Choose to be Curious

Ep. #130: Ode to Crows, with Colleen & John Marzluff

10 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Having seen thousands of crows roosting right nearby, how could I not do a show about these curious creatures that use tools, are self-aware and (be s...

Ep. #129: The Inquiring Minds Behind Science Writing, Kim O'Connell

28 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pop quiz: what were the last five articles you read from a news source? And how many of them had to do with science? Climate change, perhaps? The chas...

Ep. #128: Solitude with poet David Keplinger

14 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The pandemic has forced many of us into isolation, perhaps even solitude. In this lovely, contemplative conversation, poet David Keplinger reflects on...

Ep. #127: The News Literacy Project, with Ebonee Rice

30 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With so much coming at us, how are we to tell fact from fiction, truth from fabrication? The News Literacy Project has tips, tools and techniques to h...

Ep. #126: Imagining Worlds Otherwise: Learning from Black Feminist Curiosity, with Ayanna Spencer

16 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ayanna Spencer joins guest host Julie Williams-Reyes to explore protest as a radical form of curiosity and how that has unfolded in Ms. Spencer's jour...

Ep. #125: Curiosity Out on the Town, with Demian Perry

02 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What’s a wanderer to do in a pandemic? How can we get away while we stay close to home? Where can we go when so much is closed? Demian Perry's passi...

Ep. #124: Curioisty & Education Equity, with Ryoko Reed

19 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ryoko Reed founded Bringing Student Equity to Education Now (B-SEEN). She joins me this week for a timely and telling conversation about how we -- par...

Ep. #123: Sounds of Caring, with Yoko Sen and Tammy Beaulieu

05 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Musician and self-described sound alchemist Yoko Sen and Tammy Beaulieu, a registered nurse with more than 20 years of expertise, teamed up to ask hea...

Ep. #122: CuriosityConnects.Us with Philippa Hughes

22 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

CuriosityConnects.us founder Philippa Hughes is a social sculptor and creative strategist. Whether persuading ends of the political spectrum to dine t...

Ep. #121: Curiosity & a Seat at the Table, with Krysta Jones

08 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Founder of Vote. Lead. Impact: Creating a Legacy of Political Influence, Krysta Jones is empowering women & people of color who are passionate about c...

Ep. #120: Curiosity & the Digital Transgender Archive, with KJ Rawson

24 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Guest host Matt Ferguson and K.J. Rawson, project director for the Digital Transgender Archive, explore marginalized communities’ lack of knowledge ...

Ep. #119: James Danckert Is Curious About Boredom

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Boredom: we've all felt it -- and chances are pretty good we don't really understand it. James Danckert Ph.D., professor and head of the cognitive neu...

Ep. # 118: Appreciative Intelligence with Tojo Thatchenkery

26 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Appreciative Intelligence rests in the ability to "see the mighty oak in the acorn." George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government pr...

Ep. #117: Curious Entanglements with Christina León

13 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"Reading curiously for opacity may be a scholarly practice of humility that students...seldom get afforded in their lives." Princeton professor Christ...

Ep. #116: Voicing Curiosity, with Carol Cadby

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How we say anything, how we punctuate our statements grammatically and verbally, all have tremendous impact on how we are heard and understood. So how...

Ep. #115: Curiosity Studies with Perry Zurn PhD

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Together with his co-editor Arjun Shankar, American University philosophy professor Perry Zurn has compiled a cross-discipline anthology on curiosity ...

Ep. #114: Resilient & Brave, with Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Brain scientist, neuroanatomist, author and public inspiration Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor says we're wired to be resilient and brave. It's a reassuring mes...

Ep. #113: (Re)Creating Community, with Ashley Goff

25 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How does a community use curiosity to create -- or re-create -- itself and its relationships? Arlington Presbyterian Church pastor Ashley Goff joins ...

Ep. #112: A Curious Crew: Curiosity & the Community College Initiative

18 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It takes a certain amount of courage and curiosity to travel around the world to study for a year. Four NOVA students in the State Department's Commu...

