Y Magazine

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Generational Talent: The Story of BYU Animation through a Father and Son Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

BYU animation professor Craig P. Van Dyke (BFA ’03) recently had a full-circle moment as he watched his son, Connor Van Dyke (BFA ’25), win a Student Emmy for his short film, Love and Gold. Craig won a Student Emmy back in 2004 for the first ever computer-animated film created at BYU, Lemmings. Back then, the animation program didn’t even exist. Having been there every step of the way, the Van Dyke family has a unique perspective on the scrappy beginnings and resilience of BYU’s animation program.

Join host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) as she engages this father-son duo in a discussion about the growth and grit of BYU’s animation program, which remains one of the most successful collegiate animation programs in the nation.

This episode is connected with an article “Parallel Paths” that will appear in the Fall issue of Y Magazine.

Watch Love and Gold

Watch Lemmings

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like “BYU's World Campus with Kennedy Center Director Stan Benfell,” “How to Be a Planetary Explorer right here on Earth,” and “Not Your Grandma's Family History, How BYU's Record Linking Lab is Building the Family Tree.”

If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weathering the Storm: How to Prepare for Disasters Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

BYU alum D. James Siebert (BA ’92) is a meteorologist with a passion for preparedness. Having witnessed natural disasters firsthand, Siebert knows how important it is to be ready for all of the storms in our lives. “Becoming prepared is a lifestyle,” he says, “not an event.”

Join host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) as she talks to Siebert about emergency preparedness, including family habits and activities, developing a planning mindset, and adapting plans to fit your family’s changing needs.

This episode is connected with an article that will appear in the Fall issue of Y Magazine.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like “Faith, Journalism and Grief with The Atlantic's McKay Coppins,” “Saving Days: Ending Period Poverty with Days for Girls,” and “Cake by Courtney: Baking, Business and Faith.”

If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the Matter with America—and How to Fix It Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

The United States of America celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, but “we celebrate under ominous clouds,” says Judge Thomas B. Griffith (ret.) (BA ’78). Yet Griffith is hopeful. “There are green shoots coming up through the tundra,” he says.

Join host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) as she talks with Griffith about the state of the nation, the beauty of the constitution, and the role of latter-day saints in getting America back on track.

This episode is connected to the article “Promise and Peril at 250” by Thomas B. Griffith in the Summer 2026 issue of Y Magazine.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy “Disagree Without Disaster: How to Talk Politics with Family,” “Religious Freedom with Elizabeth Clark,” and “Making Peace: How to Mediate Conflict in Our Families.”

If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Facing AI with Faith Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

BYU computer science professor David Wingate (BS ’02, MS ’04) is a techno-optimist: “I recognize the dangers of AI . . . But I trust the goodness of people,” he says.

How can we use AI in productive ways to bless ourselves and others? Join Y Magazine podcast host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) as she talks to Wingate about using AI while avoiding the dangers.

This episode is connected to the article “Love Artificially” by Sara Smith Atwood from the Summer 2026 issue of Y Magazine.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy “To All: How AI is Helping Share Gospel Messages in Other Languages,” “Tech Support: Parenting Kids to Thrive in a Digital World,” and “Loneliness and Social Connection with Dr. Julianne Holt-Lundstad.”

If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"It's All About Love": Finding Time for Service May 07, 2026

Show notes

BYU student Paige R. Merkley (’27) is addicted to service. On Sunday afternoons she drinks root beer floats and chats with her adopted grandparent. On Tuesdays she dances with her friends at Adaptive Show Choir practice. On Thursdays she prepares the choreography for that choir. On Fridays she eats lunch with unhoused community members at the Food and Care Coalition. On Saturdays she plays basketball with the Special Olympics Collegiate Teams program. All of this while keeping a full schedule of classes.

In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, join host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) as she talks with Merkley and Y-Serve director Christopher J. Crippen (BS ’99) about how to fit service into your schedule.

You can find service opportunities in your community by visiting justserve.org.

This episode is based on the article “Do Gooding” by Brooklyn Hughes Roemer from the Winter 2026 issue of Y Magazine.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy “Saving Days: Ending Period Poverty with Days for Girls,” “Loving the Least of These: How a BYU Alum Helps the Homeless,” “High on a Mountain Top: Rescue Training in the Himalayas,” “Life and Breath: BYU Students Improve Public Health in Nepal,” and “Going Forth—It’s What We Do: How BYU Grads Are Making a Difference.”

