Instead Podcast Episodes

 In this episode Culver lays down some knowledge on the west, starting with the man we named Lake Powell after. John Wesley Powell, head of U.S geological survey back in the 1800s, led the first expedition from Colorado River into the Grand Canyon.

Dr. Hirschfeld investigates the ways that communities can prepare and protect against future flooding, droughts, fires, and other climate connected risks.

Pause and notice the key items in your community. What makes people visit, stay, engage with the town? Todd Johnson tunes in with us today to answer these questions.

Patrick's research focuses on a fires interaction with the landscape that surrounds it, specifically how it affects water formations.

Did you know Utah is the 8th most urbanized state in this country, with 90% of its residents living in urban areas? No wonder there is congestion on your way to work.

In this episode, Breanne and Wyatt go into the designer-learner perspective of solving people’s interaction with products. As a designer and as an instructor, there is a responsibility to shift focus on the learner and their needs.

In February 2021, our 45-year dedication to undergraduate research was recognized by the Council on Undergraduate Research as the best in the nation. In this episode of Instead, we give you a sneak peak into why this program is so important to who we are

With 30-40 percent less traffic on Utah roads, will COVID-19 affect how we get around in the future? This episode of Instead tackles how the pandemic is currently impacting how humans are getting places, and how transportation could be very different in t...

We all know and love Aggie Ice Cream, but what makes it different? Dave Irish, manager of Aggie Ice Cream gives us a look behind the curtains into the process from cow to cone, and explains to us step-by-step the process to make the delicious ice cream an...

David Anderson, a landscape architect with USU’s Department of Landscape Architect and Environmental Planning and USU extension, walks us through the difference between an architect, a landscape architect, and a civil engineer.

Meter points out that most kids are bullied about things that are outside their control, like body shape, gender, sexual orientation, etc.

This episode features our interview with Natural Resource sociologist Dr. Courtney Flint. Dr. Flint was going to be a part of our Research Landscapes event and share with us her research of how people of all backgrounds relate to the mountain communities

When an earthquake hits, it changes the frequency of the earth, much as you might when you put your finger on a string to change the note. The goal of the earthquake researcher is to find ways to make new buildings an opposite frequency so that they do no...

Part of Human nature is the idea that we always think that our way is the best or the only way to do things. This leads to systems that unintentionally leave people out.

Dr. Walton reminds us that technical communication is more than software manuals; it can be recipes, instructions for building refugee shelters, and so much more. Her research investigates how people intervene for justice in their workplace, specifically

Dr. Fauth talks us through her research and efforts to provide and communicate resources for caregivers of family members with dementia or other late-life ailments. She reminds us that the health of caregiver and patient are equally important—just as the

With today’s circumstances, face masks have become a new piece of daily fashion here in the United States and around the world, so it was fitting that this episode’s conversation was with Nancy Hills, professor in the Caine College of the Arts and researc...

If you’re in Utah, you might have heard about a coordinated effort with the University of Utah, BYU, and Utah State to identify COVID-19 traces in the wastewater.

Research shows U.S businesses lose 5-6% of their annual revenues to fraud in various forms. Chad looks into why fraud is so prevalent, the kinds of fraud that are committed, why dealing with families in business are tricky and ways to save yourselves from...

Jake walks us through the work of USU Extension generally; how it takes the research out of journals and makes it more accessible to people in their daily lives.

Dr. Joe Wilson, one of USU’s evolutionary biologists, calms our nerves (especially for us in Utah) and gives us a look into the lives of these wasps, along with honeybees’ domestication and ‘endangerment’.

In the U.S., 80% of people have one or more siblings. Dr. Shawn Whiteman, professor of Human Development and Family Studies, is working to fill the gap. In this episode, Dr. Whiteman discusses sibling influence on health and success, including sharing how...

That hands on mentality and a deep commitment to students‘ ability to write well naturally led Dr. Kinkead to undergraduate research, where her impact on USU’s undergraduate research program is indelible.

Worried about their community turning into the next Aspen, A town in Colorado is split between the people wanting to keep things the same and newcomers moving into expensive homes on tiny lots.

The USA shares the Colorado River with Mexico. It brings water to 7 states. Over 40 million people depend on the Colorado River. In this episode we pay homage to the Colorado river with Dr. Jack Schmidt, leader of USU’s Colorado studies.

