Fordham Conversations

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon and her guest explore two pests that have shown up around New York.  Research scientist and Fordham Alumni Dan Molloy discusses a pesky species of mussel that haunts some of New York’s waterways.  Fordham University Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Jason Munshi-South, talks about his research with rats.

The Veterans Writing Workshop helps veterans tell their stories by providing professional-level writing workshops in the NYC area free of charge to U.S. veterans. Not only is the workshop a successful writing program for veterans, it also offers the families of vets to express themselves.  Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with writers Julia Rust, Natalie Edelhause and Laura Rossi who share their stories in the anthology “On The Home Front.” It’s the first Writing Workshop with family members of veterans. Also, David Surface, the Founder and instructor of the Veterans Writing Workshop discusses the program. 

When many Americans think of Egypt, they might think of mummies, pyramids, and the Nile River. And although Egypt has a rich cultural history, it’s also a really important player in international politics. Egypt is one of the U.S.’s most valued allies in the Middle East. With a new administration in the White House, there is a possibility that relationship could change. Fordham Conversations Host Kacie Candela talks with Fordham University Alumni James Ketterer, dean at Bard College and expert on the Middle East, about why Egypt may be more important to U.S. foreign policy than you think.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with two Fordham University students who were chosen for The Social Impact 360 Fellowship program, which helps young entrepreneurs develop socially-conscious businesses.  Makena Masterson founded Snoxsocks, a company that sells non-skid socks for charity. Michelle Berardino developed The Wallep, an epi-pen alternative for the fashion-conscious.

Mir Ghouri and Rich Franco join Christian Hoban to discuss Cristiano Ronaldo's hat trick vs. Athletico Madrid, Juventus's chances to reach the Champions League final, and Kylian Mbappe's future at Monaco. Plus, is the race for 4th place in the EPL more exciting than the title race?  

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon and Fordham Professor Dr. Mark Naison discuss the evolution of rock and rap and the influence that young city kids, who helped create that music, have had on American culture.   Naison is Professor of History and African American Studies at Fordham University, where he also directs the Bronx African American History Project. He created the class “From Rock and Roll to Hip Hop: Urban Youth Cultures in Post War America” with the goal of encouraging partnerships with Bronx schools relating to the course.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Author and Fordham Alumni Valerie Irick Rainford. In her book “Until the Brighter Tomorrow: One Woman's Courageous Climb from the Projects to the Podium,” She recounts her emotional journey following her mother’s suicide.

Join Rich Franco and John Furlong as they discuss Barcelona's 3-2 win over Real Madrid in Sunday's El Clasico, Arsenal and Chelsea advancing to the FA Cup Final, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic's injury. Plus: is Yankee Stadium as bad for Soccer as bad as it's made out to be?  

With the rise of social media, we have fewer and fewer hard copies of letters, photos, and other documents. So what happens in the future? Will all of this be preserved? Will there be too much of it to sort through? Fordham Conversations Host Chris Williams talks to Elizabeth Keohane-Burbridge, graduate researcher at Fordham University and producer of the Footnoting History podcast, about how historians preserve memories and how this is changing.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with members of The Bronx Greenmarket Hot Sauce about their business- and community-building partnership. It utilizes community gardens around the Bronx while enabling new refugees to help revitalize urban spaces. Daniel Fitzgerald is Vice President of operations at The Bronx Greenmarket Hot Sauce. Julia Fitzgerald is Vice President of sales at The Bronx Greenmarket Hot Sauce Sheryll Durrant is a Managing Gardener at Kelly Street Gardens. She is also The Farm Coordinator at New Roots Community Farms, part of International Rescue Committee (IRC)  

New York Harbor has a long history that starts way back in the 1600s. It’s home to all kinds of species and wildlife, but throughout the 19th and 20th centuries the harbor was filled with trash and sewage sending the harbor on a downward trajectory. But now, it’s making a comeback and things are looking better. Fordham Conversations Host Chris William talks with John Waldman. He’s the author of Heartbeats in the Muck: The History, Sea Life, and Environment of New York Harbor which is now available from Fordham University Press. Also on the show, WFUV's Kris Venezia has a story about how New York's waterways can be used for transportation.

