Selected Journalistic Projects
A few of my favorite podcasting, radio, and print projects are below, starting with the most recent.
Nashville Public Radio:
Da Mystery of Chessboxin’: What it’s like to face off against a founding Wu-Tang member at a Nashville bar
I played blitz chess against GZA, the rapper known as the Genius, and had a lot of fun telling the story for my friends at WPLN.
Bay Curious:
What was the Bay Area Like During the Ice Age?
This question came from eighth-grade cat-owner Bronwyn, who was intrigued by the idea that just a few thousand years ago, saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, mammoths and mastodons all roamed the area around San Francisco Bay—which was, at the time, not a bay at all.
Bay Curious:
Why Does The Bay Area Have So Many Microclimates?
As any Bay Area denizen will attest, here you can enjoy clear skies and mild temperatures the same day you experience whipping winds and clammy fog, often just a few short miles apart. Microclimates are everywhere—but why? Plus a bonus question on urban heat islands.
A shortened version of this story also aired on KQED.
Bay Curious:
Why Are There So Many Palm Trees in the Bay Area?
You can see dozens of species of palms around San Francisco, but only one is native to California. Others are from Asia, Mexico—even the Canary Islands. For this podcast, I dove into the history of who planted them here, why, and how they’ve since taken on a certain cachet.
A shortened version of this story also aired on KQED.
Bay Curious:
Are There Dinosaur Bones in UC Berkeley's Campanile?
Rumor has it the clock tower on campus at Cal is full of ancient fossils, but they’re not quite what this episode’s question asker had in mind… Listen to the podcast for fascinating details on the prehistoric camels and dire wolves that once roamed California.
KQED Science:
NASA Probe Awakens, Heads Toward Mysterious Space Rock
The New Horizons probe is most famous for its flyby of Pluto. Here, I previewed its followup mission in the outer solar system.
A version of this radio/web piece also aired nationally on Here & Now.
Bay Curious:
What Dinosaurs Roamed the Bay Area?
The answer is satisfyingly full of toothy prehistoric beasts.
This 2017 episode was my first for KQED’s Bay Curious podcast.
KQED Science:
How Safe Is Safe Enough for a Self-Driving Car?
A teenager can qualify for a driver's license by passing a quick road test, but machines will be held to a higher standard.
Versions of this radio/web feature subsequently aired on The California Report and Here & Now.
NPR:
NASA Developing System To Manage Drone Traffic
This feature, which initially aired on KQED and The California Report, profiled the effort by NASA to develop new technology to manage air traffic as thousands of drones take to the skies in the coming decade.
KQED Science:
If You Think You Understand the Death of the Dinosaurs, You’re Wrong
For years, scientists have argued over what killed the dinosaurs: Was it the impact of a space rock the size of San Francisco, or a massive outpouring of volcanic gases? This feature looked at new research suggesting the answer might be both of the above.
KQED Science:
Amid California’s Drought, Should Cemeteries Stay Green?
Many of the features I did for KQED Science, The California Report, and NPR in 2014 and 2015 centered on the drought in California. (This example aired on all three.) Other stories took me to places hit by wildfires (Lake Berryessa, Weed) or looking for ways to deal with limited water supplies (Montague, Monterey County).
KQED Science:
Hypothesis: Our Solar System Lacks 'Super-Earths' Because Jupiter Wrecked Them All
I challenged myself to put a lot of humor—and a lot more of myself than usual—in this quick blog post (web only) on new research into the early days of the solar system.
Nashville Scene:
A former Nashvillian attempts to get around on our public transit, with mixed results
Nashville has agonized over transit for years, but many of the loudest talkers seem to have zero experience taking the bus. In 2014, I wrote for the local alt-weekly about what I learned navigating the city without a car.
NPR:
In Tracking Bats, It Helps To Find Them Adorable
I don’t get to pack my tent and my microphone for the same trip too often, so tagging along with a team of field biologists tagging bats in the Smokies was a rare privilege. The result was this profile of a field tech for an NPR series on unusual summer jobs.