Assumption Professors Featured on NPR’s “The Academic Minute” Podcast

Mar 04, 2024

Five Assumption professors will be featured on the NPR podcast ‘The Academic Minute’ this week, with one segment airing per day for what will be called “Assumption Week”. Earlier this year, each of the professors submitted a brief synopsis of their academic work and recorded segments around just a minute and a half long explaining their important work. As the podcast episodes air this week, this article will be updated with specific links for each professor’s episode.

Professor Erin Tuttle, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Chemistry. Her segment discusses her research concerning plastic pollution, and specifically how sunlight can impact the breakdown of plastic in the ocean.

Listen to her Academic Minute segment here.

Professor Karolina Fučíková, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Biology. Her segment discusses the biodiversity of desert biomes and how she and her colleagues have found multiple new species, including Johansenicoccus eremophilus, while observing the California desert.

Listen to her Academic Minute segment here.

Professor Samantha Goldman, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Education and the Chair of Assumption’s Education Department. Her segment focuses on research done by her and her colleagues investigating how the Covid-19 Pandemic impacted special educators. 

Listen to her Academic Minute segment here.

Professor Maria Kalpidou, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Psychology. Her segment discusses her research into how parents can help provide environments that can promote the happiness, well-being, and success of children through loving and trusting relationships. 

Listen to her Academic Minute segment here.

Professor Karen Lionello-DeNolf, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Psychology and director of Assumption’s Applied Behavior Analysis programs. Her segment discusses delay discounting and outcome devaluation, which is when people devalue certain outcomes when there is no immediate gratification in achieving said outcome. 

Listen to her Academic Minute segment here.