Matthew LaPlante
UnDisciplined HostMatthew LaPlante has reported on ritual infanticide in Northern Africa, insurgent warfare in the Middle East, the legacy of genocide in Southeast Asia, and gang violence in Central America. But a few years back, something occurred to him: Maybe the news doesn't have to be so brutally depressing all the time. These days, he balances his continuing work on more heartbreaking subjects with his work on UnDisciplined — Utah Public Radio's weekly program on science and discovery.
He is the author of "Superlative: The Biology of Extremes," the co-author of multiple other books on the intersection of science and society, and has led or contributed to more than 20 studies on climate variability and climate change. He earned a bachelor's degree in liberal arts from Oregon State University, a master's in education from California State University East Bay, and a doctorate in climate science from Utah State University.
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Rising global temperatures are already impacting human health. One survey suggests that most Americans haven’t yet felt this connection in their own lives or seen it in their own communities. But that might change — and soon. -
On July 6, 2018, listeners who were tuned into UPR heard UnDisciplined for the first time. Now, nearly seven years later, we’ve shared 300 episodes.
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Zach watched his dad become more and more susceptible to conspiracy theories. But when his dad bet him that 10 predictions would come true by the end of 2024, Zach thought he found a way to bring his dad back. -
The wildfires in Southern California are on track to become the costliest disaster in U.S. history, and a lot of people are already recognizing that this conflagration is going to send a shockwave through the insurance market. But, as it turns out, the economic impact won’t stop there. Wesleyan University economist Gary Yohe says that the fires have the potential to be a contagion that sends a sickness through the system. -
David Roberts clearly isn’t happy about the political direction of this country especially as it pertains to climate. But if you read his newsletter and listen to his podcast, you’ll realize that there are still a lot of cool people, doing cool stuff, with a chance to cool our world.
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David Roberts clearly isn’t happy about the political direction of this country especially as it pertains to climate. But if you read his newsletter and listen to his podcast, you’ll realize that there are still a lot of cool people, doing cool stuff, with a chance to cool our world. -
Rep. Kera Birkeland spent much of her political career writing and passing legislation aimed at trans Americans — legislation that many people view as cruel. And Birkeland most recent electoral opponent, Kris Campbell, says Birkeland’s actions and words have caused trans people like him to feel fear, anxiety and anger. But while many people have responded to Campbell with contempt, Birkeland has publicly called for grace.
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Rep. Kera Birkeland spent much of her political career writing and passing legislation aimed at trans Americans — legislation that many people view as cruel. And Birkeland most recent electoral opponent, Kris Campbell, says Birkeland’s actions and words have caused trans people like him to feel fear, anxiety and anger. But while many people have responded to Campbell with contempt, Birkeland has publicly called for grace. -
Social psychologist Nilanjana Dasgupta says our bottom-up approach to DEI training is likely ineffective, but there are simple, straight-forward and research-based steps that actually work to create more equitable institutions. -
Could these scientists and activists have gotten results if they’d been more nuanced about the risks to the Great Salt Lake? Probably not. Now, they’re dealing with the consequences.
