Constant Wonder

Geologist Ron Harris forecasted the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and so the loss of life in that disaster devastated him. In this episode of Constant Wonder, he tells host Marcus Smith how, after that tragedy, he expanded his work to include disaster prevention and well as forecasting. He estimates his foundation has saved 50,000 lives so far.

Ron Harris has been obsessed with plate tectonics since childhood. As a professor of geology, he published widely on threats of earthquakes and tsunamis, but two events convinced him that forecasting wasn't enough. One day, he overhead his young son saying that his dad "wasn't a doctor who helped people," and then there was the catastrophic loss of life in the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. He decided to found In Harm's Way, which helps people prepare for natural disasters.

Guest: Ron Harris, professor of geology at BYU and founder of In Harm's Way

(0:00) Meet Ron Harris
(5:39) The Eruption of Mount St. Helens
(11:01) A Doctor Who Helps
(18:16) Boxing Day Tsunami 2004
(22:51) Moken Survival Strategies
(25:19) Ron's Calling
(32:24) Social Media and Mitigation
(38:06) Local Disaster Mitigation
(41:14) Surfing and Purpose
(47:04) Spreading the Word of 20-20-20

Entomologist Steven Peck came down with a bacterial infection that plunged him into a chaotic world of hallucinations, where he thought even his kids were imposters. Now, he has a new definition of what "real" really means.

In this episode, Marcus Smith speaks with Steven Peck, an author and BYU biology professor. Peck found his world overturned by a brain infection that caused severe hallucinations. Suddenly, he plunged from the rational world of academia into a terrifying realm of assassin-children, evil doctors, and river-rafting MRI machines. Emerging from that chaos, he decided to explore the wonders of the human mind, uncovering unexpected kindness along the way.

Steven Peck, professor of biology at BYU and author of over forty short stories and novels https://stevepeckniche.com/

(0:00) Reptilian Gateway to Wonder
(15:50) The Beginnings of Madness
(21:02) Assassins, Evil Organizations, and Detainment
(30:56) A Changed Steven
(36:46) A Break in the Illusion
(41:14) Fly Fishing with a New Perspective

Originally aired Nov 1, 2023

What does it mean to be truly speechless—struck dumb by beauty, grief, or awe? In this episode of Constant Wonder, host Marcus Smith sits down with Martha Barnette, co-host of the beloved radio show and podcast A Way with Words, for a wide-ranging conversation about language, wonder, and the moments that leave us reaching for words we don't have.

Martha shares memories of her Greek tutor Professor Leonard Latkovski, and a remarkable moment when her father, theologian Henlee Barnette, invited Martin Luther King, Jr. to speak at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The conversation moves through the concept of "thin places”—those uncanny moments where the boundary between the ordinary and the transcendent seems to dissolve—and closes with a handful of surprising word etymologies that reframe how we see the world.

Guest: Martha Barnette is an author, word-lover and co-host of A Way with Words. Find her at www.marthabarnette.com

Enjoyed this episode?
Rate, review, and share it with a friend.
Get bonus content in your inbox: constantwonder.substack.com

Chapters:
(0:00) Martha Barnette on Language and Wonder
(4:20) Family Roots: Henlee Barnette
(12:59) Professor Latkovski and the Love of Greek
(27:54) MLK, Jr.’s Visit to Southern
(34:32) When Words Fail Us
(42:41) Thin Places & Thresholds
(45:18) Scintillating Words

Constant Wonder is a production of BYUradio. Find us at www.byuradio.org

Tama Wong didn't feel like a great gardener—until she discovered that the weeds she was battling were delicacies from across the world. Now, she forages (and farms like a forager!) for fine dining restaurants, and she encourages others to enjoy wild flavor by foraging, too.

Guest: Tama Matsuoka Wong, author of "Into the Weeds: How to Garden Like a Forager" and founder of meadowsandmore.com

Knotweed Crumble and more at our Substack: https://constantwonder.substack.com

Chapters:
(0:00) Meet Tama Wong & Wild Lawns
(5:43) What is a Weed?
(14:22) Foraging for Fine Dining
(30:12) Cultivation and Community
(32:03) Moving at the Speed of Life
(38:02) Editing the Weeds
(47:50) Memories in the Garden

Reverend Dr. Andrew Teal grew up wandering the ruins of Fountains Abbey in the UK—one of his "thin places." After he was ordained an Anglican priest in his twenties, he learned to find the sacred as easily in seminar rooms as on the side of the road. Teal believes in the power of inhabiting the world, be it through philosophy, poetry, or simply your presence.

Guest: Reverend Dr. Andrew Teal, an Anglican priest, chaplain, fellow, and lecturer in theology at Pembroke College, Oxford University

Chapters:
(0:00) Introduction
(3:55) Fountains Abbey
(13:17) Grief and silence
(20:23) Rachel's thunderbolt
(24:57) Thin spaces
(32:35) Prodigal sons and sacred hymns
(43:34) Illumination