Ep. #111: Network Systems: Connecting the Dots with Dani Bassett

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Danielle Bassett is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where they study biological, physical, and social systems by using and developing t...

Ep. #110: Bipartisanship & Curiosity with Bob Mitchell

04 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

More than 25 years ago Bob Mitchell founded a leadership program in Michigan to train diverse cohorts of would-be political candidates in campaigning ...

Ep. #109: Curiosity & Health Advocacy with Nicole Rochester, M.D.

19 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How often are we faced with health questions and concerns, but feel ill-equipped to ask the right questions, understand the answers we get -- or even ...

Ep. #108: Greg Hamilton Just Wanted to Know Stuff

12 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Many folks have interviewed Arlington Magazine founder and publisher Greg Hamilton about his community leadership and business and communications savv...

Ep. #107: Capitalist Curiosity & Student Mental Health, with Arjun Shankar

05 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Educator and anthropologist Arjun Shankar worries that the "campus is sick". Values collide and curiosity pays the price. Does it have to be this way?...

Ep. #106: Build a Better Shoe, with Casey Kerrigan, M.D.

29 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door" -- And what if you build a better shoe? OESH Shoes founder Casey Kerrigan got c...

Ep. #105: Dance & Embodied Curiosity with Erin Foreman-Murray

22 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"Dance is how I practice curiosity. It is the vehicle through which I'm asking questions about the world -- and investigating questions about the w...

Ep. #104: Curiosity and Non-Obvious Thinking with Rohit Bhargava

14 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Trend curator, marketing expert and best selling author Rohit Bhargava declares: "Learning to use non-obvious thinking has a valuable side effect: It ...

Ep. #103: Why Should This Be So? with Susan Engel

07 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Susan Engel, professor of psychology at Williams College, has made a career of studying the ebb and flow of curiosity in our lives. "There is no curio...

Ep. #102: Reflections-Not-Resolutions, with Kristine Wood

31 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Rather than guilt ourselves with the pressure of New Years' Resolutions, how might we enter 2020 with questions and reflections instead? Kristine Wood...

Ep. #101: Curiosity, Trust & Homebuying, with Realtor Christine Hopkins

25 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine it’s your job to establish a relationship and build trust at the very moment people are going through what is proven to be one of the most s...

Ep. #100: Everyday Curiosity, with David Lydon-Staley

18 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Like the proverbial box of chocolates, you never know what you'll get with this show. We celebrate 100 episodes of choosing to be curious with Univers...

Ep. #99: Neurodiverse Curiosity, with Kristy Johnson

10 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Kristy Johnson, now a post doc at MIT Media Lab, believes we're thinking about curiosity all wrong -- and leaving out a huge swath of the human experi...

Ep. #98: Cultivating Cultural Intelligence, with Asma Ahmad

26 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever noticed how some people can sit at the table (literal or figurative) with others and interpret unfamiliar or even ambiguous gestures or ...

Ep. #97: Curiosity, Values & Financial Planning, with Rebecca Borton

20 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How might choosing to be curious about our values and long term goals help with financial planning? Rebecca Borton, Associate Client Advisor at Concen...

Ep. #96: Curiosity & Racist Mindsets, with Narendra Keval

12 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Psychotherapist and clinical psychologist Narendra Keval observes "racism demands certainty" -- the opposite of curiosity. His is a thoughtful call fo...

Ep. #95: Censorship: Curiosity Curtailed, with Molly E. Roberts

30 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Twain wrote, “There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.” Nothing piques our curiosity like being told we can...

Ep. #94: Designing for Curiosity, with HyunJoo Oh

23 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Georgia Tech professor HyunJoo Oh challenged her students to create fun and engaging exhibits for Children's Museum of Atlanta. Just how does one desi...

Ep. #93: Curios & Curiotizing, with Amy Marvin

16 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes curiosity is badly misdirected, with consequences we might not have foreseen. Amy Marvin challenges us to consider the impact of "curiotizin...

