Y Magazine

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Not Your Grandma’s Family History: How BYU’s Record Linking Lab Is Building the Family Tree Feb 15, 2024

Show notes

When BYU economics professor Joseph P. Price (BA ’03) realized that FamilySearch lacked coverage of many African American and international individuals, he employed AI tools to expand coverage of the human family and help build our genealogical ties. Through BYU’s Record Linking Lab (rll.byu.edu), his team has already added 50 million people to the tree. But the work isn’t done. The lab calls on the rising generation to broaden its circle of love by adding to the family tree and creating a wealth of names ready for temple ordinances. On this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, join host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) and Joe Price as they unpack the inspiration behind the Record Linking Lab, how it finds and connects people, and how you can get involved.

This episode was based on the article “Linking Families” by Miriam Brantley Merrill in the winter 2023 issue of Y Magazine.

Get involved with the Record Linking Lab here and find more BYU-created family-history resources from the Family History Technology Lab.

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Loneliness and Social Connection with Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad Feb 01, 2024

Show notes

Odds are, you’ve experienced loneliness at least a time or two. According to BYU psychology professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad (BS ’94, MS ’98), loneliness is a part of everyone’s human experience; and feeling isolated can be worse for your health than big-name problems like obesity, alcoholism, and pollution. On this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) and Holt-Lunstad discuss the biological explanation behind feelings of loneliness, the effects of social isolation on physical health, and the power of social connection. Listen in for tips on maintaining a healthy social life and connecting with those around you.

This episode was based on the article “Loneliness: The Shadow Pandemic” by Melody McGrath Warnick in the summer 2020 issue of Y Magazine.

If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d really appreciate your feedback in a listener survey, so we can make more of the types of episodes you like best. Take the survey here.

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True Blue BYU Friendship Jan 18, 2024

Show notes

Have you ever made an unlikely friend who ended up changing your life? Turns out, that’s not so uncommon here at Brigham Young University. In this episode, we’ll hear from four alumni who share their unique stories of friendship—each starting on campus and making a lasting impact. From unrequited crushes to Christlike service, these tales can teach us a thing or two about how to be a true friend.

This episode is based on the First Person article “Forever BYU Friends” in the winter 2024 issue of Y Magazine. If you’d like to submit a BYU memory for publication in First Person for a future issue, we’re currently collecting your (reverently) humorous, heartwarming, or inspiring stories about the Provo Temple. The deadline to submit an experience is March, 20, 2023. Email firstperson@byu.edu with ancedotes of up to 300 words.

If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d really appreciate your feedback in a listener survey, so we can make more of the types of episodes you like best. Take the survey here.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post biweekly on Thursdays.

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10 Tips from BYU Religion Professors to Deepen Your Book of Mormon Study Jan 04, 2024

Show notes

To enhance your Come, Follow Me study of Book of Mormon in 2024, learn 10 study techniques from BYU religion professors Joseph M. Spencer (BA ’04) and Daniel L. Belnap (BA ’96, MA ’99). Whether you’re studying the Book of Mormon individually, as a family, in a seminary or institute class, or in Sunday School, Spencer and Belnap suggest we “zoom in and out” as we read, looking at the scriptures on both a micro and macro level.

Technique 1: Investigate the social and cultural context.
Technique 2: Think about Mormon’s editorial choices.
Technique 3: Apply what you read to your own life.
Technique 4: Look at each book as a whole.
Technique 5: Read sermons of individual prophets and look for themes.
Technique 6: Analyze (and even act out) individual stories.
Technique 7: Focus on one verse and ask specific questions.
Technique 8: Remove the punctuation and then add it back in yourself.
Technique 9: Look up meanings of individual words.
Technique 10: Read the entire Book of Mormon in a short period of time.
Articles and Resources by Dan Belnap
Articles and Resources by Joseph Spencer

This is episode is based on the article “Slow Down Your Book of Mormon Study,” a Q&A with Spencer in the winter 2024 issue of Y Magazine.
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Spiritual Lessons and a 30-Foot Fall Dec 21, 2023

Show notes

This summer, Y Magazine podcast host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) took a serious tumble—a fall of 30 feet while rock climbing in Provo's Rock Canyon. Miraculously, she landed in the only Whitney-shaped clearing possible—an inch or two higher or to the right, and she would have hit her head on a rock. The injuries she did sustain weren’t insignificant—from a shattered sacrum to a grisly compound wrist fracture, Whitney had a long road to recovery ahead of her. However, Whitney recalls the immediate spiritual promptings she received from God as soon as the accident occurred that let her know that this experience was going to help her—and her family—learn and grow. She shares her spiritual lessons in this episode of the Y Magazine podcast.

This episode is based on the upcoming article “Lessons from the Fall” by Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) from the winter 2024 issue of Y Magazine.

