When does Teen Scientist air?

Teen Scientist airs live on the first Thursday of every month from 6:00 to 6:30 PM on WDIY, Lehigh Valley Public Radio. New episodes are also available on all major podcast platforms shortly after broadcast.

How do I subscribe to Teen Scientist?

You can subscribe on NPR, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Podbean, or Castbox. Search “Teen Scientist” on your preferred app, or use the listening links in the “Where to Listen” section above to go directly to the show.

What topics does Teen Scientist cover?

Teen Scientist covers artificial intelligence, climate science, space biology, mathematics, neuroscience, data literacy, media literacy, and more — all from a teenage perspective. Every episode features a conversation with a leading researcher, scientist, engineer, or expert at the frontier of their field.

How can I suggest a guest for the show?

Guest suggestions are welcome! Use the contact form on the Connect page to send your idea — include the guest’s name, field, and why their work would resonate with a curious teen audience.

Are past episodes archived and available to stream?

Yes — all past episodes are available on NPR at https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1057826866/teen-scientist and on all major podcast platforms.

What is Teen Scientist?

Teen Scientist is a science interview program hosted by Aryash Shyam on WDIY, Lehigh Valley Public Radio, an NPR member station. The program brings researchers, scientists, engineers, educators, and innovators into conversations about the discoveries and questions shaping the future. Episodes are designed to make advanced STEM ideas clear, relevant, and engaging for listeners of all ages.

Who hosts Teen Scientist?

Teen Scientist is hosted by Aryash Shyam, a ninth-grade student researcher, youth innovator, and STEM communicator from Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. Aryash brings a student's curiosity and a broadcaster's focus to interviews with experts, asking direct questions that help listeners understand both how new science works and why it matters.

When and where does Teen Scientist air?

Teen Scientist airs on the first Thursday of each month from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time on WDIY, Lehigh Valley Public Radio. New episodes are also distributed nationally through NPR and major podcast platforms after broadcast, allowing listeners to stream the program on demand.

What topics and guests are featured on Teen Scientist?

Teen Scientist covers artificial intelligence, education, space medicine, climate science, mathematics, neuroscience, biotechnology, media literacy, health, engineering, and other emerging STEM fields. Guests include university researchers, scientists, engineers, physicians, educators, and innovators whose work is changing how people understand the world and the future.

Where can listeners stream or subscribe to Teen Scientist?

Listeners can find Teen Scientist through NPR, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Podbean, and Castbox. The Teen Scientist page provides direct links to the available platforms, and past episodes remain available for on-demand listening after their original WDIY broadcast.

How can someone suggest a guest or topic for Teen Scientist?

Scientists, educators, students, and listeners can suggest a guest or topic through the Connect page. A useful suggestion should include the person's name, field, affiliation, the scientific question or discovery to discuss, and why the subject would be meaningful to a curious teen and general audience.

Teen Scientist Podcast (NPR/WDIY)

I'm a Lehigh Valley ninth grader, student researcher, STEM communicator, and host of Teen Scientist on WDIY, Lehigh Valley Public Radio. I bring a student's curiosity and a broadcaster's focus to conversations with researchers, innovators, and leading STEM experts, helping students and families understand the science shaping their world.

Through Teen Scientist, I explore artificial intelligence, space science, biotechnology, climate innovation, health, mathematics, and student research - with one goal: make complex ideas clear, human, and relevant.

It is 10:37 p.m., your essay is due tomorrow, and an AI chatbot is offering you an outline, a thesis, and a sentence smarter than anything you were about to write. Did it just help you learn, or quietly do the thinking for you? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Justin Reich, Director of the MIT Teaching Systems Lab and Associate Professor at MIT, about what happens when generative AI lands in homework, classrooms, and the learning process itself.

Dr. Reich explains why generative AI “crashed the party” in schools, how students use it as a tutor, a shortcut, or a survival strategy, and why “is it cheating?” is the wrong question. Drawing on his series The Homework Machine and his book Failure to Disrupt, we explore AI's “jagged frontier,” what past edtech hype can teach us, and how teachers can redesign assignments so students still do the thinking that real learning requires.

What is Teen Scientist?
Teen Scientist is a science interview program hosted by Aryash Shyam on WDIY, Lehigh Valley Public Radio, an NPR member station. The program brings researchers, scientists, engineers, educators, and innovators into conversations about the discoveries and questions shaping the future. Episodes are designed to make advanced STEM ideas clear, relevant, and engaging for listeners of all ages.
Who hosts Teen Scientist?
Teen Scientist is hosted by Aryash Shyam, a ninth-grade student researcher, youth innovator, and STEM communicator from Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. Aryash brings a student's curiosity and a broadcaster's focus to interviews with experts, asking direct questions that help listeners understand both how new science works and why it matters.
When and where does Teen Scientist air?
Teen Scientist airs on the first Thursday of each month from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time on WDIY, Lehigh Valley Public Radio. New episodes are also distributed nationally through NPR and major podcast platforms after broadcast, allowing listeners to stream the program on demand.
What topics and guests are featured on Teen Scientist?
Teen Scientist covers artificial intelligence, education, space medicine, climate science, mathematics, neuroscience, biotechnology, media literacy, health, engineering, and other emerging STEM fields. Guests include university researchers, scientists, engineers, physicians, educators, and innovators whose work is changing how people understand the world and the future.
Where can listeners stream or subscribe to Teen Scientist?
Listeners can find Teen Scientist through NPR, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Podbean, and Castbox. The Teen Scientist page provides direct links to the available platforms, and past episodes remain available for on-demand listening after their original WDIY broadcast.
How can someone suggest a guest or topic for Teen Scientist?
Scientists, educators, students, and listeners can suggest a guest or topic through the Connect page. A useful suggestion should include the person's name, field, affiliation, the scientific question or discovery to discuss, and why the subject would be meaningful to a curious teen and general audience.

Get in touch

Where Teen Curiosity Meets World-Class Science

About Teen Scientist

Aryash Shyam

Where to Listen

Can AI Help You Learn, Or Is It Just Finishing Your Homework?

Teen Scientist FAQs