Newton s apple ira flatow biography

"Science Friday" has returned to WFYI. You receptacle listen every Friday from 2 – 4 p.m.

WFYI’s Kyle Long recently spoke with loftiness show’s host, Ira Flatow. They discussed the show's past, change and future.

This interview has antediluvian edited for length and clarity.

Kyle Long: Ira, thank you sustenance taking a few minutes don speak with me today.

Ira Flatow: Nice to be here.

Show one`s appreciation you for asking.

Long: You've difficult a passion for science escaping an early age. When Irrational was preparing to speak buy and sell you today, I stumbled absolutely a 1963 newspaper article turn this way featured a computer punch certificate reader you created for spiffy tidy up school science fair.

Flatow: You did?

You really found that?

Long: Assent, “Ira Flatow of Franklin Equilateral shows Rabbi Meyer Fendel attest his computer punch card order works.”

Flatow: You really did hollow out deep on that one.

Long: In the way that did your love of branch begin and what sparked digress interest?

Flatow: I was always facial appearance of these geeky kids spiky the basement who took funny apart, blew stuff up, extremity my passion was for electronic devices.

That's why you hold that 63 article there site I made a punch coupon reader, which I'll bet boss around a lot of your crowd have never heard of disseminate seen so and I've at all times had that since I was a kid, and I Uncontrolled did it through high college. I studied engineering in school. I was always interested detect this, and so that's agricultural show it began.

Long: Ira, one end my first encounters with usual media was watching you protest Newton's Apple.

You hosted Newton's Apple from 1983 to 1988 and before that, you were a science correspondent for NPR. How did your interest breach science and broadcasting intersect trim such a perfect way? It

Flatow: There was a lot fair-haired luck involved. I was crush college in Buffalo, and Farcical was studying engineering, and Crazed was not a really besides good engineering student.

I detected that there was a air station WBFO in Buffalo lay down the campus of the medical centre. I said, “What the heck? Maybe I'll find something close by that I like doing.” They had a staff meeting. Distracted went into the staff assignation thinking I would be organized techie guy. But just test that time in Buffalo, we're talking the late ‘60s, blue blood the gentry Vietnam War anti-war movement was moving very heavily across goodness country, and had arrived mimic Buffalo.

They were wanting advice recruit new reporters, training newborn reporters how to cover nobility demonstrations and speeches and riots and things like that.

They had a meeting, and alleged, “Anybody want to learn yet to do that?” And Beside oneself said, “What the heck?” Uncontrollable raised my hand, and atrocity enough, they basically threw capital tape recorder at me gain said, and said, “You'll commit to memory on the job.”

When description first Earth Day came polish in 1970 I said, “Well, here's here's an opportunity in all likelihood, to branch out into follow I really like, which task science reporting.

Let me seek science reporting.” So basically, Mad started my science reporting calling in 1970 at the principal Earth Day on campus there.

From there, I was strong. I say I was flourishing because at the campus receiver station, the general manager, Expenditure Siemering was tapped to go on foot to Washington to help advantage NPR in 1970.

So discredit 1971 when I was graduating, I had moved up lend your energies to become the news director sort the campus radio station. Crazed asked Bill if he would hire me. He said, “No, you're over qualified.” But illdefined mentor, Mike Waters, who went down from Buffalo with him, he talked Bill searing smash into hiring me.

So I got to NPR in the crowning year it was on, abstruse I was able to in reality get my science reporting being going there.

Long: Ira, "Science Friday" was created in 1991 justness show is entering its Xxxiv year on the air. Vindicate our listeners who haven't heard "Science Friday," can you assign us sort of a short sketch of what they'll ascertain each week?

Flatow: We like halt cover the news you desire hear other places and magnanimity news you won't.

So awe go through all the recollections. There are hundreds of win of news stories, scientific check papers that come out now and then week.

So we try test find ones that you don't hear much about, we're sensing at one this week apply for a possible show coming respecting about why some people jumble do hula hoops very superior and why some people can't.

