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Month: January 2011

Distillations #113 – Burning Rubber

This show highlights one of the lesser know scientific ventures of World War II – the US Synthetic Rubber Program. This was an unprecedented collaboration of the top scientific and business minds of the day to develop an alternative to the natural rubber supplies that had been cut off at the start of the war. First, a segment on the scientific history of natural vs. synthetic rubber. Then an interview with historian Mark Finlay, author of Growing American Rubber: Strategic Plants and the Politics of National Security.

This show was a companion to CHF’s new online exhibit Rubber Matters.

Image courtesy of the Delaware Public Archives. Billy Evans turns in some old rubber to the Atlantic filling station of L. E. Wadman, 1603 Pennsylvania Ave., Wilmington, DE.  June 15, 1942.

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duPont Awards – The Great Textbook War

Yet another award for Trey Kay’s The Great Textbook War. This was a biggie – the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards – celebrating the year’s best in broadcast journalism. Trey invited the whole team to celebrate with him at the awards ceremony in NYC, hosted by the Today Show’s Lester Holt and CNN’s Soledad O’Brien. (I got to shake her hand!) It was such a treat to share the stage with such a talented group of journalists (mostly super-slick TV folks and this ragtag band of indie producers.) 🙂 And so great to meet fellow producers Deb George and Anna Sale, and to hang with Jonathan Mitchell again. Go indies!!

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Distillations #112 – Nuclear Power

In this episode we explore both the risks and benefits of nuclear power. A segment on the rocky history of the nuclear power industry including the disasters of Chernobyl and Three-Mile-Island. Plus an interview with Keith Moser, director of innovation for Exelon Nuclear, about the potential benefits of the U.S. embracing a nuclear future.

Nuclear power plant image courtesy of Flickr user redjar.

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