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Bob Barrett

Bob Barrett

Host/Producer, The Best Of Our Knowledge

Bob has been a part of the WAMC family since 2001.  He currently produces and hosts National Production's The Best Of Our Knowledge.  Over the years, Bob has produced The Environment Show and The Health Show for National Productions and hosted weekend mornings on WAMC for a decade. In addition to producing TBOOK, he is currently a reporter and on air host at WUWF Public Radio at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. 

  • Beyond teaching a life-saving skill, competitive swimming can forge life-long bonds. We’ll visit a club swim team in the Hudson Valley.
  • It’s back to school season! On this episode of the Best of Our Knowledge, we’ll explore how educators prepare for the return of students to the classroom. A time capsule at West Point turns out to be a bit of a letdown. A Florida high school social studies teacher tours sites of the Holocaust in Europe. And the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is offering free community college to adults over age 25.
  • Climate change, shrinking wildlife habitats, rising sea levels, and vanishing species. These are big, important ideas that deserve a proper exploration—just the type of revealing journey you will experience in "The Atlas of a Changing Climate." It’s the work of Brian Buma, an assistant professor of Quantitative Biology at the University of Colorado. Dr. Buma is also an affiliate professor at the University of Alaska. His explorations and wanderings around the globe have been featured in National Geographic.
  • When Bill Schutt writes a book, it tends to get messy, at least his non-fiction books. His first was called “Dark Banquet” which dealt with vampire bats and other creatures who feed on blood. To follow that up he write “Cannibalism – A Perfectly Natural History” which dealt with…well I think you know what that dealt with. Now he is back with a volume that every living creature can identify with. It’s called “Pump – A Natural History of the Heart." Bill Schutt is a zoologist, Emeritus Professor of Biology at LIU Post and a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History.
  • The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex. It is a beloved part of American culture. But its founder, a British scientist named James Smithson, never once set foot on American soil. So, who would do that? Steven Turner tried to find out. Turner is the author of the book “The Science of James Smithson – Discoveries from the Smithsonian Founder." While researching Smithon’s science he also learned a lot about Smithson’s personality. Steven Turner is a historian of science and curator emeritus of physical sciences at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
  • It started with a brief mention in a biography of Pablo Picasso. A blind man over 100 years ago, guided by a young woman, purchased and collected the early works of some of the greatest artists of the century. That mention began the search for Leon Angely. Rob Couteau talks about the search and the man and his young sidekick in his new book called “A Blind Man Crazy for Color – A Tribute to Leon Angely." We'll talk to Rob about this story.
  • There was a time when being called a geek was a major put-down. Today, people wear that title with honor. When it comes to understanding technology, a lot of people would assume that young people have the edge. But tech is not a natural ability. Cassidy Puckett, an assistant professor of sociology at Emory University says a growing digital divide among young people is a warning sign that STEM education may not be doing enough to prepare students for the future.Today on the Best of Our Knowledge, we’ll find out just who is really good with technology as we redefine geek.
  • Even families that have great communication skills sometimes need a little help. Today on the Best of Our Knowledge, it’s time to talk puberty.
  • Pregnancy means big changes for a woman and her health. Pregnancy during a pandemic threw out all the rules. Today on the Best of Our Knowledge, what science knows and is still learning about COVID and maternity. We’ll also take another look at caring for trans students health, and spend an Academic Minute with your brain on Zoom.
  • Springtime means the weather gets warmer, the birds start singing a bit louder, and high school seniors around the U.S. are getting their college acceptance, or non-acceptance letters. Each year around this time, The Princeton Review releases its survey of incoming college students. Today on the Best of Our Knowledge, we’ll hear about the hopes and fears of new college students and their families.