The Nobel Prize and Pushing Boundaries
Express Yourself!
“We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” – Joan Didion On Express Yourself!® Teen Radio, host Allison Lu discusses the recent Nobel Prize recipient Karl Deisseroth, and the larger question of what it means to push the boundaries of what’s possible, from groundbreaking scientific discoveries to the constitutional limits placed on the American Dream. Karl Deisseroth’s work is a reminder of just how much we still have to discover, and how ideas that initially seem impossible can fundamentally change the way we understand the world. In segment two, Allison looks at the...
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AI Predicting Rocket Failures
Express Yourself!
In Space Spotlight, Express Yourself!™ teen host, Saanvi Phaneendra, shares information on how AI predicts rocket failures. In segment one, she looks at why rockets fail and how AI can help catch trouble early. Machine learning means that instead of a person writing every rule, a computer looks at a huge amount of past data and figures out the patterns on its own. AI learns what normal looks like and then flags anything that isn’t normal. Rockets produce tons of data, failures hide in tiny changes, and AI is good at noticing patterns that humans might miss. Is it smart to trust AI? In...
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Child Cancer Education plus Novelty in Science
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Why are cancer education and health literacy for populations of color and multilingual populations important? Cynthia Brian and teen Allison Lu interview Keerthi Eraniyan about her nonprofit, Fight for the Cure, that aims to educate immigrant children and those learning English about cancer awareness. This is an initiative run by teens. In segment two, Allison talks about Theranos and what happens when the pursuit of novelty begins to overshadow true science, or the lack of true science. Allison has a unique perspective because Elizabeth Holmes was an alumna of her high school. Allison has...
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Freshwater Science
Express Yourself!
Freshwater science is essentially the study of freshwater environments such as lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, and groundwater. It examines the plants, animals, microorganisms, chemistry, and natural processes that make these ecosystems work. Express Yourself!™ Teen radio host, Diya, shares her experience working in a freshwater lab. She worked with sturgeons, walleyes, and yellow perch with her main job being fish nutrition. Scientists study freshwater to understand pollution, climate change, water availability, threats to aquatic ecosystems, and plant and animal nutrition. By...
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Leadership and the Abuse of Power
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Abuse of power is more often quiet than loud. Sometimes it takes the form of work being handed down or a decision made without a team’s consent. Radio host, Allison Lu interviews Kyle Bernshteyn, who explains why leaders drift into abuse of power, how to spot it early, and what to do when they outrank you. In segment two, Allison investigates the story centered around a former Cornell student, identified as Jane Doe, who filed a lawsuit this September alleging that, in 2024, she was drugged and sexually assaulted by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity. The lawsuit also includes...
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Hunger, Food Policy, and Homelessness
Express Yourself!
“Even when I was little, I knew that teenagers sparkled. I knew they knew something children didn’t know, and adults ended up forgetting.” – Lorde Allison hosts a special program focused on hunger and food policy. She interviews teen Louis Rotgin, who, through volunteering, journalism, and independent research, works to raise awareness of youth food insecurity and the importance of nutrition. His goal is to encourage informed conversations that help improve food access and opportunity for students. Over the past several years, he has volunteered with Meals on Wheels West,...
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Inclusive and Adaptive Sports
Express Yourself!
“There is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.” – Amanda Gorman Allison Lu hosts a program about sports, specifically adaptive sports. She interviews Max Liu, who is the founder of SportsForAll, a program that bridges the gap between wheelchair basketball and able-bodied players. Their motto is Protecting Athletes, Powering Performance, where they offer injury prevention, adaptive equipment, and unified support to expand collegiate and pro wheelchair basketball nationwide. In segment two, Allison continues the...
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Fresh Water Insecurity Due to Climate Disasters
Express Yourself!
Climate change is intensifying. Sea levels are rising. Droughts, extreme rainfall, heatwaves, and fires are increasing and unpredictable. Food and water insecurity cause massive human displacement. Radio host Allison Lu tackles these threats and discusses how freshwater scarcity worsens hunger and poverty, creating vulnerable refugees. In segment two, she talks about “risk multipliers” and how they apply specifically to displaced populations. She shares information about the recent horrific glacial flood in Nepal/China that has killed thousands and the flash flood at Bright Angel Creek in...
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LeadHER Up and Female Empowerment
Express Yourself!
Confidence isn't something that just happens. It must be rebuilt after being bullied, criticized, excluded, or made to feel like you're not good enough. Radio host Kirpa Gill discusses the importance of empowering girls and maintaining a healthy mind, body, and spirit. She talks about the platform she created to do that, LeadHer Up, focusing on female empowerment, mental health awareness, confidence, leadership, and building healthy relationships. The message is “Breaking stigma, building sisterhood.” In segment two, Kirpa interviews the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You...
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Sports and the Effects of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness)), ESPYs, and Hitting the Wall
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“Sports are a great place to show that equality can happen.”— Venus Williams NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness), is the policy that allows collegiate athletes to make money through endorsements, sponsorships, and social media without losing their athletic eligibility. This has created a rippling effect throughout college sports. Host Julia Howe interviews teen George Fogarty about NIL in college sports. Julia shares her experience receiving the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award at the ESPYs. It was meaningful because it connected the work she started as a teen through Hitting The Wall...
info_outline“There is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.” – Amanda Gorman
Allison Lu hosts a program about sports, specifically adaptive sports. She interviews Max Liu, who is the founder of SportsForAll, a program that bridges the gap between wheelchair basketball and able-bodied players. Their motto is Protecting Athletes, Powering Performance, where they offer injury prevention, adaptive equipment, and unified support to expand collegiate and pro wheelchair basketball nationwide. In segment two, Allison continues the conversation about inclusive sports, but specifically looking at how refugee athletes are covered in sports media. She focuses on Cindy Ngamba, who won bronze in women’s boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics—the first medal ever won by the Refugee Olympic Team and Yusra Mardini, the Syrian swimmer whose story inspired the Netflix film The Swimmers. She also breaks down what media coverage is missing.
Celebrate inclusive sports and support policies that give all athletes opportunities to participate.
Bio: Max Liu is a high school researcher and student leader at McLean High School (Class of 2027) working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, sports analytics, and athletic advocacy. As the founder of SportsForAll and Virginia Chapter Lead for SafeStrongSport, Max promotes inclusion and safety in youth athletics. His research and technical projects focus on developing AI tools for basketball injury prevention and expanding recruiting visibility for underrepresented athletes. At McLean, he serves as founder and president of the Sports Analytics Club and captain of the Wharton Investment Competition team.Outside of academics, Max plays varsity basketball, coaches youth camps, produces documentaries on adaptive sports, and releases original music on Soundcloud. Website: sports4all.us; Instagram: @sportsforall_org
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