The State of the Union's Water

The State of the Union's WaterTop of Mind with Julie Rose • Season 1, Episode 757, Segment 5

Feb 28, 2018 • 19m

Guest: Marc Edwards, PhD, Professor of Civil Engineering, Virginia Tech, Winner of the 2018 Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award, American Association for the Advancement of Science In Flint, Michigan, court hearings are underway for a number of state and city officials facing prison time for the notorious contaminated-water crisis. Scientists say the water system in Flint is improving, but citizens are still encouraged to use filters or bottled water to avoid lead exposure. For years, Flint residents suspected their tap water was harmful, but local and state water quality officials insisted it was safe. Virginia Tech civil engineer Marc Edwards did the testing that exposed the truth about Flint’s water. He’d done the same thing a decade before in Washington, DC. And he’s doing it for other cities around the country. If something like Flint could happen, can any of us ever have confidence in the safety of our drinking water?

Other Segments

Why Don't We Tackle Mass Shootings Like We Tackle Terrorism?Feb 28, 201817mGuest: Ari N. Schulman, Editor, New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology and Society The pace of mass shootings is rising rapidly in the US. But what if we’re so busy blaming guns, or mental health, or lack of security in schools that we’re failing to see these mass shootings for what they actually are? And, that’s why they keep happening? Maybe there’s a different way to think about the problem.

Guest: Ari N. Schulman, Editor, New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology and Society The pace of mass shootings is rising rapidly in the US. But what if we’re so busy blaming guns, or mental health, or lack of security in schools that we’re failing to see these mass shootings for what they actually are? And, that’s why they keep happening? Maybe there’s a different way to think about the problem.

Can Youth Protests Change America in 2018?Feb 28, 201820mGuest: Rebecca de Schweinitz, Associate Professor of History, Brigham Young University, Author of “If We Could Change the World: Young People and America’s Long Struggle for Racial Equality” Much to the surprise of some adults in the United States, teenaged-survivors of the high school shooting in Florida have quickly become prominent activists with their #NeverAgain social media campaign, media appearances and rallies. Many students involved in the #NeverAgain movement are too young to vote. Will they really be able to change gun laws when years of lobbying by activists before them have failed? But in America, there’s a long history of children agitating for – and sometimes ushering in – social and political change.

Guest: Rebecca de Schweinitz, Associate Professor of History, Brigham Young University, Author of “If We Could Change the World: Young People and America’s Long Struggle for Racial Equality” Much to the surprise of some adults in the United States, teenaged-survivors of the high school shooting in Florida have quickly become prominent activists with their #NeverAgain social media campaign, media appearances and rallies. Many students involved in the #NeverAgain movement are too young to vote. Will they really be able to change gun laws when years of lobbying by activists before them have failed? But in America, there’s a long history of children agitating for – and sometimes ushering in – social and political change.

From College Food Videos to Cooking Channel CelebrityFeb 28, 201815mGuest: Kelsey Nixon, Chef, "Kelsey's Homemade," Author of “Kitchen Confidence” Before Kelsey Nixon had her own show on the Cooking Channel, she was a BYU student making cooking videos about quick meals for college students. Then she was a contestant on season 4 of Food Network Star. She didn’t win Food Network Star, but she impress chef judge Bobby Flay enough to get her own show anyway - "Kelsey’s Essentials," on the Cooking Channel. Then came her cookbook, "Kitchen Confidence," and then another Cooking Channel show called "Kelsey’s Homemade."

Guest: Kelsey Nixon, Chef, "Kelsey's Homemade," Author of “Kitchen Confidence” Before Kelsey Nixon had her own show on the Cooking Channel, she was a BYU student making cooking videos about quick meals for college students. Then she was a contestant on season 4 of Food Network Star. She didn’t win Food Network Star, but she impress chef judge Bobby Flay enough to get her own show anyway - "Kelsey’s Essentials," on the Cooking Channel. Then came her cookbook, "Kitchen Confidence," and then another Cooking Channel show called "Kelsey’s Homemade."

Saving Daylight Saving TimeFeb 28, 201817mGuest: David Prerau, PhD, Author of “Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time” In just a couple weeks, we’ll “spring forward” as Daylight Saving Time begins. The change seems arbitrary, doesn’t it? If it’s for saving energy, we’ve got LED lightbulbs now, so does it really do us any good? And if it’s to maximize daylight for farmers, well we’re not really a farming society anymore. So why do we keep torturing ourselves with this twice yearly clock-changing ritual?

Guest: David Prerau, PhD, Author of “Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time” In just a couple weeks, we’ll “spring forward” as Daylight Saving Time begins. The change seems arbitrary, doesn’t it? If it’s for saving energy, we’ve got LED lightbulbs now, so does it really do us any good? And if it’s to maximize daylight for farmers, well we’re not really a farming society anymore. So why do we keep torturing ourselves with this twice yearly clock-changing ritual?

The Minecraft Server for Autistic ChildrenFeb 28, 201816mGuest: Stuart Duncan, Creator, Autcraft Kids and tweens love Minecraft, a video game where players can build endless worlds with virtual building blocks. It’s a little like LEGOs, only creations are made out of pixels instead of plastic. You can build glass houses cantilevered over a river, light your house with torches, build furniture, keep animals, and mine for resources. But Stuart Duncan has found that for kids like his son, who has autism, Minecraft can also teach empathy and even encourage conversation and literacy. Mr. Duncan, who himself has autism, has created an entire Minecraft world just for kids with autism, called Autcraft, and it’s been so popular that he now manages it full-time.

Guest: Stuart Duncan, Creator, Autcraft Kids and tweens love Minecraft, a video game where players can build endless worlds with virtual building blocks. It’s a little like LEGOs, only creations are made out of pixels instead of plastic. You can build glass houses cantilevered over a river, light your house with torches, build furniture, keep animals, and mine for resources. But Stuart Duncan has found that for kids like his son, who has autism, Minecraft can also teach empathy and even encourage conversation and literacy. Mr. Duncan, who himself has autism, has created an entire Minecraft world just for kids with autism, called Autcraft, and it’s been so popular that he now manages it full-time.