If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To All: How AI is Helping Share Gospel Messages in Other Languages Apr 02, 2026

Show notes

“Language is probably one of the most pervasive uses of AI,” says BYU computer science professor Steve D. Richardson (BS ’77, MA ’80).

It’s prophesied in scripture that “every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue” (D&C 90:11), but, asks Richardson, “how is that going to happen when there are 7,000 languages in the world?”

The Pathsay project, a collaborative effort between BYU researchers and BYU Pathway students from all over Africa, are working on a way to bridge the gap by recording audio in low-resource languages like Xhosa, Twi, and Zulu and use it to train AI translation models. Richardson joins Y Magazine podcast host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) to discuss how the origins of this project, how it’s growing, and how it will serve communities around the world.

This episode is based on the article “Sounded in Every Ear” from the Winter 2026 issue of Y Magazine.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy “Tech Support: Parenting Kids to Thrive in a Digital World,” and “BYU’s World Campus with Kennedy Center Director Stan Benfell.”

If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How to Fix Youth Sports: Game-Changing BYU Researchers Have Ideas Mar 12, 2026

Show notes

Sports benefit kids in numerous ways: they reduce the risk of disease and mental illness, they improve performance in school, and they can even help kids do better at work later in life, says Matthew K. Seeley, a BYU biomechanics professor. But we’re also in the midst of what Seeley calls a “youth-sport culture crisis,” where kids are being pushed to specialize too early, chase scholarships, and train year-round—all things that can do more harm than good.

In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, listen in as Seeley talks with host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) about his initiative, the Strong Youth Project, which aims to improve youth sports, and offers advice to parents and coaches on how to help kids experience the benefits of sports without the burnout and stress.

You can learn more about the Strong Youth Project and access their podcast at exsc.byu.edu.

This episode is based on the article “Raising Happy Athletes” from the Winter 2026 issue of Y Magazine.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy “Lifelong Wellness,” where BYU student wellness instructors offer personal health tips, and “Refugee Soccer: Finding Belonging Through Sport,” where a BYU alum shares his experience creating belonging in refugee communities through soccer.

If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bible Backstory: Why Read Other Translations? Feb 05, 2026

Show notes

Which translations of the Bible should you use in your family or personal study? How did different Bible translations come about in the first place? Join host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) in learning from BYU ancient scripture professor Matthew J. Grey (BA ’03) about the Church’s new policy on Bible translations, the history of those translations, and where to start your own study.

Try exploring these verses using different Bible translations:

Matthew 6:25–34, Matthew 5:22, John 1:1, and 1 John 2:2.

You can access all of the modern translations recommended in the Church Handbook online at Bible.com.

This episode is based on the article that will publish in the Summer 2026 issue of Y Magazine.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy “10 Tips from BYU Religion Professors to Deepen Your Book of Mormon Study” and “Gospel on the Go: Three BYU Podcasts to Enrich Your Study.”

If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How to Put Down the Phone and Pick Up a Conversation Jan 22, 2026

Show notes

In an age of digital communication, remote work, and social media, the World Health Organization recognizes social disconnection as a worldwide epidemic. What is the solution? Othello L. Richards (BA ’03, MA ’17), communications professor and former on-air reporter, has some ideas.

In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, Richards joins host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) in a conversation about conversations—how to start them, how to keep them going, and how to get better at them.

This episode is based on the article “Asking Good Questions” from the Fall 2025 issue of Y Magazine.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy “Loneliness and Social Connection with Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad,” an episode exploring the physical impact of isolation, and “Disagree Without Disaster: How to Talk Politics With Family,” where a political science professor discusses how to have better disagreements.

If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Loving the Least of These: How a BYU Alum Helps the Homeless Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

For Brent S. Crane (BS ’93), caring for individuals living in poverty or without homes is about more than just providing food. As executive director of Provo’s Food & Care Coalition, Crane helps provide meals, hot showers, clean clothes, hygiene products, and healthcare services every day—and the mission of each service is to provide dignity and care to individuals, no matter the circumstances they’re coming from.

In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, Crane joins host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) to discuss the power of humanizing unhoused and low-income populations, and how the community has come together to serve those in need.

This episode is based on the article “Opening Opportunities” in the Fall 2025 issue of Y Magazine.

You can learn more about the Food & Care Coalition and look for volunteer opportunities at foodandcare.org. You can also watch a video about BYU’s hydroponics partnership here.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy “Refugee Soccer: Finding Belonging Through Sport,” where a BYU alum shares his efforts to help refugees find belonging in the US through soccer.

If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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