Cultural attitudes on sun exposure and skincare
June marks the arrival of sun tanning season and despite years of skin cancer warnings, many of us still can’t get enough of the sun’s browning rays. But not all cultures have the same love affair with the sun. They go to great lengths to avoid it, and sometimes not just for health reasons. We talk to Dr. June Robinson, a Research Professor of Dermatology at  Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, as well as scholars and activists who look at the issue of colorism. 

Guests:

• Dr. June Robinson is a research professor of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
• Margaret Hunter is a professor of sociology at Mills College in Oakland, California.
• Sarah Webb is a writer and activist, who created the site colorismhealing.org.

Challenges of urban beekeeping
Who would steal three hives full of live bees? Someone who knows how much they’re worth, speculates beekeeper and founder of Bike a Bee, Jana Kinsman. Bee rustlers recently hit one of her hives on Chicago’s southwest side in McKinley Park. Jana joins us to talk about the value of bees and their honey amid mass bee deaths around the world.

Guest: Jana Kinsman is a beekeeper and the founder of Bike a Bee.

Federal legislation to ban microbeads receives bipartisan support
Those tiny scrubbing beads used in face wash and other cosmetics may soon be banned in the US. Great Lakes environmentalists have been concerned about their presence for years citing, among other concerns, fish confusing the plastic beads for food. The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 has bipartisan support including from Illinois Senator Mark Kirk, and seeks to “prohibit the sale or distribution of cosmetics containing synthetic plastic microbeads” by January of 2018. Sherri Mason is an associate professor of chemistry at the State University of New York, Fredonia and has been studying this issue. She joins us to discuss the environmental impact of microbeads.

Guest: Dr. Sherri Mason is a Professor of Chemistry at The State University of New York at Fredonia.

Chicago strives for ‘nerd’ status
Since coming into office, Mayor Emanuel has been pushing to make Chicago one of the nation’s major tech hubs. But have we succeeded in becoming a so-called “Nerdopolis?” Amy Merrick is one of the authors of the article, “Welcome to Nerdopolis”, this summer’s cover article for Capital Ideas, the research magazine for The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. She joins us to discuss the state of tech in Chicago. 

Guest: Amy Merrick is the co-author of “Welcome to Nerdopolis,” in Capital Ideas Magazine.

Tech Shift: Thousands to take part in National Day of Civic Hacking
Thousands of people across the country are taking part in the third annual National Day of Civic Hacking. Groups in more than 100 cities will meet to design apps, websites and services to try to solve problems in their communities. Chicago is hosting four events in 2015, with goals from improving  neighborhoods to creating more sustainable fisheries. Christopher Whitaker, the Chicago Brigade Captain for Code for America, and Steven Philpott, a Social Ventures Fellow at the Center for Neighborhood Technology, join us along with Kelly Borden, the Citizen Science Education Lead at Adler Planetarium, to fill us in on this year’s event. 

Guests:

• Christopher Whitaker is the Chicago Brigade Captain for Code for America.
• Steven Philpott is the social ventures fellow for the Center for Neighborhood Technology.
• Kelly Borden is the citizen science education lead at Adler Planetarium.

Blackhawks head to Tampa for Stanley Cup play
The Blackhawks left for Tampa Bay on Monday to get ready for the Stanley Cup. Game One against the Lightning is Wednesday night. WBEZ’s Cheryl Raye-Stout has more.

Guest: Cheryl Raye-Stout is WBEZ’s sports contributor.

Projects abound for Chicago Transit Authority
The Yellow line is still down, a pilot program for Purple line express service to Evanston begins Monday, and debate continues over the Chicago Transit Authority’s proposed Red and Purple Modernization project. Joining us for an update on some of what’s going on with public transit is CTA spokesperson Brian Steele.

Guest: Brian Steele is a spokesperson for the CTA.

EPA increase on ethanol impacts Midwest agriculture
If you thought Bears/Packers or Cubs/White Sox were big rivalries, that’s nothing compared to Big Oil vs Big Corn. The two sides are locked in a battle over the amount of ethanol to be blended into the nation’s fuel supply. The production of ethanol is vitally important to the agricultural economies of both Illinois and Indiana. The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced it would increase the amount of ethanol used in gasoline but not as much as ethanol producers wanted. WBEZ’s Michael Puente joins us to discuss what new limits might mean for agriculture and the oil industry.

Guest: Mike Puente is WBEZ’s Northwest Indiana Bureau reporter.

New cancer trial to focus on genetics
The details of a groundbreaking cancer study were announced Monday in Chicago, where researchers are meeting for the conference of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Most cancer treatment revolves around the type of cancer a patient has. But in a new trial starting in July, the focus will be on the genes. Patients will have their tumor genes sequenced in order to determine which drugs will be administered. Dr. Jeff Abrams, Acting Director for Clinical Research and Associate Director of the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program in the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, joins with details on the new trial.

Guest: Dr. Jeff Abrams is NCI Acting Director for Clinical Research and also is Associate Director of the CTEP.