Four women escaped Hitler and helped shape science technology used today
Mar 03, 2025
"Sisters in Science: How Four Women Physicists Escaped Nazi Germany and Made Scientific History," by Olivia Campbell, tells the story of four prominent female physicists - Lise Meitner, Hertha Sponer, Hedwig Kohn, and Hildegard Stücklen - who were forced to flee Nazi Germany, two due due to their Jewish heritage. Their sisterhood and scientific curiosity helped them navigate perilous escapes and continue their groundbreaking research in new countries, including the United States. These women ultimately revolutionized the field of physics despite immense obstacles, leading to a Nobel Prize (although not awarded to them) and highlighting the power of female solidarity in the face of adversity.
Olivia Campbell joins the Exchange to discuss her new book.
From 'Sundown' to 'Sunrise' ... the Oregon Remembrance Project helps Oregon cities transform
Feb 27, 2025
( Oregon Public Broadcasting)
The Oregon Remembrance Project partners with Oregon cities that have stopped hiding their history of hostility toward Black and other nonwhite populations and embraced a process of transforming from a "sundown" town to a "sunrise" city.
When Oregon joined the Union in 1859, it did so as a "slave free" state. But only because Oregon did not want slaveholders to bring Black people into a state established as a "white Utopia." While numerous cities pockmarked the American landscape from coast to coast identified as "sundown towns" by Black Americans fleeing the hostility of the south through the Great Migration north and west, Oregon was regarded as a sundown state.
Today, the Oregon Remembrance Project, through its "Sunrise Project" is doing the work of helping cities remember the inherited conditions from the past (which continue to have influence on present-day conditions and community attitudes) and engage in an educational process of transforming the former "sundown" moniker into a "sunrise" brand that welcomes and embraces a more diverse and multicultural population. The Ashland Sunrise Project is part of the growing network.
Joining the Exchange are two guests:
Taylor Stewart is the founder and Executive Director of the Oregon Remembrance Project.
Jeff LaLande, Ph.D., is a retired archaeologist and historian for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest after 30 years and former adjunct professor at Southern Oregon University, where he taught for 20 years.
Oregon forest history: from Hoedads to Pineros
Feb 27, 2025
A crew with worker cooperative Hoedads Inc. rest between planting trees.(Hoedads Inc. )
JPR reporter Justin Higginbottom joins the Exchange with a report on the history of non-logging forestry work in Oregon ... from the Hoedads to the Pineros. We'll learn how they are connected and how the industry has evolved over time.
We'll examine the current reliance on guest workers and address some of the concerns about this industry, such as lower wages and worker safety. Justin will walk us across a timeline of history to the present day and talk about the future expectations under the current administration in Washington DC.
Report: Education spending in Oregon up, test scores down
Feb 26, 2025
JPR's award-winning reporter Jane Vaughan provides an update on her reporting on the status of Oregon's education. Recent research examined public spending on education across the country, compared with student test scores in reading and math.
The data shows that some states, including California and Oregon, have increased their spending over the past decade, but student test scores have decreased. Oregon’s test scores are particularly low.
Dr. Marguerite Roza is a research professor at Georgetown University and Director of the Edunomics Lab, which conducted this research. JPR’s Jane Vaughan spoke with Roza about her research, what it means, and how to increase student test scores.
$5M in federal funds for CAL FIRE's forestry improvement program put on hold
Feb 26, 2025
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) in January announced it expected to receive $5 million in federal funding to support the California Forest Improvement Program (CFIP).
This funding comes as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Inflation Reduction Act funding to strengthen financial incentives for private forest landowners to manage their forests sustainably and to permanently conserve private forests in partnership with states. Nearly $210 million was awarded as competitive grants to state agencies, for-profit entities and a broad array of non-profit organizations.
The California Forest Improvement Program will deliver technical assistance and direct cost share payments to support the implementation of forest resilience and climate mitigation practices across 2,458 acres of private nonindustrial forest land with this additional funding.
Stewart McMorrow joins the Exchange to discuss the challenges in forestry resilience amid the impact of climate change. Stewart is the Staff Chief of the Wildfire Resilience Program at CAL FIRE.
Oregon bill HB 2001 offers protections for housing tenants
Feb 25, 2025
(M.O. Stevens / Wikimedia)
Oregon State Senator Kayse Jama (D) joins the Exchange to discuss HB 2001, which was bill passed into law in 2023. Senator Jama represents district 24, which covers the east Portland region.