Ep. #92: Upcycling: On Being a Curious Maker, with Henry Dunbar

09 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"How might I? ... What are all the ways I could? ... Why not?" and other lessons in maker curiosity with Henry Dunbar. It's a curiously creative upcyc...

Ep. #91: Curiosity & Philanthropy, with Sonia Quiñónez

02 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Americans gave $427.71 billion to charities in 2018. That's a lot of philanthropy. Sonia Quiñónez, Northern Virginia Program Director at Eugene & Ag...

Ep. #90: Storytelling: A Curious Tale, with Ronald Young, Jr.

24 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What is it about stories that so captures our attention and bridges distances? And what role might curiosity play, for the teller of tales as well as ...

Ep. #89: In Praise of Distraction, with Tyson Lewis

17 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What if curiosity and learning are best fostered not with focusing our attention, but by distracting it? “There should be room in education for dayd...

Ep. #88: Why Count: Curiosity and Census 2020 with Elizabeth Hardy

04 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When the Arlington County 2019 Profile showed up in my inbox, I was curious about the people behind it. What are they curious about? And what's the "w...

Ep. #87: The Cost of Curiosity, with Seeta Sistla

20 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When I read Seeta Sistla’s confrontation to the environmental costs of curiosity - a list that is as thought-provoking as it is long - I sent myself...

Ep. #86: Leadership, Inclusion and Curiosity, with Karen Coltrane

07 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Karen Coltrane, president and CEO of Leadership Center for Excellence, sat down with me to talk about LCE's new DMV Diversity and Inclusion Institute ...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 58: Embody Attention

24 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What if we really look and listen differently, with a purpose -- or as my dad likes to say, "if we change our point of view" -- might we see something...

Ep. #85: Ethnography & Cultures of Curiosity with John L. Jackson, Jr.

23 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, John L. Jackson, Jr. is an ethnographer by training -- and by nature...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 57: A Matter of Choice

10 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

My choice of “choose” was not accidental in naming my show. I believe that we reveal our true selves through our choices -- and, as with exercise ...

Ep. #84: Can We Choose to Be Curious? with Asia Ferrin

09 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week we take a poke at the whole premise: CAN we choose to be curious? American University professor of philosophy Asia Ferrin and I try on vario...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 56: Stuff and Such

26 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We're curious, we collect, we study. At some level it's all about luring others to share our curiosity, isn't it? Trinity College professor Barbara M....

Ep. #83: Curiosity & Collecting, with Barbara M. Benedict

23 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Trinity College professor Barbara M. Benedict delights in curiosity, curiosities and collecting in English literature. We cover everything from Gulliv...

Ep. #82: What Is a Question? with Lani Watson

12 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We've talked about better and more beautiful questions, but what about the foundational question: what IS a question? Edinburgh philosopher Lani Watso...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 55: Ah, There's a Question!

12 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Lani Watson wants to know what makes a question a question - and Andrew Minigan wants to help us get better at asking them. It's all about questions t...

Ep. #81: Curiosity is the Gateway to Connection, with Mike Morales

01 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"What I love most about curiosity is sitting with someone I don't know, asking what makes them tick, what brought them to this day, just really leanin...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 54: Connect the Dots

29 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Think of all the ways we make and find connections. Think how important that is. Mike Morales and I talk about curiosity as a gateway to connection --...

Ep. #80: The Right Question Institute, with Andrew Minigan

15 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Right Question Institute has pioneered an elegant and deceptively simple way to generate more and better questions, no matter who you are or what ...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 53: Raising Questions

15 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Learning to ask more and better questions, with The Right Question Institute's (RQI) Andrew Minigan and WERA's own Enlighten Me host, Andrea Cambron. ...

Ep. #79: Curiosity and Sex Ed, with Jacomina de Regt

30 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What could be more basic than curiosity about sex? And yet the topic makes lots of us squeamish. C2BC intern Caroline Kish sits down with Jacomina de...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 52: Awakenings

30 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jacomina de Regt speaks to validating our natural curiosity about sex and our sexuality, and Dr. Judson Brewer explores other forms of awakening in th...