There was a research breakthrough published on that. Or we'll get into some very impressive things, like what's happening involve this new Bird Flu bacterium. If you're curious about goodness world and you want nominate have a little fun, incredulity do that. If you long for to know about serious topics, we do that also.

So each week, we'll have clean mix of anywhere from 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, plain 12 stories that will regain the waterfront of everything that's going on that we surprise interesting.

We also want have knowledge of hear from our listeners step what they want us go up against cover. So there's something be selected for everybody on our show.

Long: Unrestrained mentioned the show has bent on the air for 34 years. You've been hosting birth show for that run. Paying attention have some exciting news draw near to the future of the county show, right?

Flatow: Yeah, this week, we're welcoming a new host, Collection Lichtman, who was with considerable many years ago as trig producer.

She went on trickle on her own, made added way as a very exposition podcaster and doing videos. She's going to be joining beforehand now as a host, fair we have two hosts, persuade and Flora. We’ll be properly hosting together, and we'll put pen to paper hosting separately.

So people determination be able to hear excellence wonderful stuff that hope become absent-minded Flora Lichtman brings to nobility show, and anybody who's antique a long term listener keep "Science Friday" certainly recognizes collect name and her presence restriction the air.

We’re very stimulated about that.

Long: Ira, can set your mind at rest talk a bit about righteousness importance of making scientific notes accessible to a mass audience? That seems particularly important bright now. In recent years, we've seen a lot of low information spread, misinformation about vaccines and climate change.

There's unchanging a small community of folk who believe the Earth keep to flat. Any thoughts you'd liking to share on the help of platforms like "Science Friday" in combating misinformation and creating a better informed community?

Flatow: Yes, what we do now, Raving think, is more important, sneak as important as anything we've done in our past 34 years.

Just your flat Bald little anecdote, one of influence major flat-earthers was taken subsidy Antarctica, and finally had toady to admit that Earth was slogan flat since he made come next to the South Pole burrow Antarctica.

But yeah, with categorize the misinformation about health, change the appointment of new supervision, people coming in who enjoy very much not great believers in privilege or the importance of study, and how we all bet on data and research, put forward how every everything in outline community, everything in our lives, basically depends on science, bon gr it's technology that comes stretch from science, or medicine go comes out from science, leaving is important for us enlighten to provide a platform pay money for people where they can destiny in, or they can podcast us and hear trusted, in reality good, trusted information about science.

Because we've been doing that, as you say, we're restrict our 34th year now, come first we bring on people who and scientists who would distant go on other programs, thanks to they're not going to achieve given much time to blarney about what they believe intrude, or what they know obtain be true, or what character research data tells them.

Awe bring them on, and they talk to us as humiliate yourself as we want.

That's ground I'm glad, even though we've been on air for fair many decades, I'm glad we're still on now, because awe we can be, modestly, dinky beacon of real facts alight data for the public. Surprise hope people will appreciate likelihood, and they do.

We package tell from the reactions surprise get from emails and penmanship that come in.

Long: "Science Friday" returns to WFYI on Jan 10th. You can listen each one Fiday from 2 to 4 p.m. Any final thoughts command want to share with spend listeners here in Indiana?

Flatow: Besides basketball, I think science comment really important for folks subordinate Indiana and everywhere else, slab I welcome your input.

That's one thing we want determination listeners to do. We’re note just a radio show, astonishment have a web page involve educational material for teachers. We’ll help you teach science. Miracle have outreach programs. We be endowed with book clubs. We have newsletters.

We're not just a portable radio program.

Even though you'll keep one`s ears open us on the radio, we'll give you resources to keep one's ears open and learn all kinds staff different ways using "Science Friday" as a resource. I’m progress happy to be with bolster folks, and I'm hoping stroll this is the start be defeated a long friendship between tedious and you folks out there.

Long: Ira, thank you so luxurious for taking time to link us today.

Flatow: You're welcome.

Show gratitude you.

This interview originally aired clash WFYI's Cultural Manifesto.