Becky Straus also joins the Exchange. She is the Managing Attorney of Oregon Law Center's Eviction Defense Project.
Among a range of housing tenant protections, HB 2001 includes the sealing of certain inoperative residential eviction judgments and removes them from the public record.
Update on homelessness in Grants Pass
Feb 25, 2025
JPR's award-winning reporter Jane Vaughan joins the Exchange to discuss her coverage of the ongoing challenges of homelessness in Grants Pass for policymakers, residents, visitors, community leaders and activists and ... of course, the humans who are experiencing first-hand the trauma of having no permanent safe refuge to go and belong where they can call home.
JANE VAUGHAN's RECENT REPORTS ON HOMELESSNESS IN GRANTS PASS
Keon asks critical questions about racism and seeks out the answers through science, such as "Do We Have a Problem?" which is a chapter in Part I of four parts that divide his book. He also addresses the notion of "systemic racism" in the same section.
In Part II, Keon dives into "conscious and unconscious bias." In one of the chapters in this section, he explains "How to be Racist while Believing You're Not."
In Part III, Keon offers insight into the "Complexities of Racism." He also writes a chapter on "Reverse Racism" contained in this section of his book.
Finally, in Part IV, Keon provides the science of "Dealing With Racism, Scientifically." He asks a critical question in a chapter titled, "Are Diversity Initiatives really Helping?" and he provides a pathway to addressing the issue in a chapter titled, "How to Effectively Reduce Racism."
The JX explores the mind of Keon West and examines his book.
What big societal issues do teens care about?
Feb 24, 2025
Ashland teacher, Samantha McMillan and her students Zoe and Theo join JPR host Mike Green in the studio.(JPR Senior Producer Natalie Golay)
An Ashland teacher is helping her students elevate their voices of concern around big societal issues. Samantha McMillan is a KQED Media Literacy Innovator. In her role teaching media literacy to students, Samantha encouraged her students to use media as a tool to elevate awareness around systemic issues of concern to them.
Samantha joins the Exchange in studio to discuss the program and its impact in the classroom. She is joined by two of her students, Theo (7th grade) and Zoe (8th grade), who have both produced Public Service Announcements (PSAs) regarding climate change and the mental health of sports athletes respectively for the KQED Youth Media Challenge. We'll hear samples from both PSAs.
Land ownership is the 'American Dream'
Feb 20, 2025
Writer and Director Mark Decena and Impact Producer Lynn Waymer of the film "Farming While Black" are guests on the Jefferson Exchange.( <a href="https://www.farmingwhileblackfilm.com/meet-the-team" target="_blank" link-data="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"0000016e-ccea-ddc2-a56e-edfe69b60000","_type":"ae3387cc-b875-31b7-b82d-63fd8d758c20"},"cms.content.publishDate":1739918671760,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000190-0d82-dd85-a79d-afae039b0000","_type":"6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc"},"cms.content.updateDate":1739918671760,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000190-0d82-dd85-a79d-afae039b0000","_type":"6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc"},"cms.directory.paths":[],"anchorable.showAnchor":false,"link":{"attributes":[],"cms.directory.paths":[],"linkText":"Farming While Black","target":"NEW","attachSourceUrl":false,"url":"https://www.farmingwhileblackfilm.com/meet-the-team","_id":"00000195-1b3b-d14c-ab97-bbffe99e0001","_type":"ff658216-e70f-39d0-b660-bdfe57a5599a"},"_id":"00000195-1b3b-d14c-ab97-bbffe99e0000","_type":"809caec9-30e2-3666-8b71-b32ddbffc288"}">Farming While Black</a>)
"Farming While Black" is a documentary film that examines the plight of Black farmers in the U.S. and showcases the efforts of Black leaders like Leah Penniman, Karen Washington, and Blain Snipstal to reclaim agricultural land and practices.
The film chronicles their work in sustainable farming and food justice and highlights how these efforts are shaping a movement for revolutionary justice.
Historically, Black farmers owned 14% of all American farmland in 1910, a number that has now dropped to less than 2% due to systemic racism, discriminatory policies, and land dispossession.
