Advertise on podcast: UConn 360: The UConn Podcast

The Peter J. Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation will be hosting its “Day of Discovery” on this week, which is an opportunity for UConn students to find out and explore what is available to them through Werth as part of their academic experience. Aaron Rosman is a program manager at Werth Institute Aaron and is a long-time member of the UConn community. He joins us on this episode of the podcast to talk about the “Day of Discovery.”  Rosman also helps lead the institute’s Innovation House, which is their direct connection to first- and second-year students who were drawn to innovation as an identity. Innovation House is reinforced by experiential learning through the lens of community building. Plus, we celebrate Izzy’s birthday!

The first week of October is Banned Books Week in the United States and our guest on this episode of the podcast is Kate Capshaw, a professor of English and social and critical inquiry at UConn. The American Library Association tracks book banning and reports that 4,235 titles were challenged in 2025 and 92 percent of those challenges were initiated by pressure groups, government officials, and decision makers. Capshaw led a team for the past 18 months that surveyed teachers and librarians and how they navigate the subject of censorship and book banning. They then developed a toolkit for educators to use that includes sample policies and tips on how to talk to parents who voice concerns.

Ben Spaeth is the vice president of the UConn Ballroom Dance Club and joins us on this episode of the UConn 360 podcast. The club welcomes dancers of all experience levels and teaches a variety of ballroom dance styles through lessons, social dances, and competitions. Ballroom dance refers to a variety of partner dances across several different styles and speeds. Each dance has its own unique mood, style, appearance, and dance moves. The club regularly participates in collegiate ballroom competitions and helps introduce students to ballroom dancing in a fun and supportive environment. In the podcast, we talk to Ben about how students get involved in ballroom dance, what it's like to compete, and whether Dancing with the Stars gets ballroom dancing right.

Laura Glitz is entering her second season as the women’s tennis coach at UConn and joins us on the podcast right after the conclusion of the U.S. Open. She knows all about that event as she played in all four Grand Slam events as a professional player. Laura was ranked among the top 300 singles players in the world and the top 90 in doubles. Following her pro career, she took up college coaching and came to UConn from Purdue, where she spent 18 season and was the winningest coach in school history. Laura led UConn to the Big East semifinals in her first year. Keep listening as Izzy and Laura get into an involved pickleball conversation toward the end!

This summer there has been a lot of buzz about the spotted lantern fly – they seem to be everywhere in Connecticut, from big cities to farms and gardens. Our guest on this episode of the podcast is Evan Lentz, an assistant educator at the UConn Extension. He gives us an explanation of how the spotted lantern fly became so prevalent in the state and the biggest dangers they present, hint: it has to do with wine. Evan was the co-author of this extension website about the spotted lantern fly. We also talk about Evan’s work with the fruit farmers in Connecticut, what the fruit industry is like in the state, and the work is he doing to bring back UConn’s historic orchards and what the future might hold for them.

Field hockey is one of the most tradition-filled sports here at UConn as the program has won five national championships.  Paul Caddy joins us on this episode of the podcast and is entering his seventh season as the head coach of the program. He was an assistant coach for 19 seasons prior to becoming the head coach and was part of three national championship staffs. Paul has led UConn to the NCAA tournament in each of the past two years, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2024. He has been part of dozens of Big East championships and helped mentor over 30 All-American at UConn. Paul is a native of England and graduated in 1999 from the University of Wales Swansea. He played field hockey in college and earned a silver medal at the European Club Championships as a senior.

With the issue of Cyclospora dominate this new summer and how it affects the safety of the lettuce we eat, we welcome Indu Upadhyaya to the podcast. Here at UConn, she leads the Food Safety Team in the College of Agriculture, Heath and Natural Resources. Her expertise includes food safety education for farmers, processors and consumers and safe food handling from farm to table, Indu is a native of India, where she earned her doctor and master’s of veterinary medicine. She then earned a doctorate from UConn in animal science with a focus on food safety and microbiology. Indu did a post-doctorate at the University of Arkansas and was a professor at Tennessee Tech before returning to UConn. UConn has also produced a webpage to educate people on Cyclospora and its dangers.

Andy Horowtiz is our guest on this episode of the UConn 360 podcast. He is an associate professor of history at UConn and also serves as the Connecticut State Historian. Andy discusses with us the recent America 250 celebration and a series of historical signs he designed that describe Connecticut’s various roles in the Revolutionary War. He also writes a column in the publication Connecticut Explorer, which brings Connecticut’s past into the present and gives us some tips of interesting places to visit. At UConn’s Hartford campus, he teaches modern U.S. history, as well as a new course called “Connecticut: A History of the World Around Us.” It’s also our first try at doing the podcast as a remote broadcast, so please forgive us if some of the audio sounds a little off!

