This show either exists or doesn't exist. It's possible you won't know until you listen to it.

Today, we're getting quarky, exploring the weird — and mind-boggingly small — world of quantum mechanics. What is it? Should we be excited? Scared? Some superposition of both?

We’ll also hear about new state and federal investments into quantum technology, and learn how Connecticut colleges are making quantum more accessible.

Guests:
Chad Orzel: chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Union College and author of the book “How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog.”
Christine Broadbridge: founding director of CSCU’s Center for Quantum and Nanotechnology and the executive director of research and innovation at SCSU.
Emily Edwards: associate research professor at Duke University and co-leader of the National Q-12 Education Partnership.

Where We Live is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

This show either exists or doesn't exist. It's possible you won't know until you listen to it.
Today, we're getting quarky, exploring the weird &mdash; and mind-boggingly small &mdash; world of quantum mechanics. What is it? Should we be excited? Scared? Some superposition of both?
We&rsquo;ll also hear about new state and federal investments into quantum technology, and learn how Connecticut colleges are making quantum more accessible.
Guests:
<ul>
<li>Chad Orzel:&nbsp;chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Union College and author of the book &ldquo;<a href="https://dogphysics.com/">How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog</a>.&rdquo;</li>
<li>Christine Broadbridge:&nbsp;founding director of CSCU&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="https://nano.southernct.edu/">Center for Quantum and Nanotechnology</a>&nbsp;and the executive director of research and innovation at SCSU.</li>
<li>Emily Edwards:&nbsp;associate research professor at Duke University and co-leader of the&nbsp;<a href="https://q12education.org/">National Q-12 Education Partnership</a>.</li>
</ul>
Where We Live&nbsp;is available on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/where-we-live/id706066099">Apple Podcasts,</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0j08SgnZIU5BmjDyHbgjgP">Spotify</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/43f3a507-ebfa-4876-b34a-030759a8924c/where-we-live">Amazon Music</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/Government/Where-We-Live-p1207905/">TuneIn</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/where-we-live-connecticut-public-radio-lz9NAwSEexh/">Listen Notes,</a>&nbsp;or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Produced by Connecticut Public, 'Where We Live' puts Connecticut in context. Host Catherine Shen brings us fascinating, informed, in-depth conversations and stories beyond news headlines.  We start local, but we take time to explore domestic and international issues and consider how they impact us personally and here at home.

Produced by Connecticut Public, '<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/where-we-live/about">Where We Live'</a> puts Connecticut in context. Host Catherine Shen brings us fascinating, informed, in-depth conversations and stories beyond news headlines.  We start local, but we take time to explore domestic and international issues and consider how they impact us personally and here at home.

Where We Live is a call-in talk show about who we are in Connecticut and our place in the world.

Where We Live

Produced by Connecticut Public, '<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/where-we-live/about">Where We Live'</a> puts Connecticut in context. Host Catherine Shen brings us fascinating, informed, in-depth conversations and stories beyond news headlines.  We start local, but we take time to explore domestic and international issues and consider how they impact us personally and here at home.

CT goes quantum: A look at the littlest things out there

Data centers come in all shapes and sizes,from a few shelves in the basement of a university building, to a warehouse the size of nearly two hundred football fields.

But what do data centers actually do? Do we have any here in Connecticut? Towns across the state have expressed their trepidation about what a large data center might mean for the quality of life of their residents, with others looking to data centers as a way to create new jobs.

Today, we’ll be covering data centers: from how they work, to their impacts on energy and water infrastructure.

Guests:
Reid Blackman: founder and CEO of Virtue, an AI ethical risk consulting business, and the author of the upcoming “The Ethical Nightmare Challenge”
Jordan Fenster: Reporter for Hearst Connecticut covering artificial intelligence
John Moritz: Reporter for CTMirror covering energy and the environment

Data centers come in all shapes and sizes,from a few shelves in the basement of a university building, to a warehouse the size of nearly two hundred football fields.
But what do data centers actually&nbsp;do? Do we have any here in Connecticut?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/article/ct-data-centers-hyperscale-water-power-energy-21894397.php">Towns across the state have expressed their trepidation about what a large data center might mean for the quality of life of their residents, with others looking to data centers as a way to create new jobs.</a>
Today, we&rsquo;ll be covering data centers: from how they work, to their impacts on energy and water infrastructure.
Guests:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.reidblackman.com/">Reid Blackman</a>:&nbsp;founder and CEO of Virtue, an AI ethical risk consulting business, and the author of the upcoming &ldquo;The Ethical Nightmare Challenge&rdquo;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.ctinsider.com/author/jordan-fenster/">Jordan Fenster</a>:&nbsp;Reporter for Hearst Connecticut covering artificial intelligence</li>
<li><a href="https://ctmirror.org/author/jmoritz/">John Moritz</a>:&nbsp;Reporter for CTMirror covering energy and the environment</li>
</ul>

The demand for data centers is growing: Are they coming to CT?

Breathe deep and think: What do you smell right now? The sweetness of the spring air? The smoky smells of the highway?

Our noses give us key clues about the environment and provide a critical daily link to some of our most cherished memories.

But smell, and its control over culture and politics, is often undervalued and misunderstood.