This episode of Instead talks about Pando, the near and “deer” grove of 47,000 aspen trees in Richmond, Utah. Pando is a clonal colony of a single quaking aspen.

Focusing specifically on music therapy, Maureen explains how this form of mental health treatment can be traced back thousands of years.

In this episode of Instead, Maren walks us through a brief timeline of opioid addiction in the United States before sharing some of the alternative pain management methods she and her colleagues bring into communities.

Jeannie runs the Digital Folklore Project, which tracks yearly digital trends (such as urban legends, memes, and hashtags) and how they grow and change

The Suisse's are seeking the chemical compound that makes artemisia tridentata an effective antibacterial. This is especially timely research as antibiotic-resistant diseases are on the rise and any new antibacterial on the scene will be helpful.

In the latest episode of Instead. Dr. Higginbotham leads one of the largest research-based relationship education initiatives in the county with programs for those who are single, dating, married, remarried, and divorced. He discusses building and navigat...

Justin Jones, assistant professor of biology and director of the spider silk lab at USU, has been researching and developing spider silk and its related technologies for nearly 20 years. In this episode of Instead, he tell us why we use silkworm, goats, a...

We all know that clean air and clean water are important resources to protect. Other resources we don’t think about are Natural sounds and natural skies.

Zach’s research focuses on park and protected area management, where he uses social science concepts to inform the management of visitor use (e.g. visitor experiences related to crowding, ...

When we hear the term “buy local,” many of us immediately think of the cute mom and pop restaurant downtown; but buying local can extend far beyond this.

Ethnicity, race, and culture are words that are often combined, interchanged, and thrown together. While are all related, there are important differences that even researchers will confuse.

Dale Wagner studies the methodologies used to assess body composition, from the caliper test to ultra sounds to underwater weighing. In this episode of Instead, he talks to us about weight, body composition, and how these measurements work, reminding us t...

Dr. Ciciurkaite‘s early research takes us to Kentucky, where she studied the effect of diabetes on low–income Americans. She outlines the web of problems which can impact diabetes management, including everything from struggling to buy insulin to finding

Tourists love feeding the Northern Bahamian Rock Iguana. Instead of eating local plants, these herbivores anxiously wait for tourist to being them delicious grapes and other non-native goodies.

Larissa explains the history of wildfire in the west, helping us understand fire as just another force of nature. Just like storms, we can’t prevent fires from happening. But, mechanical treatments and prescribed burns give us some say in when and how an

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Nancy Messner, Professor of Watershed Sciences at Utah State University. She explains to us how rivers run through urban areas and affect the pollution, as well as algae blooms running over Utah Lakes.

Dr. Kopp’s specialty is in resource positive landscaping, that is, building landscapes that give more than they take. The surprising news is that resource positive landscaping, also known as xeriscaping (not xeroscaping!), doesn’t preclude lush green gras...

In this episode Damon Cann, a professor of political science at Utah State University and Mayor of North Logan City, helps us weigh in the pros and cons with the various voting platforms; mail-in voting, electronic voting machines, local ballots.

Dr. Steel talks to us about her work in promoting healthy relationships with food by educating pre-med students and parents about mindful eating.

When you need help managing the recreation experiences in your community, Jordan Smith is the researcher you need.

According to Dr. Madden, impulsive decision making has a strong correlation with destructive behaviors such as substance abuse and gambling. Dr. Madden’s studies of impulsiveness revolve around patience, and the ability or inability to wait.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between and myth and legend? Just ask a folklorist! Myth can be defined as a sacred cultural narrative – think the greek gods, or even the bible stories. They’re often used to explain big questions cultures ha...

In this episode, Assistant Professor Michael Levin discusses his work on how to translate the skills that people typically learn in traditional, therapist-guided ACT into an online self-help format so that everyone can learn at their own pace in the priva...

How did women’s work contribute to the propagation of war, and impact their own changing relation to the nation-state? How did women themselves, their contemporaries, and popular culture represent their war work in gendered terms?

As small Utah towns change, Jake focuses on how towns and cities which have the potential to boom during amenity-migration, can use policy to protect their tightly held identities as they work to evolve and prevent future diminishment.