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Inside NASA Glenn
NASA Glenn's new director Jim Free is refining the center's core areas of technical expertise and expanding its connection to Northeast Ohio

Cleveland is home to one of 10 national research centers run by NASA.  NASA Glenn’s main mission is to support the agency’s goals of exploring deep space, maintaining the international space station and putting people back on the moon.  But in this week’s Exploradio, WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair finds the biggest impact of NASA Glenn lands closer to home.
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The dinosaur revolution
There's a revolution in dinosaur diversity -  new species are being named all the time, thanks in part to a  decades old movie.

Even though they've been extinct for 65 million years, scientists on average name a new dinosaur every week.   In this week’s Exploradio  -   we meet one man who’s added his share of discoveries to the modern dinosaur revolution.
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A new day at the zoo
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is saying goodbye to its long-time director Steve Tayor who shares some of the changes he's seen over the decades

The long-time director of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo steps down next week after nearly a quarter-century of running the park.   In this week’s Exploradio, WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair talks with Steve Taylor about how changes at the zoo during his tenure reflect a changing world.  
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Plug-in paint
A Medina start-up's unique electro-luminescent paint process puts a glow on custom hot-rods, cycles, and guitars

A Northeast Ohio startup has developed a plug-in paint that can light up any solid surface.  It’s being tested now for the growing custom hot-rod and motorcycle market. In this week’s Exploradio, WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair looks at how a local inventor’s determination brought his dream of electro-luminescent paint to light.
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Arctic ice and global warming
A Kent State University researcher finds changing patterns in Arctic sea-ice drift is another sign of a warming world

A Russian ship sailing from Siberia to Japan last month became the first commercial tanker to cross the Northeast Passage in WINTER.  Summer crossings of the formerly ice choked North Pole are now commonplace. On this week’s Exploradio, WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair looks at melting ice, global warming, and the difference between natural and man-made climate change.
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Building a better battery
German chemical giant BASF opens a plant in Elyria to produce the next generation of battery materials developed by its R&D lab in Beachwood

GM rolled out its new all-electric car, the Spark EV, this weekend at the L.A. auto show.  Ford and more than a dozen other auto makers already have fully electric cars on the market, with the Nissan Leaf leading the pack.  But in order for the market to grow, the cars’ batteries need to get cheaper and go further. In this week’s Exploradio, WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair looks at how Northeast Ohio is part of a push to build better batteries for the electric-car industry.    
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Wound healing polymers
A new polymer designed at the University of Akron can perform a variety of functions thanks to click chemistry

A multigenerational team of researchers at the University of Akron is using an old technique to produce new polymers with promising new functions. In this week’s Exploradio, WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair explores the cutting edge of wound healing.
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Probiotic Garden of Eden
A Cleveland company bakes probiotic bacteria into pizza, cookies, candy bars and just about any other food, except yogurt

While anti-biotics kill bacteria in our bodies, research now shows a few foodborne bacteria called pro-biotics can provide a host of other health benefits.  In recent years, sales of probiotic foods, mostly yogurt, have  grown into a $32 billion industry. In this week’s Exploradio, WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair visits a Cleveland company that’s developed a new type of probiotic that could change the notion of healthy eating.
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Diabetes surgery
A new study shows that weight loss surgery is the most effective treatment for patients with diabetes and severe obestity

Topping the Cleveland Clinic’s list of medical innovations this year is evidence that a single procedure can now be used to treat two life-threatening conditions. In this week’s Exploradio, WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair examines a surprising benefit of radical weight-loss surgery.
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The Mayan queen
An archeologist from the College of Wooster uncovers the remains of a Mayan queen in Guatemala whose portrait is housed in Cleveland

A professor from the College of Wooster this summer uncovered the remains of a Mayan empress in Guatemala.  The discovery also has a Cleveland connection. In this week’s Exploradio, WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair explores a new understanding of the role of women in this ancient culture.
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The resilience of tiny beings
Parents of premies in decades past had little more than hope to sustain them, now medical advances bolster faith in the resilience of tiny babies

Each year more than half a million babies in the U. S. are born too early.  In fact, one in ten will spend some time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU, because of premature birth or other health problem.  It’s a time of stress for parents, who rely equally on medical technology and inner resolve to see them through. In this week’s Exploradio, WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair visits a NICU reunion where families share stories of faith and hope.
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Green chemistry
Cleveland researchers are leading an international team of scientists developing new industrial materials derived from nature.

The National Science Foundation recently awarded 3.8 million dollars to a Cleveland-led team of researchers developing a new generation of industrial materials derived from nature. The goal is to make the renewable energy industry truly sustainable. In this week’s Exploradio, we explore the cutting edge of green chemistry.
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Inside the Accelerator
Akron offers entrepreneurs cheap rent, free advice, and a former factory in an effort to rebuild the city's industrial base

For nearly three decades Akron’s Global Business Accelerator has nurtured new ventures through their most critical phases. In this week’s Exploradio, WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair explores the creative act of building businesses.  
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Ohio invests in open innovation
A Beachwood company pairs businesses in need of innovation with an international network of solution providers

Innovation can happen in a flash, in mythical light-bulb moments.  But more often it takes time, effort, and resources for companies that need to make changes quickly.  Ohio’s Third Frontier program recently granted $2 million to a Beachwood-based company to help pick up the speed of business innovation in Ohio. In this week’s Exploradio, WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair talks to NineSigma's Andy Zynga about the process of ‘open’ innovation.
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Biomimicry Ph.D
Biomimicry is the art of studying nature's way of problem solving.  A new biomimicry Ph.D. track at the University of Akron teaches sustainable design.

The University of Akron is offering the world’s first doctorate in the field of biomimicry.  It’s a five-year exploration of nature’s solutions to industrial design problems.  In this week’s Exploradio, WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair looks at a unique blending of art, science, and business.  
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Crisis mapping
A John Carroll University professor takes humanitarian aid into the digital age by organizing a network of volunteer crisis mappers

When disasters strike, accurate information is one of the first casualties.  But thanks to the efforts of a John Carroll University professor, a worldwide network of volunteers is now able to take messages pouring out of crisis hotspots and help coordinate relief, response, and understanding of unfolding tragedies. In this week’s Exploradio, WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair explores the emerging science of crisis mapping.
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