Joining the Exchange are two guests: Mark Decena is a writer and director of the film. Lynn Waymer is co-producer and impact producer. And Eddie Hill is the owner of five farms in the Pacific Northwest and Director of FoodLoop Northwest.
The film not only highlights these efforts but also looks toward a brighter future where Black farmers reclaim their rightful place in agriculture, and their practices can help address environmental challenges and food insecurity.
SCREENING IN ASHLAND
DATE: February 20, 2025
TIME: 7 PM
LOCATION: Varsity Theatre (166 E Main St, Ashland, OR)
Focus on Career and Technical Education; February is also National CTE Month
Feb 20, 2025
( <a href="https://roguecc.edu/" target="_blank" link-data="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"0000016e-ccea-ddc2-a56e-edfe69b60000","_type":"ae3387cc-b875-31b7-b82d-63fd8d758c20"},"cms.content.publishDate":1739915885962,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000190-0d82-dd85-a79d-afae039b0000","_type":"6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc"},"cms.content.updateDate":1739915885962,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000190-0d82-dd85-a79d-afae039b0000","_type":"6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc"},"cms.directory.paths":[],"anchorable.showAnchor":false,"link":{"attributes":[],"cms.directory.paths":[],"linkText":"Rogue Community College","target":"NEW","attachSourceUrl":false,"url":"https://roguecc.edu/","_id":"00000195-1b11-d0ff-afdf-9b9f623a0000","_type":"ff658216-e70f-39d0-b660-bdfe57a5599a"},"_id":"00000195-1b11-d0ff-afdf-9b9f61960000","_type":"809caec9-30e2-3666-8b71-b32ddbffc288"}">Rogue Community College</a>)
Throughout February, Oregon’s community colleges will spotlight career and technical education (CTE) programs in recognition of National CTE Month.
Dave Koehler, Dean of Instruction at Rogue Community College with JPR host Mike Green on February 20, 2025.(JPR Senior Producer Natalie Golay)
CTE programs at community colleges are tailored to address the specific needs of local communities, ensuring students gain the training necessary to meet the demands of regional industries. By offering targeted, hands-on education, Oregon’s community colleges are key to filling critical workforce gaps and supporting economic growth. According to a 2023 economic impact report from Lightcast, a national labor market analysis firm, Oregon’s community colleges generated $9.6 billion for the state economy in fiscal year 2021-22, supporting 117,970 jobs — that’s one in every 22 jobs in Oregon.
Recently, a bond that would have given RCC more than $60 million to support their technical programs failed in the 2024 general election. The college was hoping to use that to expand their CTE program, which now has greater demand than supply.
Black and white keys on a piano make good music, but can a Black man find harmony with the KKK?
Feb 19, 2025
Image still from the documentary film, "Accidental Courtesy." Daryl Davis with Scott Shepherd, a self-professed reformed member of the Ku Klux Klan.( Matt Ornstein)
"Accidental Courtesy" is a documentary film about a Black man's friendship with KKK members ... and the transformative influence he has on their lives.
Matt Ornstein is the producer and director of the film. He joins the Exchange to discuss his film and the issues it addresses.
The documentary follows Daryl Davis, an accomplished Black musician, a piano player who has played all over the world with legends like Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry. He also has an unusual and controversial hobby: Daryl likes to meet and befriend members of the KKK, many of whom have never met a black person. When some of these same people decide to leave the Klan, Daryl keeps their robes and hoods — building his collection piece by piece, story by story, person by person.
In "Accidental Courtesy," Daryl takes the viewer on a journey from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to Memphis, from Alabama to Ferguson, Missouri, as he recounts the entwined history of Black America and popular music. Along the way, the viewer is invited to sit in as he questions several current and former Klan leaders, as well as young Black Lives Matter activists who vehemently disagree with his tactics.
ABOUT MATT ORNSTEIN:
Matt Ornstein (Producer/Director) founded Sound & Vision Productions in 2006. Since then, Sound & Vision has produced and developed music videos and commercials as well as short and feature-length films.
Sound & Vision produced the Matt Ornstein-directed Atlantis in 2012, starring Jason Ritter and the space shuttle Atlantis. The film was shown at festivals including Austin, Orlando, London, Cannes, Santa Barbara, Taiwan, and 15 others.
Matt is the Creative Director of Sound & Vision, and has directed music videos for artists including Radiohead and Daft Punk. He studied film at Bard College.
