Lucas Willard
Assistant News Director, Host/Producer, The Best of Our Knowledge and WAMC Listening Party/ReporterLucas Willard graduated from the State University of New York at Fredonia in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. He also attended the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in 2010, where he studied audio and multimedia storytelling.
Prior to joining WAMC in 2011, Lucas worked with the Sound and Story Project of the Hudson Valley, the Big Shed Audio Documentary Podcast, the Albany Broadcasting Company, WDVL & WCVF-FM Fredonia, and WSUC-FM Cortland.
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Playlist as aired on Saturday, March 28th, 2026 -
A pair of recent landmark court decisions are at the center of the national conversation surrounding social media companies, the addictive nature of their products, and their impacts on children’s mental health. -
The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research. Cats make a lot of noises. And while an individual cat’s meows, growls and hisses might be unique, researchers say their purrs might be the most reliable way to tell them apart.And colorful feathers discovered in a coastal Peruvian cave clued researchers into an ancient parrot trade.
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The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research. Cats make a lot of noises. And while an individual cat’s meows, growls and hisses might be unique, researchers say their purrs might be the most reliable way to tell them apart.And colorful feathers discovered in a coastal Peruvian cave clued researchers into an ancient parrot trade.
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Henry David Thoreau is a lot of things: a father of nature writing in 19th century America; a radical thinker who challenged societal norms; the subject of homework assignments for bored 21st century high school students.The transcendentalist’s legacy is the subject of a new three-part documentary. We’ll speak with the filmmakers behind the project. -
Henry David Thoreau is a lot of things: a father of nature writing in 19th century America; a radical thinker who challenged societal norms; the subject of homework assignments for bored 21st century high school students.The transcendentalist’s legacy is the subject of a new three-part documentary. We’ll speak with the filmmakers behind the project.
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Playlist as aired on March 21st, 2026
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An Albany man was sentenced in Albany County Court on March 20th for his role in a 2023 shooting that killed a man and injured two others at a city barbershop. -
A new analysis finds racial and ethnic disparities in fatal police shootings vary significantly by state – and that New York has the lowest rate of fatal police encounters across all groups in the nation. -
Ami Vitale is a National Geographic photographer who was recently designated Explorer at Large.The title is an honor reserved for only the most impactful of storytellers, scientists, and changemakers.We’ll speak with Ami about her new title and her work documenting efforts to reverse extinction around the world.
