who talks about her writing process and reads an excerpt from one of her novels. Johnson will be in town next week as a faculty member at the annual IU Writers’ Conference (June 4-8).

15. Carter, Sue, Director, Kinsey Institute (41:22)

Date:
2016-05-15
Main contributors:
Carter, Sue, Allen, Colin, Shanahan, James
Summary:
This week, host Jim Shanahan is joined by Sue Carter, the director of The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. Carter was appointed to her position at The Kinsey Institute in October, 2014, after a long career in the field of neuroendocrinology. Carter has spent much of her recent career studying the consequences of birth intervention, particularly how the hormone oxytocin affects the health of both mothers and their newborn children. In this interview, Carter will discuss her career, including research on the mating habits of the prairie vole, the present and historical challenges of sex research and the immediate future of The Kinsey Institute. Also on this episode, Colin Allen, a faculty member in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine in the College of Arts and Sciences, talks about National Bike to Work Week, from May 16 to 20. May is National Bike Month.

16. Look at IU Swimming with Coach Ray Looze and Olympic hopefuls Lilly King and Blake Pieroni, A (28:42)

Date:
2016-06-12
Main contributors:
Looze, Ray, King, Lilly, Pieroni, Blake, Shanahan, James
Summary:
This week, we hear from IU swim coach Ray Looze, the 2016 Big Ten Coach of the Year for both men’s and women’s swimming, along with swimmers Lilly King, a rising sophomore from Evansville studying physical education in the School of Public Health, and Blake Pieroni, a rising junior from Chesterton, Ind., studying biology in the College of Arts and Sciences. King was named the 2016 Big Ten Women’s Swimmer of the Year. Both King and Pieroni hope to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (Aug. 5 to 21) at the Olympic Trials for swimming June 26 to July 3 in Omaha, Neb. In this podcast, King and Blake talk about the discipline required for day-to-day life as student swimmers — and the numerous calories needed to fuel their training.

17. Williams, David C., and Samantha von Ende, IU Center for Constitutional Democracy (43:05)

Date:
2016-06-26
Main contributors:
Williams, David, von Ende, Samantha, Shanahan, James
Summary:
This week on Through the Gates, host Jim Shanahan is joined by David C. Williams, the executive director of the Center for Constitutional Democracy and the John S. Hastings Professor of Law in the Maurer School of Law. Williams has written widely on constitutional law and consults with constitutional reform movements around the world. Presently, he advises elements of the Burma democracy movement on the constitutional future of the country. In today's interview, he will share some of how that process works. Later in the episode, student Samantha von Ende will share some of her own work with the Center for Constitutional Democracy. As a Ph.D. student, von Ende has worked extensively on gender-related issues of democracy in the United States and around the world.

18. Hamilton, Lee, Former Indiana Congressman (44:47)

Date:
2016-05-08
Main contributors:
Hamilton, Lee, Shanahan, James
Summary:
Former Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton joins host Jim Shanahan on this week's episode of Through the Gates. Hamilton represented Indiana's 9th Congressional District from 1965 to 1999 and served on several high profile committees both during and after his career in Congress. Hamilton went on to establish the Center on Congress at IU and still serves as a faculty member today. In this interview, Hamilton discusses his new book, his career in Washington and the state of American politics today.

19. McGibbon, Murray, IU Theatre Professor (31:32)

Date:
2016-05-01
Main contributors:
McGibbon, Murray, Shanahan, James
Summary:
This week on Through the Gates, IU associate professor Murray McGibbon joins host Jim Shanahan to discuss his upcoming "original pronunciation" production of Shakespeare's "King Lear". McGibbon utilized a grant from IU's New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities Program to develop the new version of the play. The New Frontiers program encourages scholars to produce innovative works of scholarship and creative activities. McGibbon took that directive and used it to create a version of the play that utilizes a version of English pronunciation that most closely resembles what Shakespeare's actors would have used in the first run of the production in 1606. In this interview, Shanahan will ask McGibbon about the development of the play, how original pronunciation works and the challenges for both the actors involved and McGibbon as a director

20. Benson, Robby, Actor and IU Professor (56:28)

Date:
2016-04-24
Main contributors:
Benson, Robby, Matejka, Adrian, Kwong, Lisa, Shanahan, James
Summary:
Accomplished actor, writer, singer and director Robby Benson joins host Jim Shanahan for this week's episode of Through the Gates. A professor of practice at Indiana University, Benson brings experience gained through a career that stretches to nearly five decades, including his most famous role in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast." Now, Benson guides film students at IU, including some who will showcase their work at two screenings this week. In this episode, Benson will discuss his long career, how television and film are changing, and what challenges his student filmmakers have had to overcome in their creative process. Also, in recognition of National Poetry Month, poets Adrian Matejka and Lisa Kwong will join the podcast to read some of their works.