The Vandal Theory
“The Vandal Theory” podcast asks, “What gets University of Idaho researchers’ brains buzzing ... besides coffee?” These award-winning stories showcase researchers exploring and solving real-world problems. With interviews on all things Vandal, discover the world of U of I research with hosts Leigh Cooper and Danae Lenz.
Episodes
November 17, 2025 • 26 mins
Question: How much do you know about where the fish you eat come from?
Brian Small (go.uidaho.edu/4oLfkzy) is the director of the University of Idaho Aquaculture Research Institute (go.uidaho.edu/49wNXVx) and a professor of fish physiology in the College of Natural Resources (go.uidaho.edu/4hZSZMq). In this episode, he explains how research on fish nutrition, alternative fish diets and sturgeon caviar supports both the aquacultur...
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November 10, 2025 • 26 mins
Question: Did you ever learn about investing in school?
Meet Duff Bergquist (go.uidaho.edu/47Ud6rE), Barker Capital Management and Trading Program (go.uidaho.edu/3JGcSLs) director and senior instructor of finance. The Barker program along with its sister club, teach students about investing using real money. The students work with industry partners and alumni to learn about wealth management, risk management and financial analyse...
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November 3, 2025 • 29 mins
Question: What’s your favorite example of evolution?
Christine Parent (go.uidaho.edu/3WOPJtz) is a professor in the College of Science (go.uidaho.edu/4oJww8r) who studies the evolutionary biology of snails. In this episode, she shares how she earned the nickname “Snail Hunter,” what it’s like tracking these tiny creatures across the rugged landscapes of the Galápagos and what they can teach us about how life evolves. She’ll even ...
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October 27, 2025 • 28 mins
Question: What is your favorite horror movie?
Meet Russ Meeuf (go.uidaho.edu/4nj1jI2), professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Media (go.uidaho.edu/48I6Wfb) at University of Idaho — and a scholar who knows monsters better than most. What makes a monster truly terrifying? What do these creatures reveal about our deepest fears, our society and ourselves? And why do monsters evolve as our cultural anxieties change? Russ will ...
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October 20, 2025 • 29 mins
Question: Do you have a favorite myth?
Rochelle Smith (go.uidaho.edu/3WaYWMi) is the humanities librarian for the U of I Library (go.uidaho.edu/48ru5Cx). In this episode, she discusses the surprising ways gods, goddesses and other beings across cultures are connected to crafting and making. She also shares why these stories still matter today and what they reveal about human creativity and imagination.
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October 13, 2025 • 29 mins
Meet Tyler Bland (go.uidaho.edu/3Vt7q0W), clinical assistant professor in the School of Health and Medical Professions (go.uidaho.edu/4nJgRFM). Medical students struggle to learn and retain the fire hose of information they need to become doctors. Bland explains how he is using ingenuity, imagination and AI to create Pokémon-esque monsters and medically-themed movies to help his students learn.
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October 6, 2025 • 29 mins
Question: Have you ever repaired clothing?
Chelsey Byrd Lewallen (go.uidaho.edu/4gZXuWQ) is a senior instructor in the Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences (https://go.uidaho.edu/3KrkCRR) at U of I and a sewist who’s rethinking the way we wear, care for and keep our clothes. In this episode, she discusses her new book, “Clothing Alterations and Repairs: Maintaining a Sustainable Wardrobe” (go.uidaho.edu/4o7syGp...
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September 25, 2025 • 27 mins
Do you know where your water comes from?
Meet Liz Bageant (go.uidaho.edu/46eWQ3X), economist with James A. and Louise McClure Center for Public Policy Research (go.uidaho.edu/4pvdeEZ). Liz is going to discuss how Idaho’s growing population, its aging infrastructure and regulations affect the future of drinking and waste water (go.uidaho.edu/4mlmnNt) in the Gem state and the jobs that this industry supports.
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September 22, 2025 • 59 secs
A new season of "The Vandal Theory" kicks off Monday, Sept. 29, with a lineup as curious and wide-ranging as ever. From teaching medical students through Pokémon, to exploring the future of Idaho’s water systems, to rethinking what it means to dress sustainably, season 10 is packed with discoveries. You’ll also hear unexpected twists in world mythology — plus a Halloween episode that brings monsters to life.
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July 28, 2025 • 9 mins
Alistair Smith (go.uidaho.edu/4mbiISI) is a professor and department chair in University of Idaho’s Department of Earth and Spatial Sciences (go.uidaho.edu/419qiFi). He’s working with power companies across the globe to identify which types of vegetation are most likely to ignite — and what can be done to stop wildfires before they start. At U of I’s combustion lab, his team tests how vegetation burns under different conditions, he...
