KGOU and University Outreach are bringing Talk of the Nation Science Friday to Norman for a live broadcast on April 9!  That Friday's show will originate from the Donald W. Reynolds Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Oklahoma.

 

Host Ira Flatow will interview experts on scientific topics of interest, live from 1 to 3 p.m. (That day's topics are yet to be announced.) A reception will follow at the National Weather Center from 3:30 to 6 p.m.

 

Tickets for these events are free (limit two per person) and may be reserved online or by calling (405) 325-0022. Ticket holders must be in their seats by 12:40 p.m. for the broadcast. More information and parking arrangements can be found on the reservations page.

 

Funding for this very special event comes from the University of Oklahoma President's Office, the OU Vice President for Research at Norman and the OU Vice President for Research at the Health Sciences Center.

 

 

KGOU student broadcasters have received more honors for their work -- this time by the Society of Professional Journalists Region 8 (Oklahoma and Texas) student competition, the Mark of Excellence awards.  

 

The crew producing Assignment: Radio last spring won both first and third places in the Radio In-depth Reporting category; Logan Layden won second place in the Radio Hard News category with a story he produced for KGOU, and Graham Brewer took first place honors in the Radio Feature category.

 

Congratulations to the winners!  You can hear their award-winning work from the KGOU awards page.

 

And, a new season of Assignment: Radio begins this Sunday, March 14 at noon -- tune in to hear another great semester of student reporting.

 

 

The Los Angeles Press Club has awarded NPR's Anne Garrels the 2010 Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism. The award, established in 2002 after Daniel Pearl's death, honors journalists who show courage and integrity in the pursuit of the truth.  Garrels covered Iraq during the U.S. invasion and its aftermath, being one of 16 U.S. journalists to remain in Baghdad during the U.S. bombing. 

 

Also, NPR's visual department won 15 awards in the White House News Photographers Association's "Eyes of History" contest recognizing achievements in photojournalism. Many of the winning photos and videos were taken in war zones; you can see them at NPR.org's Picture Show blog.

 

 

 

This month, KGOU's Sunday limited-run programs include a couple of local forums. On March 14 at 11 a.m., KGOU joins in The Big Read project of the Pioneer Library System. We've produced an hour-long book discussion of Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon.

 

The following Sunday, March 21, KGOU wraps up Sunshine Week by bringing you a two-hour excerpt from the 2009 First Amendment Congress, presented annually by Freedom of Information Oklahoma. Tune in from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a lively forum on the current state of this topmost item in the Bill of Rights, including remarks from keynote speaker Marvin Kalb of The Kalb Report, a panel discussion on the future of journalism, and a presentation on "watchdog" Web sites.

 

 

An innovative 'crowd-sourcing' app from Capitol News Connection that will partner citizens with investigative journalists has won the WeMedia PitchIt! Challenge for innovation in social media and technology.

 

CNC's app, named AssignIt, "turns social networks into the world's largest newsrooms," says Melinda Wittstock, founder and CEO. "We involve users in every step of newsgathering, fusing innovative technology with the oversight of professionals to create high quality, low cost content -- and a sustainable new model for the future of news," she said.  

 

Wittstock received a $25,000 cash award in the contest, sponsored by Oklahoma-based Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.  You can read more about the contest's winners in The Miami Herald. 

 

KGOU partners with CNC for reports on Oklahoma's Congressional delegation, and another interactive tool, Ask Your Lawmaker, which you can find on the news pages at KGOU.org.

 

 

Technology and generational attitudes are creating a shift in the American workplace -- the 40 hour, 9 to 5 work week may soon be a thing of the past. In a three-part series on Morning Edition next Monday through Wednesday, NPR's Jennifer Ludden examines the movement to remake office environments from cubicles to factories and beyond.

 

 

Next week Austin, Texas hosts thousands of musicians at its annual South by Southwest music festival, and NPR Music has extensive online coverage.  Visit NPR Music for a preview, profiles of some of the artists, and even a free music sampler for iTunes account holders to download.