Ames Laboratory
Originally broadcast 03/10/2016
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We focused on Ames Lab Past and Present. The past largely focused on "Ames Project" contribution to the Manhattan Project. This part of the show had guests Steve Karsjen, Public Affairs Director at Ames Lab, Steve Houk, a professor at ISU with a joint appointment at Ames Lab, and Kathy Svec talking about her father Harry Svec. The second half of the show addressed Ames lab Present with guests Adam Schwartz, Director of Ames Lab and Tom Lograsso, the Deputy Director of Ames Lab. They talk about some of major invention of Ames Lab such as lead free solder and current research efforts such as research with magnets made from rare earth elements.
We took a road trip to the past of our area, starting with Charles Irwin, associate professor of history at DMACC, Boone campus, telling us about Carl Fritz Henning, the man responsible for the campaign to identify the Ledges as a state park. We heard reminisces from his grandson Vernon Condon about the zoo at the Ledges. Mark Edwards, a Boone resident retired from the DNR, recalled experiences from living in the Boone River Valley. We were joined by David Gradwohl, professor emeritus of Anthropology at ISU who talked about archaeological digs at the Ledges, Moingona and Buxton. Our guide through the history of Moingona was Janie Smith. Jim Keegel joined us by phone to tell us about the current tours of the Buxton Historic Site, which is on his land in Monroe County.