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July 18, 2025 • 7 mins
Feng Li (go.uidaho.edu/3UdtdZK) is the Micron Endowed Professor of Microelectronics at University of Idaho and director of the Next Generation Microelectronics Research Center (go.uidaho.edu/44MLoKG). He’s helping shape the future of semiconductors — not just through research, but by training the next generation of skilled workers Idaho’s tech industry needs. Li studies high-temperature devices that can withstand the extreme heat o...
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July 14, 2025 • 10 mins
Dev Shrestha (go.uidaho.edu/3Gnw3s3) is a University of Idaho engineering (go.uidaho.edu/44k6BNk) professor exploring the future of farming, starting with the soil beneath our feet. He’s developing affordable soil sensors and studying the power of biochar to help farmers conserve moisture, increase yields and build a more resilient, sustainable future for Idaho agriculture. In this episode, he shares how improving soil health on th...
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July 7, 2025 • 8 mins
Kendra Kaiser (go.uidaho.edu/3GtiU0n) is the director of the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (go.uidaho.edu/3I8jscN). In the first episode of a special summer season of “The Vandal Theory,” she shares how the institute is identifying and filling critical water research gaps across Idaho.
Visit our website go.uidaho.edu/thevandaltheory. Email us at vandaltheory@uidaho.edu. Learn about Idaho’s premier research university,...
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April 14, 2025 • 28 mins
Question: When you were growing up, did your parents ever let you do anything without their supervision that many parents today would be alarmed by?
David Pimentel (go.uidaho.edu/448DQDo) is a professor in University of Idaho’s College of Law (go.uidaho.edu/3E4HZh8). His work explores the intersections of law, history and culture, and in the final episode of this season of “The Vandal Theory,” he discusses lessons from his work ...
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April 5, 2025 • 29 mins
Question: What is your favorite African animal?
Meet Ryan Long (go.uidaho.edu/4l9hrvI), an associate professor of wildlife sciences in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences (go.uidaho.edu/44dwZIK) at University of Idaho. In Disney’s “The Lion King,” all the regional animals show up to honor Simba’s birth. Now that’s obviously fictitious, but lots of large animals do live alongside each other in Africa. Long is working to u...
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March 29, 2025 • 29 mins
Question: What drives people to the polls?
Markie McBrayer (go.uidaho.edu/43rzyqw) is an assistant professor of political science in the Department of Politics and Philosophy (go.uidaho.edu/423Gc3F) at University of Idaho. Her research focuses on American politics and policy with a focus on political institutions, representation and social inequality. Today she’s discussing takeaways from the recent presidential election, polariz...
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March 22, 2025 • 29 mins
Question: Do you use ChatGPT or another AI program?
Meet Barrie Robison (go.uidaho.edu/3E34kvn), a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences (go.uidaho.edu/4kwcihb) and director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences (go.uidaho.edu/43TLX6C) at University of Idaho. Artificial intelligence seems to be infiltrating all aspects of our lives. Robison will discuss the ways U of I is supporting its researchers, in...
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March 14, 2025 • 26 mins
Question: Have you ever had a problem you just lived with because you assumed it couldn’t be fixed?
John Crepeau (go.uidaho.edu/41ufl0H) is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering (go.uidaho.edu/4iSt4oS) at University of Idaho who has had a hand in making all sorts of things, from a nuclear-powered Mars hopper to reimagined medical equipment. In this episode, he talks about his experiments and the role he’s pla...
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March 6, 2025 • 28 mins
Question: Have you ever butchered animals, such as while hunting or at a farm or ranch?
Meet Phil Bass (go.uidaho.edu/3XubJdD), associate professor of meat science in the Department of Animal, Veterinary and Food Sciences (go.uidaho.edu/4kpnzjc) at University of Idaho. Whether as hamburger, filet mignon, ribeye or T-bone, beef is a staple on many American dinner tables. Listen as Bass discusses the growing size of cattle, the cr...
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March 1, 2025 • 29 mins
Question: Have you ever gone hiking and got a tick?
Janet Rachlow (https://go.uidaho.edu/43lwo7B) is a professor of wildlife ecology in the College of Natural Resources (https://go.uidaho.edu/3QOqHr7) at University of Idaho. She has studied mammals both large and small, and in this episode, she discusses two on opposite ends of the size spectrum.
Visit our website go.uidaho.edu/thevandaltheory. Email us at vandaltheory@uida...
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