Ep. #78: Putting Curiosity on the Map with Cartographer Alison Davis-Holland

16 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Artist-naturalist Ellen Meloy wrote, "A map, it is said, organizes wonder." Cartographer and story map author Alison Davis-Holland couldn't agree more...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 51: Know Where You Are

16 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Cartographer Alison Davis-Holland and Capital Naturalist founder Alonso Abugattas each help ground us where we are. We're all about being curious in t...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 50: Walkabout

03 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In honor of National Walking Day, and every day that is made for walking, we take a stroll around Arlington -- and another around the farmers market. ...

Ep. #77: Taking Curiosity in Stride

02 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In honor of National Walking Day, we take a stroll with Eileen and Allen, who've decided they're going to walk every street in the County. They neithe...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 49: Human Connections

20 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I'm delighted to introduce the radio debut of our Choose to be Curious/American University intern, Caroline Kish. She found a link between our convers...

Ep. #76: Curiosity on the Menu, with Noobtsaa Vang

20 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How many ways might curiosity serve in a social enterprise that partners with budding home-taught chefs from diverse immigrant communities and celebra...

Ep. #75: Curiosity and the Law, with Palma Strand

06 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Lawyers ask a lot of questions, but are they curious? Is the law itself curious? Does it foster curiosity? Law professor and forward thinker Palma Str...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 48: Listen Like Our Lives Depend On It

06 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Palma Strand and Ellen Fox -- one a lawyer, the other a doctor -- make the case for curiosity and listening. Our lives and communities depend on it. ...

Ep. #74: Neuroscience Eyes Curiosity, with Jacqueline Gottlieb, PhD

20 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How do our thoughts shape our actions? How do our actions shape and focus our thoughts? Columbia University professor and neuroscientist Jacqueline Go...

Curiosity to Go, #47: Nothing is Lost

20 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Henry James wrote in The Art of Fiction, “Try to be one of those on whom nothing is lost.” Neuroscientist Jacqueline Gottlieb and executive coach ...

Ep. #73: Curiosity in Support of Equity, with Christian Dorsey

06 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Newly-elected Arlington County Board Chairman Christian Dorsey has called for a focus on equity in County policies. We explore what role curiosity mig...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 46: Anything Else?

06 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey and Virginia Tech's Discovery Analytics Center Director Naren Ramakrishnan consider the implications of ...

Ep. #72: Curious About Our Roots, with Wilma Jones

23 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Wilma Jones traced her family and community history in one of Arlington's historically Black neighborhoods and published those stories in "My Halls Hi...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 45: Stories Matter

23 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

So many stories to be shared and heard in Arlington, VA! Wilma Jones' "My Halls Hill Family" meets Valeria Gelman's "The Local Shop" in this celebrat...

Ep. #71: Point of View with Photographer Jason Horowitz

09 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"If you change your point of view, you will see something new," says my Dad. Fine art photographer Jason Horowitz walks that talk -- and takes us alon...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 44: Stop. Look. Listen.

09 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Photographer Jason Horowitz and journalist/sound artist Jocelyn Frank both take to heart my own father's favorite line, "If you change your point of v...

Ep. #70: Animal Curiosity at the National Zoo

26 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

I didn't know much about animal curiosity when a student asked me about it, but a visit to the Smithsonian's National Zoo helped fix that problem. It'...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 43: Of Salamanders and Such

25 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It started with a philosophical question and took us to Amazonia and the Shenandoah Mountains as well. Animal curiosity, all in under five minutes! T...

Ep. #69: A Capital Naturalist, with Alonso Abugattas

12 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We get wrapped up in our busy city lives, but with a little help from Alonso Abugattas and his Capital Naturalist group you can bask in the glory of b...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 42: Pay Attention. Be Astonished. Tell About It.

12 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It's a big world, get out and explore! Capital Naturalist founder Alonso Abugattas makes his case for delighting in the natural world around us and La...

