On today’s episode, Madison talks with Liz Alexander, president and full-time volunteer of the Nampa Rotary Club, about Rotary District 5400 and their Youth Eco Film Contest. To find out how the Southern Idaho Rotary group is transforming communities and making a difference, visit their website at Rotary District 5400. You can also check out their Facebook page at Rotary District 5400 and the Rotary District 5400 Environmental Sustainability Action Team YouTube Channel to view some of the contest winners.

On today’s episode, Madison talks with Mustafa Mashal, an Idaho State University professor in civil engineering and lead inventor for Sweetcrete, an innovative concrete blend that utilizes sugar beet byproduct, upcycled concrete aggregates, and water. To stay updated on the Sweetcrete research, follow Mustafa Mashal and Tadesse Wakjira, the principal investigator for the new research, on LinkedIn where they publish updates on their work. You can also follow the Instagram and Facebook for the College of Science and Engineering who are helping to get the word out about Sweetcrete.

In this episode of The Nature of Idaho, hosts Dr. Leif Tapanila and Peter Pruett are joined by Suzanne Asha Stone, Executive Director of the International Wildlife Coexistence Network, to explore the Wood River Wolf Project in Blaine County, Idaho. The conversation highlights how innovative, non-lethal deterrents such as fladry, Fox lights, and livestock guardian dogs have enabled ranchers and wolves to coexist, dramatically reducing livestock losses and wolf killings. The episode delves into the ecological benefits of wolves, the importance of removing livestock carcasses to prevent predator attraction, and the global impact of coexistence strategies, emphasizing that collaboration, education, and adaptation are key to sustaining both biodiversity and rural livelihoods.

Nathan Gregson is joined by Lisa Kuscu, the president and founder of Black Rock Geoscience based in Pocatello, Idaho, to discuss developments of Geothermal power in Idaho. They discuss why geothermal energy is a good alternative to wind or solar power, the potential of geothermal energy in Idaho, enhanced geothermal systems, how Idaho is responding to the geothermal movement, and barriers for geothermal in Idaho.

Join host Dr. Leif Tapanila and Peter Pruett for this episode of the Nature of Idaho, where they sit down with Marshall Ma and Barrie Robison from University of Idaho to talk about tick-borne illnesses in the West.

Join Dr. Leif Tapanila and Peter Pruett for this episode of The Nature of Idaho, where they sit down with Ethan Davis, avalanche forecaster from the Sawtooth Avalanche Center in Hailey, Idaho.

Nathan Gregson is joined by Gavin Pechey, the founder of Sporadicate based out of Portland, Oregon, and Scott Fitchett, a member of Bengal solutions and the ISU college of business to discuss the ongoing research on mycelium that decomposes plastic.

This episode of The Nature of Idaho, hosts Dr. Leif Tapanila and Peter Pruett sit down with Otto Lang, a doctoral student at the University of Utah, to discuss how dust is melting the snowpack in the mountains.

Idaho Accelerator Center director, Jon Stoner, and two ISU students from the Department of Chemistry, Jacob Egbert and Matt Cannon, describe what the Idaho Accelerator Center is and talk about how they and other ISU researchers are involved in cutting edge research to cure cancers such as sarcomas and prostate cancer.

Dr. Cori Jenkins, ISU Associate Professor of Chemistry and Kyler Sayer, an ISU Master’s student in Chemistry, join Marty Blair, VP for Research and Economic Development to discuss innovative research on “green” chemistry. Jenkins and Sayer discuss ways in which the native plants we find in our yards are helping us break down plastics, and how natural plant compounds are being tested and used as adhesives…“green” glue. Sayer, an ISU student, talks about his hands-on experience as a student researcher, and together, Sayer and Jenkins explore how his ISU experience sets him apart from undergraduate research at other universities.