US-Iran Relations, Space Junk, Methane

Guest: Aaron David Miller, Middle East Analyst, Vice president, Woodrow Wilson Center As part of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, the US and five other world powers lifted economic sanctions that prevented Iranian companies from doing business with the outside world. Now a portion of those sanctions go back into effect. Over the weekend, President Trump gloated on Twitter about Iran’s economic troubles and expanding public protests. What will things look like moving forward?

Guest: David Geller, PhD, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Utah State University We humans leave garbage wherever we go — including space. An enormous high-speed junkyard now orbits our planet, threatening satellites and space travel. Recently, a European Space Agency satellite was almost knocked out by hurtling debris. Is there something to be done about that?

Guest: Michael P. Harold, PhD, Department Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston American has a lot of natural gas. And it is a cleaner fuel than coal or diesel or gasoline. But natural gas is primarily made up of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. And if the methane doesn’t burn completely -- or if it escapes from wells and storage tanks on its way to be used -- it may actually make things worse. Is there a way to rely heavily on natural gas in the US without adding methane to the atmosphere?

Guest: Elissa Madden, PhD, Associate Professor, Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, Baylor University For many mothers, becoming pregnant is joyful. But for a few, it’s time of struggle. This is especially true of teen mothers who find themselves deciding between keeping the baby and giving it up for adoption. Either answer involves sacrifice and pain. What do we really know about what goes on in the minds of birth mothers in adoption? A new study looks at how birth mothers felt about their decision many years down the road. The results include some surprises.

Guest: Alan Teo, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Oregon Health and Science University When a celebrity dies by suicide, journalists face a struggle to know how to report on it without being part of the problem. Sensationalized reports can lead to an increase in suicide rates. On the other hand, we know that talking about suicide is important to preventing it. So what’s the right way to do that? If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help: In the US: Crisis Text Line: Text START to 741741 from anywhere in the USA, at any time, about any type of crisis | http://www.crisistextline.org/ The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 | http://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386 | http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Guests: Todd Manwaring, Director of the Ballard Center for Economic Self-Reliance, BYU Marriott School of Business; Mike Alder, Director of BYU Technology Transfer Office Bright-eyed college students all over the world come up with great ideas to make life better for people. But getting their ideas funded – and then into the hands of the people who need them – that’s where most of these great ideas end up dying on the vine. The Ballard Center in BYU’s Marriott School of Business provides coaching, courses and funding to help students can run with their great ideas for changing lives.