WNIJ and NIU STEAM are partnering to create “The Sound of Science,” a weekly series explaining important science, technology, engineering and math concepts using sound. The feature will air at 1:04 p.m. Fridays as a lead-in to Science Friday. The first “Sound of Science” episode airs today.
“STEM is a topic of great interest to our audience – especially with Science Friday listeners," WNIJ General Manager Staci Hoste explained, "so it makes sense to add NIU STEM experts to the mix of information our listeners get during this very popular national program.”
NIU STEM educator Sam Watt, one of the creators of the series, says it’s exciting to reach a new audience through public radio. "So many STEM topics relate to sound and acoustics and lend themselves well to radio stories," he said, "so this is a natural fit.”
Topics the team plans to explore include the sounds of cicadas, noise-canceling technologies, and the “noise” of the big bang. As the series develops and moves beyond acoustics to a wide range of STEM topics, listeners will hear from STEM experts from across Northern Illinois University.
Today's debut episode focuses on the physics of thunder.