Random Acts of Knowledge

For poet Cathy Gilbert, the joy and chaos of having twin infants was mixed with the heartbreak of losing a parent to dementia.
Heartland Community College professor of English Gilbert discusses the major life events that led to her new poetry collection "My Limbs a Cradle, My Whisper a Song."

Farming can be one of the most stressful professions one can have.
The documentary Greener Pastures captures the day-to-day lives of four small, Midwestern, multigenerational family farms over the course of three years.
Filmmaker Sam Mirpoorian talks about the film, which is the guest feature at the 2024 Heartland Hawk Film Festival.
Mirpoorian says he was prompted to make the documentary when he learned a shocking statistic about farmers and suicide.

The exponential growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) capability has been celebrated in some circles and caused concern in others.
In academic circles, some instructors and administrators are worried that AI presents a threat to the way they evaluate student work.
In this episode, Roy Magnuson, an educator who has dived deeply into the changes that AI is bringing to institutions of higher ed., discusses the present and potential future of AI.

Being a or a class clown or workplace cutup is one thing. Getting laughs on stage is another.
For those who have thought about trying out for an open mic night or competing in an amateur comedy show, there are a few tips to consider.
Joe Strupek, longtime emcee of the Heartland Community College FunnyRaiser event, discusses what it takes to successfully take the stage as an amateur standup.

Keeping farmland productive is challenging in many ways. One of the greatest enemies to a good crop is erosion.
An edible windbreak of fruit and nut trees and bushes planned for the agriculture instructional grounds at Heartland Community College will not only serve to help fight off the Central Illinois wind and rain but also provide a link in the pollination chain.
Associate Director of Agriculture at Heartland, Kortney Watts, discusses the edible windbreak project and the Ag new facilities at the College.

One fateful night in 1996 Kristine Bunch woke to a home full of flames. She struggled to extract her young son from the fire but failed. Much to her surprise and horror, she was charged with setting the fire that killed her child.
Bunch was convicted on expert testimony which was later held in question. No one would have taken a second look at her case had she not fought from prison to find advocates to examine the testimony and evidence.
After 17 years of incarceration, she was released, and the conviction was dismissed.
Bunch discusses her case and the burdens of wrongful conviction for herself and others.
View the transcript here.

No matter their age or background, when students go to college there are new stresses that can tax their mental health.
The challenges of COVID-19 put the spotlight on the importance of mental health for college students. But, as in the past, the largest barrier is getting individuals to not attach a stigma to addressing their mental health.
Sarah Stalter, Assistant Director of Behavioral Health Coordination for McLean County (IL), and Amy Jeck, Coordinator of Student Wellness at Heartland Community College, discuss efforts to help college students, and others, take the proper care of their mental health.
View the transcript here.

Before television captured the attention of the nation, the traveling circus was the most popular form of entertainment in America.
During this time, the midwestern city of Bloomington, Illinois became a home for many circus performers and the "birthplace" of famous aerial acts.
Maureen Brunsdale, head of Special Collections at Illinois State University's Milner Library, discusses how the purchase of a piece of physical fitness equipment for a Bloomington gymnasium tied the midwestern town to the circus.
View the transcript here.

Inspired by photographs of sea birds engorged with plastic waste picked up in the water, fiber artist Ann B. Coddington has created an exhibit that combines the ancient craft of basketry with discarded plastic.
The artists discusses her exhibit, 'Albatross,' which offers a literal glimpse inside of hand-made vessels to reveal the leftover pollution that will outlast the life of organic materials.
View the transcript here.

The legalization of cannabis for recreational use in Illinois has generated 440 million dollars in tax revenue for the state. With any growing industry comes the need for a trained workforce.
Agriculture instructor Victoria Zamora talks about the relatively new pathway to a job in the industry through the Cannabis Cultivation program at Heartland Community College.
View the transcript here.