Guest host Jon Beaupre discusses the end of the "Cash for Clunkers" program. And as students return to class, how are schools and universities preparing for H1N1 flu? Then, do students perform better with online instruction or in conventional classrooms? Finally, are the chances of finding life on distant planets getting better?
Cash for Clunkers close to the end
The U.S. government's "Cash for Clunkers" program ends today, and is expected to account for the sale of 700,000 new cars and trucks. The $3 billion program was supposed to last through Labor Day, but the government is ending it early because most of the money has been spent. How did the "Cash for Clunkers" program benefit the environment and the auto industry? And what will happen to vehicle sales when the program ends? Guest host Jon Beaupré finds out.
Guests:
David Welch, Detroit Bureau Chief for Business Week magazine
Terry Miller, General Sales Manager of Galpin Ford in North Hills
H1N1 on campus
Now that students are heading back to school, what are colleges doing to help students and faculty prepare for a possible epidemic of the H1N1 flu? Guest host Jon Beaupre talks with experts about the concerns and preparations for schools as students return to class.
Guests:
Connie Moore, Director of Nursing for LAUSD
Pamela Kahn, Coordinator of Health and Wellness for the Orange County Department of Education
Dr. Larry Neinstein, Executive Director University Park Health Center, USC
Goodbye classrooms?
Do students perform better with online instruction or in conventional classrooms? It might be hard to believe, but according to a new study out of SRI International, online instruction wins the better grade. This probably won’t mean computers will completely replace homerooms and blackboards, but it does suggest that online education is likely to expand exponentially in the coming years. What makes online learning better? What might we be losing by logging in to learn?
Guest:
Barbara Means, lead author of study and SRI education psychologist
Jane Patton, President, Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, Communication Faculty, Mission College
Looking for ET
Since the 1960s, scientists have been listening with radio telescopes for broadcasts from alien civilizations. So far--lots of static. But they're about to get a huge help in the search. Last March, NASA launched the Kepler telescope, which measures faint shifts in starlight to find planets circling other stars. Now instead of randomly listening to trillions of points in the sky, scientist will be able to focus their radio telescopes on stars with Earth-like rocky planets. This makes their chances of finding evidence of alien life far greater. So might your next radio show originate from another world? Guest-host Jon Beaupre finds out.
Guests:
Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View
James Fanson, Project Manager for the Kepler telescope