American Heritage: The Birth of Modern Politics

American Heritage: The Birth of Modern PoliticsTop of Mind with Julie Rose • Season 1, Episode 71, Segment 4

May 27, 2015 • 28m

Guest: Grant Madsen, Ph. D., History Professor at Brigham Young University BYU history professor Grant Madsen brings his introductory American History course right to us. We get a college history lesson—and we don’t have to worry about quizzes or grades! Each week features a new topic and a deeper understanding of significant milestones in American history. This week Marcus Smith asked Grant Madsen where the political divide between liberals and conservatives originated.

Other Segments

Job Outlook for Recent GradsMay 27, 201513mGuest: Andrea Koncz, Research Manager for the National Association of Colleges and Employers Good news for the college class of 2015. As they head off with their newly-minted degrees, they face some of the best prospects of landing a job since the Great Recession. Students graduating in Engineering and Computer Science have the best opportunities, but all students have been having more luck this year.

Guest: Andrea Koncz, Research Manager for the National Association of Colleges and Employers Good news for the college class of 2015. As they head off with their newly-minted degrees, they face some of the best prospects of landing a job since the Great Recession. Students graduating in Engineering and Computer Science have the best opportunities, but all students have been having more luck this year.

"Sniffing" RobotsMay 27, 201519mGuest: Brian Smith, Ph. D., Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience at Arizona State University Robots are becoming more human every day. We’ve programed them to clean our houses, manufacture goods, and even fight our wars. They can move, speak, see, and interact with their environment – often better than humans. But here’s one thing robots can’t do even remotely as well as we can – sniff an odor on the air and figure out what it is. Robots that could smell could detect threats without endangering lives—like gas or bomb threats, for example. Brian Smith, behavioral neuroscientist at Arizona State University, looks at other animals for inspiration on how to create robots that could smell.

Guest: Brian Smith, Ph. D., Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience at Arizona State University Robots are becoming more human every day. We’ve programed them to clean our houses, manufacture goods, and even fight our wars. They can move, speak, see, and interact with their environment – often better than humans. But here’s one thing robots can’t do even remotely as well as we can – sniff an odor on the air and figure out what it is. Robots that could smell could detect threats without endangering lives—like gas or bomb threats, for example. Brian Smith, behavioral neuroscientist at Arizona State University, looks at other animals for inspiration on how to create robots that could smell.

Nanotechnology and Cancer TreatmentMay 27, 201520mGuest: Ramazan Asmatulu, Ph. D., Mechanical Engineering Professor at Wichita State University A cancer diagnosis is bad. The treatment is bad, too. And the after-effects of the treatment are bad. But magnetic nanoparticles have shown promise in getting chemotherapy drugs to cancer tumors in a more targeted way, so there’s less collateral damage to surrounding cells. The particles can take many shapes—but are incredibly small: 100,000 times smaller than a human hair . That’s not just invisible to the naked eye—but even to most conventional microscopes.

Guest: Ramazan Asmatulu, Ph. D., Mechanical Engineering Professor at Wichita State University A cancer diagnosis is bad. The treatment is bad, too. And the after-effects of the treatment are bad. But magnetic nanoparticles have shown promise in getting chemotherapy drugs to cancer tumors in a more targeted way, so there’s less collateral damage to surrounding cells. The particles can take many shapes—but are incredibly small: 100,000 times smaller than a human hair . That’s not just invisible to the naked eye—but even to most conventional microscopes.

Healthy ChocolateMay 27, 201515mGuest: Larry Stevens, Ph. D., Professor of Psychophysiological at Northern Arizona University

Guest: Larry Stevens, Ph. D., Professor of Psychophysiological at Northern Arizona University

Vitamin D and DepressionMay 27, 201510mGuest: David Kerr, Ph. D, Psychology Professor at Oregon State University While we’re on the subject of health, let’s turn now to some new research about depression and Vitamin D. Researchers have long suspected a connection between the two, but a proven link has been evasive. However, a recent study published in the journal of Psychiatry Research seems to have found clear evidence that the proper levels of Vitamin D can, in fact, ease depressive symptoms in healthy young women. Oregon State University psychology professor David Kerr was lead author of the study. He spoke with Top of Mind student producer Kim Anderson about the effects of Vitamin D on mood.

Guest: David Kerr, Ph. D, Psychology Professor at Oregon State University While we’re on the subject of health, let’s turn now to some new research about depression and Vitamin D. Researchers have long suspected a connection between the two, but a proven link has been evasive. However, a recent study published in the journal of Psychiatry Research seems to have found clear evidence that the proper levels of Vitamin D can, in fact, ease depressive symptoms in healthy young women. Oregon State University psychology professor David Kerr was lead author of the study. He spoke with Top of Mind student producer Kim Anderson about the effects of Vitamin D on mood.