Smart Talk

Smart Talk


Latest Episodes

Shorter days mean more people are SAD
December 14, 2021

About 10 million Americans suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. They often become depressed, experience mood changes or don’t have a lot of energy when the days get shorter in the late fall and wi

Mennonite Disaster Services Tornado Relief Efforts
December 13, 2021

Kevin King, executive Director of Mennonite Disaster Services talks about their relief efforts for tornado victims.

Pa. State-of-Child Welfare report on Smart Talk
December 13, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on everyone, but especially on vulnerable children. The Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children annual State of Child Welfare Report showed declines in the

Holiday drink ideas to usher in the season
December 10, 2021

There’s nothing like a frosty beverage to get a party started. Cocktail and “mocktail” flavor combinations can reflect the season and elevate any gathering. Steve Wood is the beverage and hospitality

Pa. school funding case update
December 10, 2021

Seven years ago, a group of school districts, parents and advocates sued Pennsylvania over how it funds public schools. The case centers on wide spending gaps among the state’s poorest and wealthiest

What’s behind supply chain disruption and what lessons have been learned for the future?
December 09, 2021

For many consumers, the words “supply chain” were probably not top of mind, until the pandemic hit in March 2020 – starting with toilet paper shortages, and spiraling to everything from computer chips

Is there a racial disparity between the children that are receiving special education services?
December 09, 2021

Are African-American children or kids who aren’t proficient at speaking English over-represented ina special education programs? Penn State Professor of Education & Demography and Director of Center f

U.S. Route 15 is focus of human trafficking
December 08, 2021

Victims can be any age, race, gender, or nationality and because the problem is so prevalent it can often occur in plain sight. The central Pennsylvania area is especially vulnerable to human traffick

Author of book on scientist who discovered connection between sugar and cancer is on Smart Talk
December 07, 2021

Otto Warburg is probably one of the most important scientists of the 20th century and one those outside of cancer research have never heard of. His discovery of how cancer cells devour glucose or bloo

Penn Vet opens institute to study diseases spread from animals to humans
December 07, 2021

Saying that 75 percent of all newly emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic – meaning passed from animals to humans – the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has established an