Apex Hour At Suu

*** Eccles APEX Website: https://www.suu.edu/apex

Laurel Braitman is the Director of Writing and Storytelling at the Stanford School of Medicine, as well as the New York Times bestselling author of Animal Madness and her memoir What Looks Like Bravery. In the Medicine and the Muse program at Stanford, she works with medical students and professionals to reintroduce the power of storytelling to the healthcare field. Laurel holds a Ph.D. in Science, Technology, and Society from MIT, and is a Senior TED Fellow. She’s the founder of Writing Medicine, a global community of writing healthcare professionals.*** Eccles APEX Website: https://www.suu.edu/apex

Ed Latimore is a former professional heavyweight boxer, national amateur boxing champion, competitive chess player, and bestselling author. Holds a B.A. in physics from Duquesne University and is a veteran of the United States Army. Ed’s writing focuses on self-development, realizing your potential, and sobriety — all of which he approaches from personal experience, overcoming poverty and addiction.*** Eccles APEX Website: https://www.suu.edu/apex

Cordell Taylor is a prolific assemblage artist and constructive sculptor. Recognizing a need for greater representation in the local art scene, Taylor curated exhibitions for 25 artists over four years, co-founded the Back Alley Gallery, and established the Cordell Taylor Studio/Gallery and a non-profit by the name of Surface. Taylor's philanthropic efforts include fundraisers for local charities and his active involvement with the Salt Lake Gallery Association. Currently, Taylor works to secure funding for grants and fellowships to support future generations of Utah artists while advocating for national exhibitions of local talent. His recent "DECONSTRUCTION series" transforms engineered components into dynamic compositions, inviting viewers to explore their intricacies and experience their vitality, resulting in a harmonious symphonic composition.*** Eccles APEX Website: https://www.suu.edu/apex

Nate Schweber is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, ProPublica, Anthony Bourdain's Explore Parts Unknown, and other media. His conservation articles won awards from the Outdoor Writers Association of America in 2015 and 2018, and in 2020, a ProPublica series he contributed to won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting. A Montana native, he lives in Brooklyn.*** Eccles APEX Website: https://www.suu.edu/apex

An internationally recognized expert on national parks and railroads, Alfred Runte is based in Seattle, Washington. He was an adviser to the Ken Burns PBS documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, and appeared in all six episodes of the Emmy Award-winning series. Runte has also been a guest on Nightline, The Today Show, 48 Hours, the History and Travel channels, and speaks frequently in public forums on the need to protect our parks. His books include Trains of Discovery: Railroads and the Legacy of Our National Parks; Yosemite: The Embattled Wilderness, and the fifth edition of his critically acclaimed National Parks: The American Experience. In April 2011, Runte was elected to membership in the College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame at Illinois State University (his master’s degree institution) “in recognition of exemplary achievement” as a teacher and public scholar. He also holds a B.A. from the State University of New York at Binghamton (now Binghamton University) and a Ph.D. from the Unive

Roger D. Launius is Principal of Launius Historical Services, Auburn, Alabama. Between 1990 and 2002 he served as chief historian of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. From there he moved to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., where he served most recently as Associate Director for Collections and Curatorial Affairs until retirement in 2017. He is the author, most recently, of The Smithsonian History of Space Exploration: From the Ancient World to the Extraterrestrial Future (Smithsonian Books, 2018); Apollo's Legacy: The Space Race in Perspective (Smithsonian Books, 2019); Reaching for the Moon: A Short History of Space Race (Yale University Press, 2019); The NASA Archives: From Project Mercury to the Mars Rovers, 60 Years in Space (Taschen, 2019); An Unofficial History of NASA Mission Patches (Thunder Bay Press, 2020); and NASA Space Shuttle: 40th Anniversary (Motorbooks, an Imprint of The Quarto Group, 2021). He was a consultant to the Columbia A

Vitus Shell joins us on the APEX Hour podcast

Leon Logothetis is an accomplished and well-known figure in the world of adventure, media, and motivational speaking. He has dedicated over a decade of his life to traveling to over 100 countries, showcasing the good in humanity and spreading a message of kindness and hope. This mission is well documented in his best-selling books and TV shows, with "The Kindness Diaries", now streaming on Discovery Plus. Through his adventures, books, and TV shows, Leon strives to inspire and motivate people across the globe to be kinder, more hopeful, and to see the good in others. Logothetis has worked with many well-being brands and companies to ignite a spark of love, adventure, and humanity into their message and expand their global awareness. When he's not making TV shows and writing books, he's traveling around the world, speaking to schools and businesses about the power of kindness, compassion, and empathy. Leon's goal is to always make a positive impact with his work and content.

Javon Johnson is an Associate Professor and Director of African American & African Diaspora studies and holds an appointment in Gender & Sexuality Studies in the Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies Department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He received his Ph.D. in Performance Studies with a certificate in Gender Studies and Cognate in African American Studies from Northwestern University in 2010. Dr. Johnson’s scholarly interests include performance, blackness, African American literature, black pop culture, slam and spoken word, black feminist theory, black queer theory, masculinity studies, black sexualities, and ethnography.

We are so excited to have Derek Livingston with us on the APEX Radio Hour today. Derek is the interim artistic director for the Utah Shakespeare Festival and the director of new play development.

Lindsey joined SUU in 2015 after completing her PhD in Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has taught a variety of courses for the department of Biology, from General Biology to Biomedical Ethics and Developmental Biology, as well as courses in the Honors Program. She is best known across campus for her integrated education initiatives and guest lectures including exploring biology through Professional Wrestling, Science Fiction & Horror, Sex Drive, and Flavor. She has engaged students in the lab and published articles on the scholarship of teaching. She has also served the University on a variety of committees and is the current chair of the Workload and Faculty Salary Equity Committee. She is also a “dabbling” artist and illustrator who enjoys creating beautiful and engaging art incorporating scientific themes.

Melinda Pfundstein joins the podcast.

This week we are joined by author, historian, and national park expert, Megan Kate Nelson. Megan comes to the A.P.E.X. stage to share her insights and research on the history of one of America’s greatest gems, Yellowstone National Park.

SUU APEXSUU 125 Celebration 

https://www.suu.edu/125/ https://www.suu.edu/apex/ 

APEX Website

https://www.suu.edu/apex/https://www.suu.edu/125/ 

https://www.suu.edu/apex/