Today, we take a nose dive into the olfactory, exploring how humanity has used smell to communicate and control.

Guests:
Ally Louks: Supervisor at the University of Cambridge and author of "Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose"
Alexandra Segal: Wesleyan University anthropology graduate and winner of the school's "GLASS Prize in Queer Studies" for her 2025 paper, "On the Nose: What to Learn from Funk and Fragheads"
Brittany Koziara: Owner of Forêline Parfumerie
Hsuan Hsu: Professor of English at UC Davis, and author of "The Smell of Risk" and "Olfactory Worldmaking"

Breathe deep and think: What do you smell right now? The sweetness of the spring air? The smoky smells of the highway?
Our noses give us key clues about the environment and provide a critical daily link to some of our most cherished memories.
But smell, and its control over culture and politics, is often undervalued and misunderstood.
Today, we take a nose dive into the olfactory, exploring how humanity has used smell to communicate and control.
Guests:
<ul>
<li>Ally Louks:&nbsp;Supervisor at the University of Cambridge and author of "<a href="https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/items/528f479f-fd3c-43fd-9463-7c2923560573">Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose</a>"</li>
<li>Alexandra Segal:&nbsp;Wesleyan University anthropology graduate and winner of the school's "<a href="https://www.wesleyan.edu/queerstudies/glass.html">GLASS Prize in Queer Studies</a>" for her 2025 paper,&nbsp;<a href="https://digitalcollections.wesleyan.edu/turnstile-challenge?destination=%2Fislandora%2Fnose-what-learn-funk-and-fragheads">"On the Nose: What to Learn from Funk and Fragheads"</a></li>
<li>Brittany Koziara:&nbsp;Owner of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/forelineparfumerie/">For&ecirc;line Parfumerie</a></li>
<li><a href="https://english.ucdavis.edu/people/hsuan-l-hsu-xuxuan">Hsuan Hsu:</a>&nbsp;Professor of English at UC Davis, and author of&nbsp;<a href="https://nyupress.org/9781479810093/the-smell-of-risk/">"The Smell of Risk"</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517921231/olfactory-worldmaking/">"Olfactory Worldmaking"</a></li>
</ul>

Smell defines our world in hidden and powerful ways

At a time where we are feeling increasingly disconnected, poetry has a powerful way of fostering community. Today, during National Poetry Month, we hear from poets and educators.

We'll also check in with some students competing in the Poetry Out Loud competition.

It's a competition where students dedicate time to study, memorize and then recite their chosen poem outloud. And as the kids will tell us, it’s not as easy as you might think.

Guests:


Nadia Sims: Manchester Poet Laureate


Jenny Heikkila Diaz: Project Coordinator, The Word and Community Activator, CT Poetry Out Loud


Christian Herron: high school student who was one of the winners of the 2026 CT Youth Slam


Emma Frisbie: 11th Grade student at East Lyme High School competing in the National Poetry Out Loud


Melanie Faranello: local author and Founder of Poetry on the Streets

If you want to hear more conversations about books and poetry, sign up for our Where We Read newsletter. It’s a monthly rundown of what the Where We Live team is reading and highlights of some of the best author interviews on Connecticut Public.

Where We Live is available on Apple Podcasts,Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

At a time where we are feeling increasingly disconnected, poetry has a powerful way of fostering community. Today, during <a href="https://poets.org/national-poetry-month-30th-anniversary">National Poetry Month</a>, we hear from poets and educators.
We'll also check in with some students competing in the <a href="https://portal.ct.gov/decdartsportal/knowledge-base/articles/programs-and-services/poetry-out-loud/poetry-out-loud-program">Poetry Out Loud competition.</a>
It's a competition where students dedicate time to study, memorize and then recite their chosen poem outloud. And as the kids will tell us, it&rsquo;s not as easy as you might think.
Guests:
<ul>
<li>
Nadia Sims: Manchester Poet Laureate
</li>
<li>
Jenny Heikkila Diaz: Project Coordinator, <a href="https://www.thewordpoetry.org/">The Word</a> and Community Activator, CT Poetry Out Loud
</li>
<li>
Christian Herron: high school student who was one of the winners of the <a href="https://nmsnewhaven.org/event/the-word-youth-poetry-slam-2026">2026 CT Youth Slam</a>
</li>
<li>
Emma Frisbie: 11th Grade student at East Lyme High School competing in the National Poetry Out Loud
</li>
<li>
Melanie Faranello: local author and Founder of <a href="https://www.poetryonthestreets.com/">Poetry on the Streets</a>
</li>
</ul>
If you want to hear more conversations about books and poetry, sign up for our <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters/where-we-read">Where We Read newsletter.</a> It&rsquo;s a monthly rundown of what the Where We Live team is reading and highlights of some of the best author interviews on Connecticut Public.
Where We Live&nbsp;is available on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/where-we-live/id706066099">Apple Podcasts,</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0j08SgnZIU5BmjDyHbgjgP">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/43f3a507-ebfa-4876-b34a-030759a8924c/where-we-live">Amazon Music</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/Government/Where-We-Live-p1207905/">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/where-we-live-connecticut-public-radio-lz9NAwSEexh/">Listen Notes,</a> or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

CT goes quantum: A look at the littlest things out there

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