A brutal civil war divides Syria with devastating human toll. Thousands of people there have already died and millions are stranded as refugees. But the civil war is also putting the culture and music of the country in jeopardy. Fordham Conversations host, Patrick Russomanno talks with Fordham Professor Mohamed Alsiadi. They're discussing the musical heritage of Syria and the professor's efforts to preserve it. He is a classically trained musician who was born and raised in Aleppo, Syria. He currently lives in New York City. Professor Alsidai performs classical Syrian music with the Malek Jandali Trio.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Author and Fordham Professor Dr. Mary Bly. They discuss her class “Publishing Theory and Practice.” It introduces students to the world of publishing. She also offers advice for writers looking to become published author.

  Fordham Conversations' host Robin Shannon talks with humorist and author Dan Zevin, who has a new set of books called “The Little Miss and Mr. Me Me Me Parody Series."  They mimic the popular "Mr. Men" and "Little Miss" children's books.  We also hear from Fordham Alumni Tim Rozmus. He helped brainstorm the new series and also offers the millennial point of view on the book's characters. The series which includes “Little Miss Overshare,” “Mr. Selfie," "Little Miss Basic," and "Mr. Humblebrag” are published by Three Rivers Press.  

What happens when the president is disabled or dies?  What about when there's no vice president?  Fordham Conversations host John Rogan moderated a panel at Fordham Law School about the 25th Amendment and what would happen if a president wasn’t able to perform his or her powers and duties.  The discussion was between Fordham Law Professor John Feerick and Professor Joel Goldstein of Saint Louis University School of Law.   Feerick wrote an article in the Fordham Law Review on presidential succession that was published a month before the Kennedy assassination.  That article helped guide the drafting of the 25th Amendment.   Goldstein has studied the 25th Amendment extensively—the history that preceded it, its drafting and its uses.  He’s perhaps that nation’s leading authority on the vice presidency.   The discussion was held at Fordham Law School to mark the 50th anniversary of the 25th Amendment's ratification.

A recent poll found blindness ranked 4th as the condition most feared by Americans, following Aids, Cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.  This condition can be especially difficult for New Yorkers who begin to lose their sight as they age.   Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Dr. Amy Horowitz from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Services. She shares her research on depression and late life vision loss.

Many conversations about America's history reiterate’s the idea that the progressive north led the opposition to slavery against the racist South. But in fact, many of the nation’s Ivy League universities had profitable connections to slavery. Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Dr. Craig Steven Wilder about the connection between Ivy League schools and the slave trade.  Wilder's book is called "Ebony & Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America’s Universities."

The art scene in the Bronx is more underground than Manhattan's, but it's on the rise. This week on Fordham Conversations is all about art in the Bronx. David Storey, visual art professor at Fordham University, talks about art's relationship to New York City and how it has spread to the outer boroughs. Then, Chris Williams travels to the BronxArtSpace in Mott Haven on the opening night of the 'Portals and Interventions' exhibit. He talks with curator Linda Cunningham and artists Marita Ibanez, Rosemarie Fiore, Vidal Centeno, and Xavier Figueroa.

There are hundreds of thousand missing persons in the FBI’s database.  For many people, the methods of finding their lost loved ones are as mysterious as their disappearances. Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Privacy and Information Consultant Bob Gellman.  He discusses some of the legal and ethical challenges in searching for missing people. Gellman is  a Senior Fellow, Center on Law and Information Policy, Fordham University School of Law 2012-13.   But first WFUV’s Rob Palazzolo talks to Dr. Arnita Fowler. Her son went missing almost 20 years ago, and due to a lack of resources for locating missing adults and a bureaucratic mess, she didn’t recover his body from Hart Island for 4 years. Fowler has been trying to reform the system for locating missing persons in the New York.

There are breakthroughs in science that make it easier for those who can’t become parents to do so. But it’s also raising complex questions for women in India who become surrogates for families in America. Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Fordham University Assistant Professor Dr. Daisy Deomampo about her research and book “Transnational Reproduction: Race, Kinship, and Commercial Surrogacy in India.”