What can nature teach us about economic sustainability?
Feb 19, 2025
John Giordanengo is an economist, ecologist and CEO of Economic Restoration.( John Giordanengo)
What does sustainable living mean? How can we manage our societal resources to reap the common benefits that the earth provides without compromising future generations, nor the health of the ecosystems we rely upon? How can we live with a mindset of sustainability in a society that promotes unlimited economic growth …despite limited resources?
John Giordanengo joins the Exchange to help us understand the conflicts between conservation and capitalism. He is the Principal Restoration Economist, Ecologist and CEO of Economic Restoration. He has three decades of experience and research in business, economics, ecology, and conservation.
John will be the featured speaker at Southern Oregon Climate Action Now’s February Meeting at the Medford Public Library on Tuesday February 25th at 6pm.
John's talk will offer insights into sustainable economies and explore the dynamic relationship between three governing components of highly complex systems—diversity, energy, and trade.
Documentary about dementia reveals a race against time to mend relations between mother and son
Feb 18, 2025
Memory swirl - still image from the documentary film "Time Passages" by Director Kyle Henry.(Kyle Henry)
TIME PASSAGES is an independent documentary film being screened at Southern Oregon University on February 23 at 6pm with a live Q&A with the director Kyle Henry afterwards.
Kyle Henry joins the Exchange to discuss his documentary film.
Kyle Henry is the director of the documentary film, "Time Passages."( Kyle Henry)
TIME PASSAGES is a deeply personal documentary where Kyle "time travels" as his mother's health declines from late-stage dementia in a race to resolve their relationship before it's too late. The film has a diversity of mediums, including animation and archival, and represents themes of caregiving, dementia and grief. The film team is also partnering with Caring Across Generations, an organization dedicated to building care systems, to elevate the conversation around eldercare.
How can we better support BIPOC adoptees in Oregon?
Feb 18, 2025
Liana Soifer, Co-founder and Executive Director of BIPOC Adoptees VOICES joins the Exchange to discuss the work of her organization along with Lisa Butler, a board member and BIPOC Adoptee
Both guests provide insight into some of the complexities of BIPOC adoption, such as loss of identity and connection to culture from interracial adoptions, exploitative adoption circumstances, and kids not having anyone who looks like them in their family or in their community. We also discuss the resources and support their organization provides.
To learn more or support the organization, visit their website: bipocadoptees.org
Screen addiction is real for kids, with real consequences ... and solutions
Feb 18, 2025
We live in an age of extraordinary technological addiction. We find ourselves spending more time in front of screens than in front of faces. Children and teens, in particular, find it difficult to manage their time productively when entranced by the addictive siren of the screen.
Something is happening to our brains when we stare at a television or laptop screen for many hours, or interact with a smartphone and laptop screen for most of the day … or prefer to connect, chat or simply play with others through a screen rather than in person. The addiction to the screen is real. And for children and teens, it can have real adverse consequences that are debilitating. Fortunately, there are solutions.
Dr. Richard Cytowic joins the Exchange. He’s the author of “Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age: Coping with Digital Distraction and Sensory Overload.” Dr. Cytowic is Professor of Neurology at George Washington University. He is also the author of the books, "Synesthesia, The Man Who Tasted Shapes," and also "Wednesday is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia."
Longtime educator gets to the heart of the magic in learning
Feb 18, 2025
After all these years, Kathleen Corley still loves school. She's spent her whole life in schools, most recently as a principal in a South Carolina elementary school. She cuts through the debate about school performance by going to the heart of the matter: how children learn, and how adults can support them.
Lunar New Year celebration will kick off the Year of the Snake
Feb 14, 2025
The Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association is producing its annual Lunar New Year Celebration in Jacksonville on February 15.(<a href="https://www.socca.us/" target="_blank" link-data="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"0000016e-ccea-ddc2-a56e-edfe69b60000","_type":"ae3387cc-b875-31b7-b82d-63fd8d758c20"},"cms.content.publishDate":1739479214737,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000190-0d82-dd85-a79d-afae039b0000","_type":"6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc"},"cms.content.updateDate":1739479214737,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000190-0d82-dd85-a79d-afae039b0000","_type":"6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc"},"cms.directory.paths":[],"anchorable.showAnchor":false,"link":{"attributes":[],"cms.directory.paths":[],"linkText":" socca.us","target":"NEW","attachSourceUrl":false,"url":"https://www.socca.us/","_id":"00000195-010a-d6dc-a7b7-374f59430001","_type":"ff658216-e70f-39d0-b660-bdfe57a5599a"},"_id":"00000195-010a-d6dc-a7b7-374f59430000","_type":"809caec9-30e2-3666-8b71-b32ddbffc288"}"> socca.us</a>)
The Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association (SOCCA) is preparing to usher in the Lunar New Year with a celebration honoring multiple Asian cultures.