Invasive plants are a serious ecological concern. Without natural predators, they push out native plants and the wildlife that depend on them. In Connecticut, there are more than 100 identified invasive plants. Members of UConn Extension’s Sustainable Landscape Program began the development of an invasive plant certificate program in 2024. In early 2026, the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources began offering a new online certificate program that educates residents how to identify and manage invasive plants in the state. Our guest today is Lauren Kurtz, the newest member of the Home and Garden Education Center, who talks about the dangers of invasive plants and what can be done to deal with them. The course will be offered again next winter.

The Department of Journalism at UConn is the only nationally accredited journalism program in New England. Students learn to become intelligent, responsible, articulate journalists, and clear communicators in all forms of media through practical training and a liberal arts foundation. Marie Shanahan is the head of the department and is our guest on this episode. She began her career as a print reporter for the Hartford Courant and then moved to the digital news side and worked more than 20 years in the field. Marie gives an overview of the department and the types of classes that are offered. She also discusses how AI fits into the current world of journalism and how people can make sure they get accurate information in this day and age of fragmented reporting.

A New York based costume designer, Sarita Fellows is an assistant professor of costume design in the School of Fine Arts at UConn. Sarita is very interested in events such as the Met Gala and looks at those events more as art than fashion design. Sarita was born in Sierra Leone, first experienced the stage while living in Uganda and has a master’s of fine arts in design from Tisch School of Design at NYU. Sarita enjoys working in regional theaters as well as Broadway and off-Broadway, her more recent works include projects such as Othello, Death of a Salesman, Theater of the Mind, and A Jolly Holiday with Disney. She also enjoys working with dance and film and has designed for numerous short independent films.

The Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, known as CCEI was established in 2007 as the first organized center to support entrepreneurship activity at UConn. CCEI leads initiatives focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, experiential learning, and economic development. It’s been recognized in the Princeton Review’s Top 50 Entrepreneurship Programs nationally and has supported more than 1,400 startups and served over 2,500 entrepreneurs. CCEI carries the legacy of the inaugural entrepreneurship education initiative at UConn, funded by the Wolff Family in the mid-1980's. Jennifer Mathieu joins us on this episode of the podcast. She has been with CCEI since 2017 and was named executive director in 2021. She is an entrepreneur herself, has degrees from UConn and Springfield College, and has been recognized by the Hartford Business Journal’s Top Women in Business and Connecticut magazine’s 40 Under 40.

Jason Candle joins us on this episode of the UConn 360 podcast and was named the football coach last December after completing a very successful 11- year tenure as the head coach at Toledo. He led the Rockets to a school-record 81 wins over that time with nine bowl appearances and 12 NFL Draft picks. Jason also served as an assistant coach at Toledo for seven years before becoming head coach and started his coaching journey at Division III powerhouse Mount Union, his alma mater. As a player, he won national championship at Mount Union in his junior and senior seasons. He just wrapped up his spring practice here at UConn as he has rebuilt the Husky roster from as team that has made two-straight bowl appearances. We also salute and congratulate the UConn Class of 2026 as commencement takes place this weekend!

Our guest this episode is Luisana Duarte Armendáriz, who is a doctoral student concluding her studies at UConn this spring. She is already an accomplish author of children’s literature and is a graduate assistant in the Creative Writing Program in the Department of English. She has had an incredible variety of experiences in her life, ranging from graphic designer to high school teacher to an acceptance to medical school. She started writing children’s books when applying for graduate school and has written “Julieta and The Diamond Enigma” with its sequel “Julieta and The Cryptic Rose” set for release in the fall. Before we get started with Luisana, we talked about Izzy’s experience covering the NCAA Men’s Final Four for University Communications.

The UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams are the talk of the sports world this week as both teams are head to the NCAA Final Four. This podcast is a media roundtable taking a look at the upcoming games in Indianapolis and Phoenix. We start with the long-time color announcer on the UConn Radio Network Wayne Norman and then we talked to four student journalists – Sam Calhoun and Matt Dimech, who cover the men’s team for The Daily Campus; and Jake McCreven of the Daily Campus and Kaden Knapp of WHUS-91.7 FM radio, who cover the women’s team. The student journalists talk about what it is like to cover a team while still in college and what their future plans are. And we have predictions…Go Huskies!