Also, if you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d really appreciate your feedback in a listener survey, so we can make more of the types of episodes you like best. Take the survey here.

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Going Forth to Teach Dec 07, 2023

Show notes

Who comes to mind when you think of your favorite teacher? It’s probably someone who ignited a passion, instilled confidence, or cared deeply. On this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, join host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) in chatting with two inspiring teachers who graduated from BYU and went forth to teach: high school physics teacher Wesley R. Morgan (BS ’18) in Springville, Utah, and ESL and ethnic-studies teacher Natalia Alvarez Benjamin (BS ’99, MA ’07) in Rochester, Minnesota.

Learn about how these teachers get creative to reach their pupils—from Morgan’s remote-control cars, balloon experiments, and daily hands-on lab activities to Benjamin’s assignment for students to interview an admirable person in their community. Then hear about what drives these teachers in their profession. You may even be inspired to go thank a teacher of your own.

This episode is based on the article “A Mile in Their Shoes” by Margaret J. Sheffield (’23) in the winter 2022 issue and the article “Resonating Lessons” by Rachel Hatch Webb (’24) in the fall 2023 issue of Y Magazine.
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Students Engineer Prosthetic Solutions for Ecuador Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

In May 2023, a group of BYU engineering students touched down at the airport in Quito, Ecuador. They were headed to Prótesis Imbabura, a small prosthetics clinic. It was time to put their work to the test: the students had been designing and redesigning two key components for prosthetic legs—liners and foot shells. Their goal was to make components that were both affordable and comfortable and that could be manufactured locally to avoid import costs. This project was done by a team of students in the Global Engineering Outreach Program (GEO) at BYU and an engineering capstone class.

In this episode, hear about the prosthetics project from chemical-engineering professor Randy S. Lewis (BS ’89) and students Anya R. Jeppsen (’24), Cody Messick (BS ’23), and Joshua S. Frei (BS ’20).

This episode is based on the article “Making Strides” in the fall 2023 issue of Y Magazine.
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Take a Tour of BYU’s New Music Building Oct 31, 2023

Show notes

Join our host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) and assistant director of the School of Music Mark J. Ammons (BMu ’85) on an audio tour of BYU’s new Music Building. This state-of-the-art building opened in January 2023 and houses acoustically impressive performance halls, upgraded recording studios, and improved classrooms and practice spaces for daily use. From the Concert Hall to Studio Y to the Percussion Rehearsal Room, the building is designed for the needs of today’s music students.

To see 360 videos and hear musical performances and rehearsals from rooms in the building, visit the article “Hitting the Right Notes” in the fall 2023 issue of Y Magazine.

Special thanks to Hayley Singley Kirkland (BS ’10) for creating the musical subheads and the BYU Jazz Voices for singing in the episode. Commercial-music student Adam M.Keith (’25) ran the recording session for those subheads.
This episode is based on the article “Hitting the Right Notes” by Denya I. Palmer (BA ’16) in the fall 2023 issue of Y Magazine.

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From Refugee to Student to Teacher Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

As a member of the displaced Karen people, BYU international-relations student Laesgaw K’Chawtee (’25) spent his early childhood in a Thailand refugee camp—about as far from Provo, Utah, as you can get. So how did he become a sophomore at Brigham Young University teaching a 300-level Karen-language course for returned missionaries?

Speaking with his friend and Y Magazine intern Coleman S. Numbers (’26), K’Chawtee shares how his family’s immigration to Buffalo, New York, eventually led him to find The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and serve a mission in Kentucky, where he taught and served fellow Karen immigrants. Following his mission he came to BYU to study and would later teach the first Karen language class at the university. Tune in to find out how BYU guided K’Chawtee in his personal faith journey and helped him form a lifelong vision for serving his people.

This episode is based on the article “Called for Life” by Coleman S. Numbers (’26) in the fall 2023 issue of Y Magazine.

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Religious Freedom with Elizabeth Clark Sep 21, 2023

Show notes

“Religious freedom isn’t just for believers,” says Elizabeth A. Clark (BA ’94, JD ’97), associate director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at BYU. “What religious freedom does is preserve a space where people can make choices.”

In this episode, Whitney and Elizabeth Clark discuss religious freedom—what it really is, why it matters, and what we can do to stand up for it. They cover how religious freedom impacts international relations, communities, and individuals, and they discuss how religious freedom is vital for everyone, whether you follow a faith tradition or not. Listen to learn more and get suggestions on what you can do in your own life to support religious freedom.
Check out the Annual International Law and Religion Symposium, happening Oct. 1–3, 2023. Recordings of the plenaries and breakout session will be made available after the event.

This episode is based on the article “Liberty for All” in the fall 2023 issue of Y Magazine, publishing later this year.

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