Jeresa Hren is Founding President of the Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association. She joins the Exchange to offer more insights about the annual celebration.
When: Saturday, February 15, 2025; 10 AM to 3 PM.
Location: The Lion Dance will start the day at 10 AM in Jacksonville, Oregon at the new Jacksonville City Hall, downtown near the Community Center, Library and Miner's Bazaar.
Can home sharing help ease Oregon's affordable housing crisis?
Feb 13, 2025
( Homeshare Oregon)
HomeShare Oregon is encouraging owners of single family homes to change the cultural norm and share rooms in their residences.
Savenia Falquist is Executive Director of Homeshare Oregon and joins the Exchange to discuss homesharing as an available solution to the region's affordable housing crisis. Homeshare Oregon connects home providers who have spare space to share with renters seeking out affordable housing.
As a nonprofit, HomeShare Oregon has three priority goals:
1. To culturally normalize homesharing as a practical solution to Oregon’s affordable housing crisis, while working to remove any stigma associated with it.
2. To increase direct services to seniors, the fastest-growing homeless population in the state, particularly among women and BIPOC communities who face the highest risk of displacement. Homesharing offers seniors not only financial stability but also companionship, a greater sense of security, and the ability to age in place with dignity.
3. To incentivize homesharing and work with partners and agencies to provide incentives to someone opening their home to homesharing, as well as offer a potential tax incentive for home providers.
What can we do to eliminate racial segregation in housing where we live?
Feb 13, 2025
(Headshot photos by Judy Licht and Michele Poulin)
Leah Rothstein joins the Exchange again to discuss the ongoing problem of racial discrimination in housing and steps we can take to address it.
In 2023, Leah Rothstein teamed with her father, Richard Rothstein, up to write, "Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted under the Color of Law." We featured Leah on the show previously for this book in October 2023. We invited her back during Black History Month 2025 to further explore this topic and how ordinary people can take action in their communities to desegregate housing.
Leah's latest book with her father is a sequel to the 2017 popular book, "The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America." In it, Richard provides detailed insights into how the federal government, along with state and local governments and private sector co-conspirators, intentionally promoted and enforced racial segregation.
Leah Rothstein's bio: Leah Rothstein’s expertise in the full range of housing policy stems from more than two decades as a community and union organizer and a consultant to housing developers, cities and counties, redevelopment agencies, and private firms. She specializes in community development and affordable housing policy, practice, and finance.
Leah has worked on public policy and community change, from the grassroots to the halls of government. She led research on reforming community corrections policy and practice to be focused on rehabilitation, not punishment. She has been a consultant on community development and affordable housing policy, practice, and finance. Her policy work is informed by her years as a community and labor organizer.
Leah received a Bachelor Degree, with honors, in American Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a Master of Public Policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley.
Leah lives in Oakland, California with her partner, Skye. To resist the isolation of single-family housing, they have created a co-housing compound with friends.
Richard Rothstein's bio: Richard Rothstein is a research associate of the Economic Policy Institute, where his recent work has documented the history of state-sponsored residential segregation. In addition, he is a Senior Fellow at the Haas Institute at the University of California, Berkeley and the author of "Grading Education: Getting Accountability Right" (2008), "Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic and Educational Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap" (2004), and "The Way We Were? Myths and Realities of America’s Student Achievement" (1998). He is co-author of "The Charter School Dust-Up: Examining the Evidence on Enrollment and Achievement" (2005); and "All Else Equal: Are Public and Private Schools Different?" (2003).
From 1999 to 2002, Richard Rothstein was the national education columnist for the New York Times. Mr. Rothstein lectures widely about issues of equity, race, and education. His many articles on these topics, as well as videos and audios of many of his lectures, can be found HERE.
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