Official press release · WDIY 88.1 FM, Lehigh Valley Public Radio (NPR)
For Immediate Release · August 3, 2026
Phone: 484.241.6578 · Email: margaret@wdiy.org
From CRISPR in Space to Public Radio: Bethlehem Ninth-Grader Aryash Shyam Named Host of WDIY’s Teen Scientist
Nationally recognized young scientist and inventor brings firsthand experience in AI, biotechnology, and engineering to conversations with leading researchers from NASA, MIT, Stanford, the University of Oxford, and Imperial College London.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. Before starting high school, Aryash Shyam had already designed a CRISPR-based diagnostic for spaceflight, built and coded an AI-powered robot that targets weeds with laser precision, and created an award-winning documentary about the ethics of gene editing. Now the Bethlehem student is bringing the same curiosity, and the perspective of someone who builds, tests, and investigates, to public radio.
WDIY 88.1 FM, the Lehigh Valley’s community public radio station and NPR member station, has named Aryash Shyam host of its award-winning monthly program, Teen Scientist , continuing the station’s commitment to giving young voices a platform to explore the issues shaping our future. His first episode airs Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. and asks a question millions of students, parents, and teachers are already debating: Is artificial intelligence transforming education, or simply finishing students’ homework?
The appointment brings an uncommon perspective to science broadcasting: a host who isn’t simply interviewing leading researchers, but is actively conducting scientific research, designing technology, and competing at the national level himself. In 2026, Genes in Space selected Aryash as one of five Junior Scientist Award recipients from 130 middle-school submissions for his proposal, “Validating a Cell-Free CRISPR Fluorescent RNA Diagnostic in Microgravity.”
Aryash also designed, built, and coded GreenBeam, a computer-vision robot that targets weeds with a precision laser instead of chemical herbicide. The project earned Pennsylvania State Merit recognition in the 2025 3M Young Scientist Challenge and was featured by The Morning Call, The Cool Down, Lehigh Valley Public Media, Yahoo News, and MSN.
His other honors include the 2026 PETE&C Technology Student of the Year award, first place in the 2026 AIAA National 8th-Grade Essay Contest, and first-place mathematics at the 2026 Lehigh Valley Science and Engineering Research Fair.
Beyond the lab, Aryash created Editing Humanity: A CRISPR Conundrum , a documentary examining the science and ethics of gene editing, and created a student-led STEM education channel covering artificial intelligence, coding, mathematics, and science. Across those projects, his goal is the same: make complex ideas understandable, useful, and open to young people.
“Young people are often told that science is something we will get to do someday. Teen Scientist begins with the opposite idea: we can ask serious questions, build real solutions, and contribute now. I want listeners to hear the uncertainty, creativity, and persistence behind discovery, not just the finished answer, and to feel that science is a place where they belong.”
— Aryash Shyam, host of Teen ScientistBig questions, leading scientists, and a teenage point of view
Can AI help students learn, or just help them finish assignments? What invisible life travels with astronauts? Will computers change mathematical proof? Can the design of a soccer ball alter a World Cup match? Are we more than our sleep scores and step counts? Could a rock from another star be drifting through our solar system right now?
Teen Scientist turns questions like these into fast-moving, 30-minute conversations that make frontier research clear without stripping away its complexity or wonder. Featured guests include:
- Dr. Justin Reich, director of the MIT Teaching Systems Lab and associate professor at MIT
- Dr. Sarah Wallace, a microbiologist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center
- Dr. Victor R. Lee, Khosla Family Professor at Stanford Graduate School of Education
- Professor Kevin Buzzard, professor of pure mathematics at Imperial College London
- Dr. John Eric Goff, professor of physics at Purdue University
- Professor Chris Lintott, professor of astrophysics at the University of Oxford
“At WDIY, we believe public media should not only report on the future—it should help create it. Aryash represents exactly what public radio is meant to do: elevate curious, thoughtful voices, connect our community through meaningful conversations, and inspire the next generation to ask big questions. His talent is extraordinary, but what excites us most is his ability to make science approachable and remind young people that they don’t have to wait until adulthood to make meaningful contributions.”
— Margaret McConnell, Executive Director, WDIYThe appointment also reflects WDIY’s ongoing investment in developing local talent and creating original programming that informs, inspires, and serves audiences of all ages.
Since its launch, Teen Scientist has become one of WDIY’s signature local programs, earning three Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters Excellence in Broadcasting Awards (2021, 2023 and 2024) and a 2024 Keystone Media Award for making cutting-edge science accessible to audiences of all ages.
About Aryash Shyam
Aryash Shyam is a ninth-grade student at Lehigh Valley Academy and a nationally recognized young scientist, inventor, filmmaker, and STEM communicator. He is a 2026 Genes in Space Junior Scientist Award recipient, the 2025 3M Young Scientist Challenge Pennsylvania State Merit Winner, and the 2026 PETE&C Technology Student of the Year. His work spans AI robotics, CRISPR diagnostics, space biology, scientific writing, documentary filmmaking, and peer-to-peer STEM education.
About Teen Scientist
Teen Scientist airs on the first Thursday of each month from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. on WDIY 88.1 FM and is also available on WDIY.org and major podcast platforms. Hosted by nationally recognized young scientist Aryash Shyam, each episode explores science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through the eyes of a teenager. Every conversation begins with a compelling question and brings listeners directly to the scientists and innovators shaping our understanding of the world.
About WDIY
WDIY 88.1 FM is the Lehigh Valley’s NPR affiliate and community public radio station, serving more than one million residents across eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. Through independent journalism, local news, music, arts programming, podcasts, and community engagement, WDIY connects people and ideas while amplifying the voices that make the Lehigh Valley unique.
Aryash Shyam on WDIY: wdiy.org/people/aryash-shyam
Aryash Shyam: aryashshyam.com
Aryash Shyam is available for an interview. High-resolution photos and additional background materials are available upon request.
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