It's (Probably) Not Rocket Science

It’s no secret drunk driving is a problem across the United States, and it seems to be an even bigger problem in New Mexico. According to statistics [https://alcohol.org/guides/drunk-driving-accidents-by-state/], New Mexico ranks within the top five states in the country with the most drunk-driving fatalities. So how do we fix it? While it wouldn't end drunk driving altogether, a University of New Mexico Professor says a higher alcohol tax in the state could be a step in the right direction, and he has the research to back it up. In this episode, we hear from Economics Professor Brady Horn, who walks us through his alcohol tax research. How it got started and where that information stands today.

When you think of February, you might associate the month with two things: Love and Black History. Black History Month was officially recognized in 1976 in the United States. 48 years later, the celebration continues across the country and at the University of New Mexico. In today’s episode, we are joined by Africana Studies [https://africanastudies.unm.edu/] Adjunct Professor Marsha Hardeman, who shares her personal stories from childhood to her time teaching in the classroom, as well as the research she has done and wants to see in the future on Black History.

It’s Hollywood's biggest night for filmmakers and film stars, honoring the best of the best in the movie industry. Since the 1920s, the Oscars have separated actor nominees by gender, but nearly 100 years later, several students from the University of New Mexico’s Constitutional Law class are trying to change that. What began as a class research project in 2023 has evolved into a 99-page proposal submitted to the Academy Awards in California, arguing that the century-long tradition of separating nominees by gender may be legally and socially flawed. Today, we hear from Professor Lawrence Jones, the instructor behind the research project, and Senior Abigail McCoy, one of the students tackling the Academy Awards. In this episode, they explain why these University of New Mexico students are urging award leaders to establish an official task force for the Oscars from now on.

The Grand Canyon is beautiful, no matter what rim you see it from, but its history is even more mesmerizing. How the canyon was formed, how old the rocks are, and what the layers mean inside only make the national park more fascinating. In this episode, we hear from two UNM Distinguished Professors, Laura Crossey and Karl Karlstrom, experts on the Grand Canyon who are essentially rewriting textbooks with their new research on the beloved national treasure. To help better understand the concept of time, Karlstrom and Crossey created a geological timeline exhibit at the Grand Canyon for visitors young and old to walk nearly 2 billion years of Canyon history while getting up close and personal to the rocks inside of it. Learn more about the Grand Canyon's exhibit, Trail of Time [https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/the-trail-of-time.htm]. Visit podcast.unm.edu [https://podcast.unm.edu/] to learn more about It’s (Probably) Not Rocket Science.

As climate change has impacted weather conditions around the world, forests have become increasingly susceptible to wildfires and eventually even people living thousands of miles away could be impacted. Today we hear from Matthew Hurteau [https://biology.unm.edu/people/faculty/profile/hurteau_matthew-d.html], an expert in forestry and climate change mitigation about what these changes mean not just for those living near the forest, but for everyone in every city or town across the world. Learn more on podcast.unm.edu. [podcast.unm.edu]