168: Aswati Subramanian on Studying Space Biology
Speaking of Simpson
As NASA looks to return to the Moon and then go on to Mars, the study of space biology has become an ever-more-important endeavor. Simpson biology professor Aswati Subramanian and her students are playing a role in those studies. Subramanian is on the podcast this week with two of her students, Layna Depping and Sam Derning, to talk about their work, which has won a $30,000 seed grant from NASA. The episode is a co-production with Iowa Public Radio News. Our thanks to Ben Kieffer, host of the IPR News program River to River, and producer Samantha McIntosh for their help.
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167: Iowa Journalists on the Next 4 Years
Speaking of Simpson
This week’s episode is a co-production with Iowa Down Ballot, the Substack feed and podcast that brings together some of Iowa’s best political analysts to offer insights and perspectives earned through years of covering and analyzing Iowa politics. Working through Simpson’s Culver Center for Public Policy and its director Seth Andersen, Iowa Down Ballot last week helped put together a panel of some of Iowa’s top political journalists — plus Simpson Political Science Professor Kedron Bardwell — to talk about what the next four years will look like in national and state politics. The...
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166: Marty Bell on the Ascent of Simpson Sports
Speaking of Simpson
We're transitioning between fall and winter sports seasons at Simpson, so Athletic Director Marty Bell stops by the podcast this week to talk about the progress he's seen across the board during his tenure leading the college's athletic programs.
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165: Adrienne Gathman & Kedron Bardwell on the 2024 Elections
Speaking of Simpson
The 2024 elections are in the rear-view mirror, and Simpson political scientists Adrienne Gathman and Kedron Bardwell are on the podcast this week to dissect the results. They not only make sense of Donald Trump's return to the presidency, but also the struggles of the Iowa Democratic Party and how Democrats might mount a comeback in the next two years.
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164: John Cardamone on International Education
Speaking of Simpson
John Cardamone is the director of international education and study abroad at Simpson College, where he's rebuilding Simpson's once-leading international programs back to where they were before COVID-19. On this week's episode, John talks about his background in international education, Simpson's upcoming May Term study-abroad opportunities, and how he's working to expand the destinations and affordability of study abroad for Simpson students.
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163: Matt Hansen on Building Student Life
Speaking of Simpson
The new vice president for student development at Simpson College, Matt Hansen, is retaining his existing title as dean of students and is on the front line of helping make a vibrant experience for students outside the classroom. On this episode of the podcast, Matt talks about his career journey to Simpson, his program's recent Iowa Safe Schools Award, and how Simpson is helping its students be engaged in the 2024 elections.
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162: CoryAnne Harrigan on Becoming Interim Academic Dean
Speaking of Simpson
A funny thing happened to English professor CoryAnne Harrigan on her way to the start of the Fall 2024 term: Just a week before class began, she was asked to take over as academic dean of Simpson College on an interim basis. Two months later, Harrigan says that, while she wasn't looking for the job, she's been learning on the fly and becoming comfortable with leading the academic program. On this episode of Speaking of Simpson, Harrigan talks about her journey to Simspon, the roles she's played on campus, and the wholly unexpected offer to become academic dean.
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161: The Inauguration of Jay Byers
Speaking of Simpson
Jay Byers is now officially Simpson College's 25th president after his inauguration this past Friday as part of Homecoming weekend. Terry Handley, chairman of the Simpson Board of Trustees, presided at the ceremony, with a wide array of speakers representing Simpson's faculty, students, alumni, the Indianola community, and the broader world of Iowa higher education. Inaugurations are one of the most special events colleges hold, and this week's episode captures the excitement on campus as Byers digs into his presidency.
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160: Kelsey Bolton on Simpson Graduates' Destinations
Speaking of Simpson
Commencement is just around the corner at Simpson, unleashing hundreds of new graduates on the world. For this final episode of Season 5 of Speaking of Simpson, Director of Career Services Kelsey Bolton shares where those graduates are likely to turn up in the months ahead. The college's First Destinations Report shows that 94% of Simpson grads either land employment or graduate-school admissions — and an amazing 78% of them will stay in Iowa to help make the Hawkeye State a more educated and professional place to live.
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159: Marie Stroman on the American Rivers Conference
Speaking of Simpson
The new commissioner of the , Marie Stroman, is on the podcast this week to talk about the Division III sports league of which Simpson is a member. Known since 1922 as the Iowa Conference, the ARC rebranded in 2018 with the addition of Nebraska Wesleyan as its eighth member institution. Stroman talks this week about her work bringing Simpson together with its conference peers and the challenges in running a Division III league in an age of Division I giantism.
info_outlineJohn Della Volpe of the Harvard Institute of Politics will deliver the annual Culver Lecture at Simpson College on Thursday, April 4. He joins the podcast this week to talk about the influence of Gen Z voters — today's college students and others born after 2001 — in national politics. Della Volpe is a former adviser to the Biden campaign and administration and the author of Fight: How Gen Z Is Channeling Their Fear & Passion to Save America.