In this final episode of the three-part Sciencetown series on innovative portable technologies, I chat with Dr. Pascal Saikaly, a professor of environmental science and engineering at KAUST, about innovative wastewater treatment and water reuse approaches being used to produce clean water for non-potable applications such as irrigation and horticulture.

In Episode 24 of the Sciencetown podcast series on innovative portable technologies, William Roberts, director of the Clean Combustion Research Center at KAUST, discusses his work developing and deploying cryogenic carbon capture technologies to mitigate pollutants, including portable units designed to capture emissions from ships. He explains why carbon capture and storage are not only viable, efficient and economic climate solutions, but also essential to the energy transition.

KAUST bioengineer Dana Al-Sulaiman joins Julie West to discuss novel, portable biosensing devices as effective tools for detecting cancer.

Episode 22 of Sciencetown explores why algae — ancient hybrid organisms that come in various forms of seaweed and microalgae — could bring incredible potential to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to source different products for high-value applications across multiple technology realms — from animal feed to packaging plastics to bio medicines.

Mitchell Morton of Edama and Gregory Lu of Natufia join Julie West in the studio to talk about sustainable food solutions for communities and homes, and also space. The KAUST startups joined forces to compete in the first phase of NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge in 2021, and were among 10 international winners recognized for their low-maintenance, closed-loop food production ecosystem.

In Episode 20 of Sciencetown, I chat with veteran computational scientist and 2022 Turing Award recipient Jack Dongarra about supercomputing developments and connections made throughout his career, including the golden era of computing at Stanford, Argon National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee and KAUST. Jack and KAUST colleagues David Keyes, Bilel Hadri and Hatem Ltaief share stories of their twined histories.

This episode explores the promising health benefits of probiotics — not for humans, but for corals. A study led by marine scientists at KAUST shows probiotics to be helpful protagonists in boosting coral health and preventing mortality in the face of warming sea temperatures and related environmental stressors.

Fungal life, while intimately linked to our own, is not well understood. In this episode we speak with Merlin Sheldrake, author of Entangled Life, and two KAUST researchers about the fascinating world of fungi, the role these living networks play in symbiosis with other organisms, and how their properties are being put to some very practical uses in medicine, agriculture, environmental cleanup, and even the rescue of honeybees. Enjoy.

A paper published in the journal Science documents the ways in which ocean noise from human sources such as cargo ships and fishing vessels interferes with how marine animals hear, communicate, and respond to the ecological processes they depend on for survival. In this episode we talk to the artists, researchers and advocates who are trying to preserve the natural cacophony of our ocean and reduce human noise to protect marine biodiversity.

In early 2020, researchers from around the world wrapped up the biggest shark counting exercise ever undertaken. The result: Some reefs continue to sustain large populations of apex predators, while others have lost them entirely. In this episode we speak with the people most in-the-know about global reef shark populations, and what these canaries in the coal mine might be telling us about the state of our global oceans.

Transportation is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, so how do we clean up the way we move people and stuff around the planet? In this episode we dig into some of the science and the solutions that aim to make global transportation far less ecologically damaging.

Geothermal is a sustainable, abundant, and largely untapped energy resource. Around the world, countries are turning to this fascinating and perhaps less well known form of energy to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. In this episode we sit down with some of the world’s leading experts on geothermal to hear about what solutions it has to offer humanity in the age of global climate change.

In this edition of our audio podcast ON AIR, MLF Volunteer Broadcaster Julie West interviews Will Stolzenburg about his new book: Heart of a Lion. Learn more about the incredible journey of one mountain lion across the eastern United States, and the history of this mysterious feline in North America.

2013 UNT Rilke Prize winner and poet Paisley Rekdal joins Julie West in the studio to discuss the creative writing process, her new book of poems, Animal Eye, and other work.

Cara Santa Maria, the versatile and smart Los Angeles based science communicator (former senior science correspondent for The Huffington Post), "talks nerdy" about the need for a science literate population, her new podcast show, and what it's like to interview luminaries of science and other disciplines: Article: https://northtexan.unt.edu/content/cara-santa-maria Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/jwest-sc/cara-santa-maria-excerpt

Cougar biologist Toni Ruth talks about her decades of mountain lion research in this edition of ON AIR with interviewer Julie West. Toni discusses interactions and competition between wolves, cougars, and bears in Yellowstone National Park.

Cougar biologist Gary Koehler talks about his experience with mountain lion and human populations across the State of Washington in this edition of ON AIR with interviewer Julie West. Koehler sheds light on the difficulty of applying scientific research about lion behavior to human attitudes and management.

Native American Studies teacher Steve Pavlik talks about the Native American view of mountain lions and other large carnivores n this edition of ON AIR with interviewer Julie West. Pavlik discusses the field of cognitive ethology, explaining that animals have rational thoughts and emotions not unlike people. With a better understanding and respect for the mountain lion, Steve Pavlik believes we can promote a more humane treatment of all wildlife.

Laura Kasischke, internationally acclaimed American fiction writer, poet, and the 2012 University of North Texas Rilke Prize recipient, discusses her poetry and the creative writing process in an audio podcast interview with Julie West, communications specialist with the UNT Office of Research and Economic Development — April, 2012.

Notable tiger conservationist Dr. Ullas Karanth joins Julie West in a Mountain Lion Foundation podcast interview about the high stakes conservation challenges and successes impacting the endangered Bengal tiger, whose survival is threatened by large scale poaching, competition for resources, and diminished habitat and prey from human encroachment.

Kim Vacariu, Western Director for the Wildlands Network, reveals how the Network connects experts and local land owners to protect massive corridors of land, spanning the entire North American continent. They discuss the importance of maintaining habitat connectivity for keystone species like the mountain lion, which prevents trophic cascades of extinction.

Marc Bekoff discusses coexistance, ethics and wildlife management

Florida panthers face inbreeding, habitat loss, and record-high roadkills. Hear about wildlife biologist Deborah Jansen's work tracking and collaring the big cats in southwest Florida, and what the future may hold for Puma concolor coryi. See pictures of the big cats and read excerpts from Jansen's periodic panther updates reporting on the Big Cypress National Preserve's Panther Capture Team.

During her visit to the University of North Texas to accept the 2014 Rilke prize for poetry, Katie Peterson discusses her poetry and creative writing process in an audio podcast interview with Julie West, communications specialist with the UNT Office of Research and Economic Development

Professors of Early Music Richard Sparks, Paul Leenhouts and Christoph Hammer talk with Julie West of the Office of Research about the uniqueness of the UNT Early Music program, the opportunity to work with extraordinarily talented colleagues and student musicians, and to access a wide range of period instruments and world-class performing venues, and their vision to create a variety of rich, musical experiences for the UNT community and audiences across the nation.

Podcast interviews explore late night research projects at UNT in the Molecular Biology Lab of the Life Sciences Complex, Voertman Hall in the College of Music, and The Geo Information Science Lab in the Environmental, Science, and Technology Building. Interviews feature students Vamsi Nalam, Eric Katzenberger, Jason Lopes, and Al Louisy and professors Steve Harlos and Eugene Osadchy.

How effectively can academicians communicate the story of their research to audiences outside their discipline? UNT faculty members join Julie West of the Office of Research to discuss this challenge as it concerns their research and explore how other groups legitimize message: Melinda Levin, Radio, Television and Film; Steve Wolverton, Department of Geography; Robert Melchior Figueroa, Philosophy and Religion Studies; and David Taylor, Department of English.