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On this episode of the Best of Our Knowledge: the pandemic changed the way students learn, including the widespread adoption of remote learning. But how did the pandemic affect schooling that was already online? And one of the nation’s most powerful teachers’ unions has a new leader. We’ll speak with the new president of New York State United Teachers.  

On this episode of the Best of Our Knowledge: a new study shows only 51 percent of college students complete their studies; drone soccer, a brand-new competitive sport, is sweeping the country; and a new study by the National Park Service shows forests in the eastern U.S. are at risk.  

On this episode of the Best of Our Knowledge: a new lab at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute seeks to accommodate students with different styles of learning; an online school based in the Bronx is graduating hip hop lyricists; and the Vermont State University system is reversing a plan to remove books from shelves and create digital libraries.   

On this episode of the Best of Our Knowledge: Engineering students at the University at Albany show off their award-winning invention that aims to help workers with physical limitations succeed in their careers; and a NASA scientist discusses the agency’s fleet of satellites monitoring a changing Earth.  

On this episode of the Best of Our Knowledge: PBS and NOVA month have released new films as part of an initiative to more effectively communicate climate change; preparations are underway for the April 2024 solar eclipse at one university that will be in the path of totality; and spring is here, and in colder climates, so are amphibians and reptiles.

On this episode of the Best of Our Knowledge: First Lady Jill Biden visited BETA Technologies, an emerging aerospace company in South Burlington, Vermont, as part of her Investing in America tour; Joshua Mirsky, manager of the Stage One Dispensary in New York prepares to open shop upstate; and a new study out of UMASS Amherst takes a closer look at Lyme disease.

On this episode of the Best of Our Knowledge: students get the chance to meet with former U.S. House representatives as part of a program that brings Congress to campus; graduating high schoolers share their experiences with an early college learning program; and we’ll speak with SUNY New Paltz's Darrell Wheeler, who will be inaugurated this month.  

How does U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack want to improve school meals programs? A national competition is welcoming submissions from student podcasters; and two schools in Albany, New York are adding programs to attract new applicants.  

On this episode of The Best of Our Knowledge: A new awareness campaign to find missing persons and solve cold cases is coming to a gas station near you; a new study measures the annual economic impact of hate crimes in the U.S.; students come together to hold a prayer service for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria; and a northern New York researcher looks for new ways to utilize beech trees.  

On this episode of The Best of Our Knowledge: how do artificial intelligence programs like ChatGPT fit into the future of higher education? A Manhattanville College English professor shares his thoughts and a poem; students rallied at the New York State capitol in Albany for free tuition; and an effort to repatriate Native American makes slow progress in Connecticut.  

On this episode of The Best of Our Knowledge: a new book aims to build an understanding of the U.S. immigration system by telling the stories of immigrant children through their creative expression; and we’ll learn what it takes to write and illustrate your own comic book.  

On this episode of The Best of Our Knowledge: researchers are using microbes to create tiny nanowires – technology that could be used to “sniff out” disease; a new state-of-the-art cancer treatment is available to Vermont residents; and student advocates lobby for financial aid dollars in New York State.  

On this episode of The Best of Our Knowledge: young learners at a New York charter school attend a pep-rally for Historically Black Colleges and Universities; a new tool aims to predict the routes of migratory birds; and as several New York public colleges change their official designation to “university,” we’ll speak with a university president about the change.

On this episode of the Best of Our Knowledge we’ll meet a group of high school seniors who are running their own company before receiving their cap and gown.   Former Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker is preparing to become the next president of the NCAA.   And a plan to reimagine a college library in Vermont to all-digital system is getting pushback.

On this episode of the Best of Our Knowledge we’ll learn how a hospital is partnering with a public library to give babies their first book. Although the name is often used, only three states in the country have true universal pre-kindergarten for young students. A new report examines pre-K in Vermont, Florida, and Oklahoma. With state budget negotiations underway in New York, advocates are seeking more funding for afterschool programs. And we’ll speak with the next president of Albany Law School, the country’s oldest independent school of law.  

On this episode of the Best of Our Knowledge…  Elementary and middle school students compete in a district-wide spelling bee in Schenectady, New York.   Online program Poem Renovation lets users explore poetry in a new way.   And independent Hyper Saturation Magazine digs into the cultural landscape of upstate New York.  

On this episode of the Best of Our Knowledge: Students compete to advance in the FIRST Robotics Competition in Albany.   Bald eagles have made a comeback in New York’s Hudson Valley. We’ll learn about the Teatown Hudson River EagleFest.   Middle and high school students participate in a conference to address bias, bullying, and prejudice.   And some colleges in New York are changing their designations to “university.”  

On this episode on The Best of Our Knowledge: A series of winter nature walks is aimed at bringing upstate New York residents closer to native plants and animals.   We’ll learn about the importance of ants in the agricultural economy.   And Jody Cowan will speak with an artist who is drawing attention to the student debt crisis with a unique exhibit in western Massachusetts.   

On this episode on The Best of Our Knowledge…  As Democrat Kathy Hochul begins her term as New York’s first elected female governor, local students share some of the inaugural spotlight. Our associate producer, Jody Cowan, will have more.   Bob Schneider of the New York State School Boards Association will provide analysis of Hochul’s education goals for 2023.   The upstate New York video game industry gets a powerup with state funding.   And 2022 proved to be the sixth-warmest year on record in Massachusetts.  

On this episode on The Best of Our Knowledge…  As COVID-19 restrictions ease, public school students are seeing the return of an exciting tradition – the school field trip. Jody Cowan will bring us more.  The Peace Corps is sending its first deployment of volunteers around the world since the lockdown of 2020. Host Lucas Willard will speak with a recent graduate preparing for her two-year tour. And a storybook is helping young children affected by the war in Ukraine.