Ep. #68: Courtesy and Curiosity, with Rebecca Czarniecki

28 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Rebecca Czarniecki, maven of manners and founder of Tea With Mrs. B, teaches people of all ages a mix of traditional and modern etiquette over a cup o...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 41: Good Company and Good Discourse

27 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Just in time for the holidays: the intersection of courtesy, conflict and curiosity! Rebecca Czarniecki of Tea With Mrs. B and Megan Price of George M...

Ep. #67: Curiosity's Part in Theater Arts with Stan Kang

14 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

On the eve of Educational Theatre Company's 20th anniversary, Stan Kang, executive director and founder, explores the role of curiosity in storytellin...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 40: All The World's a Stage

14 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Educational Theatre Company builds its work with school-aged kids around what it calls its “four Cs” corner stones: creativity, community, collabo...

Ep. #66: Current Affairs, Kids & Curiosity with Andrea Cambron

04 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Andrea Cambron, producer and host of "Enlighten Me", encourages our curiosity about current affairs -- and invites kids' attention there as well. So w...

Curiosity to Go, Ep 39: Teach the Children Well

04 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Film-maker Brian Grazer wrote: “Curiosity—asking questions—isn’t just a way of understanding the world. It’s a way of changing it.” In som...

Ep. #65: Capturing the Bandwidth of Curiosity with Todd Kashdan

17 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Todd B. Kashdan's work was one of the first places I encountered an explicit call for *choosing* to be curious. I'm fascinated by his latest research ...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 38: Bursting Bubbles

17 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Good conversation relies on good listening -- in other words, choosing to be curious about what others are thinking and feeling. This week George Maso...

Ep. #64: Bias, with filmmaker Robin Hauser

03 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ep. #64: Bias, with filmmaker Robin Hauser by Lynn Borton

Curiosity to Go Ep. 37: -isms R Us

03 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A filmmaker and a film critic weigh in on something else entirely. Robin Hauser (producer and director of the documentary Bias) and Kevin Sampson (of ...

Ep. #63: Curiosity Is Political, with Perry Zurn PhD

19 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

At some level I've been making this case for a while, but American University professor Perry Zurn makes it explicit: curiosity IS political. What que...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 36: Attending to What Is Passed Over

19 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Professor of philosophy Perry Zurn asserts "curiosity is political" and asks us to attend to those whose stories we might otherwise overlook, whether ...

Ep. #62: Curiosity & A Big Book - #OhBoyTolstoy

05 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A team from Arlington Public Library navigated War & Peace as a summer Big Book Club -- and curiosity as a travel companion.  Alex Zealand, Jennifer ...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 35: Of Literature and Comedy

05 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What do librarians reading Russian literature and comedians talking about racism have in common? A lot, it turns out. Six fast minutes of insights on ...

Ep. #61: Student-led Research, with Shane McCarty PhD

22 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Shane McCarty, Ph.D. is devoting his life to helping students find ways to improve school climate -- and their own lives in the process. In four short...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 34: Back to School Special

21 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The wisdom of youth: two very different conversations in seven fast minutes. Shane McCarty of Cor Foundation and students from Yorktown High School on...

Ep. #60 Celebrities with Dean Rogers

08 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What is it about celebrities that so excites our curiosity - and might we learn anything from them, or about ourselves? Dean Rogers, entertainment new...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 33: Inquiring Minds

07 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The great American literary figure Lemony Snicket says, "Being curious is the most important part of being a journalist. It might be the most importan...

Curiosity to Go, Ep. 32: Art and Craft

25 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Whether its in business, writing or life, honing ones craft takes work. And maybe a little curiosity. Management professor Matt Cronin and author Laur...

Ep. #59: The Craft of Creativity with Matt Cronin

23 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Are some people just born more creative than the rest of us? Absolutely not says George Mason University professor Matthew Cronin -- but true "creativ...

Ep. #58: Infidelity, with "Chump Lady" Tracy Schorn

11 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Infidelity is the antithesis of curiosity" says Tracy Schorn, whose blog "Chump Lady" has amassed 20M page views. We explore curiosity as a power too...