Radiolab's Jad Abumrad. Contributed photo.
AMES, Iowa -- While working at New York's public radio station WNYC, Jad Abumrad began tinkering with an idea for a new kind of radio program. His idea evolved into one of NPR's most popular shows today – the Peabody Award-winning "Radiolab."
During a talk at Iowa State University, Abumrad will share his story of how he invented a new aesthetic and how those negative feelings we have during the creative process — gut churn — can propel us forward.
Abumrad's presentation, "Radiolab: Gut Churn," will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, in the Memorial Union Great Hall. It is free and open to the public.
A weekly show about creativity, "Radiolab" uses sound to illuminate ideas and examines big questions in science, philosophy and the human experience through compelling storytelling. It is supported by the National Science Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to enhance public understanding of science and technology.
Abumrad is a producer and co-hosts the program with Robert Krulwich. Under Abumrad’s direction, the show uses a combination of deep-dive journalism, narrative storytelling, dialogue and music to craft compositions of exploration and discovery. Radiolab podcasts are downloaded over 4 million times each month and the program is carried on 437 stations across the nation.
The son of a doctor and scientist, Abumrad studied creative writing and music composition at Oberlin College in Ohio. Following graduation, he wrote music for films, and reported and produced documentaries for a variety of local and national public radio programs, including "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered." He is a 2011 MacArthur Fellow (also known as the Genius Grant).
Abumrad's talk is co-sponsored by Engineers' Week, the colleges of Design and Engineering and the Committee on Lectures, which is funded by Student Government.
More information on ISU lectures is available online, or by calling 515-294-9935.