Celia Llopis-Jepsen

College students at Kansas State University are increasingly eyeing careers in nuclear technology. So the school has relaunched a bachelor’s degree that originally blazed a trail in the U.S. for nuclear studies. This news comes at a time when two advanced nuclear companies have announced plans to build reactors in Kansas. In the 1950s, Kansas […]

College students at Kansas State University are increasingly eyeing careers in nuclear technology, so the school has relaunched a bachelor's degree that originally blazed a trail in the U.S. for nuclear studies.

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation's agriculture business grows hemp without irrigation, insecticides or plowing. Now its product is helping to build a home in Ogden.

We’re in the beginning of spring bird migration here on the Gulf Coast, which means warblers, vireos, orioles, and thrushes coming through as they make their way up North. Around 2 billion birds make landfall along our coast from March to May after crossing the Gulf of Mexico. But even after the high-stakes crossing of open water, their next leg of the journey is no less perilous.CREDITSThis episode of Sea Change Live was hosted by Eva Tesfaye. Our executive producer is Carlyle Calhoun. Sound design by Kurt Kohnen, and our theme music is by Jon Batiste.This episode was reported by Up From Dust Host Celia Llopis-Jepsen.Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

Across the central U.S., nitrate from crop fertilizer and livestock facilities is seeping into water underground. Many family wells are no longer safe to drink from without pricey treatment.

Ornate box turtles and their kin face steep challenges in today's world, but people can help out by raising the deck height on their mowers, allowing turtles to cross the road and not taking them home as pets.

The most recent data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment show more than 70% of abortions in 2024 used the drug mifepristone. There’s a court battle over mailing the medication to patients.

NPR | By Celia Llopis-Jepsen Published May 24, 2026 at 1:06 PM AKDT Life Kit explains the benfits of swapping your lawn for a native plant garden

Some rivers are success stories where wildlife is bouncing back from heavy pollution. But environmental groups say progress hasn't happened across the board and backsliding remains possible.

Lawns are great surfaces for throwing a football or laying out a picnic.