UConn is the home to the oldest planetarium in the state of Connecticut as it was originally built in 1954. The facility underwent extensive renovations in 2023-24, led by the efforts of assistant professor of physics in residence Matt Guthrie. Guthrie worked with a number of different areas of campus on the project, which includes a new projector, new seating and a surround sound system. The building has also been renamed in honor of Cynthia Peterson, who served as the planetarium’s director for 35 years. Matt tells us about the shows at the planetarium and how you can come and see one! He also chats about renovations to a little-known observatory on the outskirts of campus.

It’s the start of the holiday season and people are getting ready to celebrate all kinds of traditions. Associate professor of anthropology Dimitris Xygalatas joins the UConn 360 podcast to talk about his research in why rituals and events like holidays are so important to the human experience. Dimitris has performed research all over the world on this topic and explains why in-person events are even more crucial with the rise of social media and electronic communications. He also looks at other rituals like sporting events and how being at a live game brings people together. Dimitris also reflects on what being the parent of a young child means for him now. Leann Garnelis, the Social and Emerging Media Manager in University Communications, joins us as a guest co-host for this episode.

Jason Lee, an associate professor in the College of Engineering at UConn, has wanted to travel into space since he was a child. He got a chance to do that for 45 days – without ever leaving earth! For 45 days, Lee, lived in NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog habitat at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, participating in a simulated journey to Mars. He and three others operated in a constrained environment, completing mission-critical tasks, conducting repairs, viewing Martian landscapes through virtual reality, and making communication attempts with Mission Control. Lee talks to the UConn 360 podcast all about the experience, including what it was like to stay in touch with family and friends, what the diet was for the crew, and the future of space travel.

UConn is known around the country for great academics, championship basketball and the greatest ice cream you can find. Now, award-winning cheese can be added to that list! Cheeses produced at UConn’s Creamery have recently won major awards in national and regional contests, including winning a first prize at the American Cheese Society Annual Judging and Competition. Dennis D’Amico, associate professor of animal science, joins us to talk about the cheese making process at UConn, and also brought some samples along for your UConn 360 hosts to sample and enjoy. Jacie Severance from University Communications is a guest co-host this episode and started off by sharing a few of her favorite cheese puns!

Coach Tom Moore is entering his 20th season (during two stints) on the UConn men’s basketball coach staff and has been part of four national championships with the Huskies. He has been involved in college basketball at every level – a head coach in Division I and III and an assistant coach in Division I and II. He talks to us about the similarities, and differences, between Dan Hurley and Jim Calhoun and what it is like coaching in the age of NIL and the transfer portal. Moore also looks back on his background growing up in Central Massachusetts and how being a sports writer was his original calling in college.

Alan Marcus is a professor in UConn’s Neag School of Education and among his areas of focus is global education with an emphasis on the Holocaust and teaching difficult history. Last year, he led a program at E.O. Smith High School in Storrs that Taught lessons about the Holocaust and larger issues of identity. The program, which was also offered to local members of the community, consisted of interactive experiences with Holocaust survivors, a virtual tour of a Holocaust concentration camp, and a photography exhibit featuring E.O. Smith teachers and staff members in their life way from school. Marcus talks about how social media has affected the way the Holocaust is thought of in these times and what the future of this program might be.

Fany DeJesus Hannon serves as the Dean of Students and absolutely loves her job…and UConn students. A native of Honduras, she embraces her Latino heritage and applies it to how she and her office help Huskies succeed. The Dean of Students office works with virtually every area of campus to help undergraduates get the most of their college experience. Fany looks at college as a “family business” and encourages parents and guardians to be active participants at UConn. She has been part of the UConn family for 18 years and is the former director of the Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center. Fany even told us the Latino cuisine she like to eat when she visits her family in Florida!

It’s the second week of classes on all of UConn campuses and our guest on this week’s UConn 360 podcast is busier than ever. Vin Moscardelli is the director of the Office of National Scholarships & Fellowships, which helps identify students for such honors as the Rhodes, Fulbright, Truman and Udall programs. Moscaredelli’s office guides students through the application process and has some great stories about how some scholars have found out they are winners.  Moscardelli also tells us about his background and his time as a political science professor and what that is like during this time of political division. He’s also a huge college sports fan and we talk about his favorites!

Neal Glaviano is an assistant professor at UConn in the Department of Kinesiology and serves as the clinical education coordinator for the master’s in athletic training program. He works with a number of areas on campus ranging from athletics to ROTC. Neal joins us in this episode and talks about treatments for knee pain for everyone from college athletes to members of the military to weekend warriors. He explained how a shoulder injury sustained as a high school football player first got him interested in athletic training. Neal also provides advice to parents on how their child can try to avoid injuries and how playing a variety of sports growing up is helpful.

UConn Deputy Fire Chief Chris Renshaw is involved in virtually every aspect of campus life. He is a key part of the Division of University Safety whose mission is to make sure the entire campus community is safe on a day-to-day basis. Chris is also heavily involved in special occasions like a Presidential visit and sporting events. When he’s not keeping UConn safe, he’s been known to travel around the country for the safety of others as he helps battle large forest fires. He also chatted with us about the long and proud history of the UConn Fire Department and how rare it is for a University to have its own department.

UConn faculty have performed research all over the globe, but few have gone to a more remote place than professor of marine science Penny Vlahos. Vlahos, along with two other UConn researchers, travelled to the Arctic in May of 2023 to gather samples from sea ice that is expected to be extinct by 2040 and gather clues about our future without it. She shares details about the logistics of traveling to that region of the world and stories of other research trips she has taken around the globe. Vlahos also talks about what she likes to do in her free time, including baking bread!