Riverfront Heritage Trail event!

Celebration on the Riverfront Heritage Trail Please join the Port Authority, Ameristar Casino, the City of Kansas City and their project partners for the ribbon cutting of the ASB Bridge Underpass on the new downtown riverfront at 10:00 a.m., Friday, January 15. The much anticipated underpass is the critical link along the Riverfront Heritage Trail, connecting Richard L Berkley Riverfront Park and the Riverfront West/River Market Area. The ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony will feature a catered gourmet brunch prepared by Ameristar Casino Executive Chef, Albert Tash, within a well heated tent.

The event will be held RAIN, SNOW or SHINE at the Underpass. Parking is available beneath the Grand Avenue Viaduct on the west side of Berkley Riverfront Park. All members of the community, especially bicyclists and trail advocates, are encouraged to join us as we celebrate this milestone for the Port Authority and the New Downtown Riverfront.

News from UMKC's School of Computing and Engineering

Dean Kevin Truman joins the show again to give us an update on enrollments, faculty news and a general state of the School of Computing and Engineering at UMKC.

The River Bank

Dr. Deb read from "The River Bank" chapter of The Wind in the Willows. "[T]here is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." Listen to the podcast.

Green solutions in Kansas City's Fifth District

The Fifth District City Council members, Cindy Circo and Terry Riley, met with your host (Deb O'Bannon) to discuss the neighborhood aspirations and impacts from the green solutions/raingarden demonstration project in the Middle Blue River drainage area. Listen to the podcast.

Levees in the Kansas City area

Karin Jacoby, P.E., J.D., MPA, who is also one of the 16 members of the National Committee on Levee Safety, shared about levee history, levee characteristics and the national efforts to ensure levee safety in this post-Katrina period. Listen to the podcast.

Statistics for everyone

Dr. Deb explains about the general usefulness of statistics, the difference between accuracy and precision, issues about curving grades in college, and other points of context that you might need to understand the statistics that are generally presented in the media. Listen to the podcast.

Water Softening

Dr. Deb explains the chemistry behind water softening. When you listen, you'll find out that hardness (calcium and magnesium) deposit much faster from hot water than cold, and that engineers can arrange a deposition of hardness solids in a water treatment plant by adding lime and washing soda. She even explained a little about flocculation and carbonate chemistry (CO₂, HCO₃^-, CO₃^-2)! Listen to the podcast.