Jane Lindholm
Host and Executive Producer, But Why and Special ProjectsJane Lindholm is the host, executive producer and creator of . In addition to her work on our international kids show, she produces special projects for 开云体育. Until March 2021, she was host and editor of the award-winning 开云体育 program .
Jane joined 开云体育 in 2007 to expand Vermont Edition from a weekly pilot into the flagship daily newsmagazine it is today. She has been recognized with regional and national accolades, including several Murrow, PRNDI and GRACIE awards. In 2016 she started the nationally recognized But Why, which takes questions from kids all over the world and finds interesting people to answer them.
Before returning to her native Vermont, Jane served as director/producer for the national business program Marketplace, based in Los Angeles. Jane began her journalism career in 2001, when she joined National Public Radio (NPR) as an Editorial/Production Assistant for Radio Expeditions, a co-production of NPR and the National Geographic Society. During her time at NPR, she also worked with NPR's Talk of the Nation and Weekend Edition Saturday.
Jane graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Anthropology and has worked as writer and editor for Let鈥檚 Go Travel Guides. She has had her photojournalism picked up by the BBC World Service and her reporting has aired on NPR, APM and the CBC. Her hobbies include photography, running, beekeeping and wandering the woods and fields of New England. She lives in Addison County with her family.
-
Why can鈥檛 animals talk to us? Are humans the only animals that can talk? Can different species of animals communicate with each other? We learn about animal communication with Arik Kershenbaum, author of Why Animals Talk: The New Science of Animal Communication. He studies wolves, gibbons, dolphins and hyrax to learn how they communicate. Also in this episode: why are parrots able to speak human words but other birds can鈥檛? -
Why do we have to poop? Why does fiber make you poop? Why is poop brown? Why does it smell so bad? Why do farts smell bad, too? Yup, we鈥檙e going there! In this episode, Mary Roach, author of Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal, answers your questions about those things that we鈥檙e told not to talk about in polite company: poop and farts. We learn how astronauts use the bathroom in space and how many germs are in one ounce of poop. -
Why do we worry and how can we deal with it? Why do we get anxious? Where does anxiety come from? Anxiety or worry is a hard feeling to overcome, but it鈥檚 a universal human emotion. In this episode, we explore anxiety with clinical psychologist Eileen Kennedy-Moore, also known as Dr. Friendtastic. She helps us understand why moderate anxiety is useful and necessary. But too much worry can prevent you from learning new things or doing activities that could be fun. And she has some tips for how to overcome anxious feelings. -
Election Day in the United States is November 5 this year and election officials across the country are already hard at work setting up polling places and processing mail in ballots. Even if you鈥檙e not old enough to vote, you can be part of the process. You can watch voting machines be tested, observe the polling places on Election Day, or even watch votes be counted once the polls close. (Sometimes there are livestreams so you can watch from the comfort of your own home!) For this episode on how voting works, But Why stopped by the South Burlington City Hall on the day vote tabulators were being prepared. Plus we meet Vermont鈥檚 top election official, Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas. Have you asked an adult to take you to the polls yet? -
What is voting? Why (and how) do people vote? Why can鈥檛 kids vote? Why are there red and blue states (not to mention donkeys and elephants representing political parties)? How can someone win the most votes but still lose the presidential election? We鈥檙e answering kid questions about elections with Bridgett King, a political scientist at the University of Kentucky. -
A new food-focused kids podcast is here. It鈥檚 called ChopChop and it鈥檚 part of a non-profit committed to getting kids and families to cook and eat meals together. Explore tasty recipes on their website! They also publish a quarterly magazine in English and Spanish (a good way to practice a second language). We contributed to their very first episode and we have to say, it鈥檚 the corniest episode you鈥檙e ever going to listen to! Our contribution was the science of how popcorn pops.We hope you gain some kernels of knowledge from this episode! We had an ear full. -
Why do we have bones? How do they grow鈥揳nd how do they know when to stop growing? How many do we have in our bodies? And when we break our bones, how do they heal? What do casts do? And how do you know if you鈥檝e broken a bone? Broken bones are a common occurrence in kids. Up to 40% of girls and up to 50% of boys will break a bone in their lifetime. In this episode, we learn about the role of bones in our body and how to deal with a fractured bone with Melissa Raddatz, a family nurse practitioner at Duke Health System in North Carolina. The first part of this episode is all about bones in general, and we shift to broken bones for the second half. -
How do wind turbines work? How are wind turbines made? What will our energy picture look like in the future? We鈥檙e taking a deep dive into wind power, and trying to make the technology understandable, with Josh Castonguay of Vermont utility Green Mountain Power. -
Come along to learn all about the wriggling worms that live in the dirt beneath your feet. Earthworms are everywhere, and there are many species of worms yet to be discovered. How do worms communicate? Why do worms have slime? Why do worms come out when it rains? Answers to all of your worm questions with earthworm detective Sam James. Plus, we learn about worm composting with a kid who鈥檚 in charge of her family鈥檚 food scraps! -
At the peak of the summer heat, it鈥檚 nice to cool off with a quick dip in a pool or lake. But it鈥檚 important to know how to swim if you鈥檙e going to be around water! So, for this episode, we took a field trip to a local pool. Upper Valley Aquatic Center Swim School Director Kana Wyman gives us some tips on how to get comfortable putting our heads in the water, learning to float and more.
