Becky Fogel

Production Assistant

Science Friday

Becky Fogel is Science Friday's production assistant.

Becky Fogel is Science Friday's production assistant. Before joining SciFri, Becky was a reporter at 103.3 KWBU FM, the NPR-affiliate station in Waco, Texas. There she covered local news from education and immigration to arts and health. She also covered national breaking news stories, including the 2013 explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, for NPR and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC/Radio-Canada). 

Becky grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts but doesn't have the accent to prove it. When she's not hounding scientists, you can find her running (or let's be honest, walking) in her local park, searching for delicious BBQ spots, and then ... eating ice cream. 

You can follow her on Twitter @beckyfogel.

A wave

How he caught the wave ... of predicting surf

Surfers are always in search of the perfect conditions. Here's how a series of websites and apps — one dating back more than 20 years — have provided a serious edge.

How he caught the wave ... of predicting surf
Guns

Should gun violence be treated as a public health crisis?

Should gun violence be treated as a public health crisis?
Scanning electron micrograph of a human T lymphocyte (also called a T cell) from the immune system of a healthy donor. Image by NIAID

Are we close to curing cancer?

Are we close to curing cancer?
US Capitol

US governments have made some big flops in the world of tech. Here's why.

US governments have made some big flops in the world of tech. Here's why.
Flu vaccine stock photo

Scientists are working on ways of predicting where the flu will strike next

Scientists are working on ways of predicting where the flu will strike next
iPhone 6S Plus

This parent-led bedtime story app will help your kid rock at math

​Researchers are recommending an app to help parents and kids learn important math skills together.

This parent-led bedtime story app will help your kid rock at math
Following what the National Weather Service described as "high astronomical tides due to the lunar cycle," a coastal flood advisory was put in place for South Florida early this week. Pictured above is flooding that occurred in Miami Beach at Indian Creek

Is climate change the new big election issue for Latino voters?

Latino voters in the US are usually seen as one-issue voters, focused on immigration. Politicians, however, are ignoring another major topic of concern for Latino voters, and that issue is climate change.

Is climate change the new big election issue for Latino voters?
PENSOLE students’ ideation wall showing their process. Photo by Marcus Yam

Is sneaker innovation changing how we move?

Sneakers owe their development to waffle irons, rolling pins and the rubber tree. But how much is this innovative footwear changing the way the human body functions in the 21st century?

Is sneaker innovation changing how we move?
Abe Noe-Hays

Could urine be the perfect fertilizer for your garden?

A group of researchers is looking into ways to recycle and re-use human urine as fertilizer, and hopefully save precious water supplies in the process. It’s a project they’re calling “peecycling.”

Could urine be the perfect fertilizer for your garden?
The Animas River, mustard-color about 24 hours after a spill.

EPA contractors caused gold-mine blowout that turned a river orange

Three states carried the residue from the blowout of an abandoned gold mine in Colorado. The incident shines a spotlight on toxic waters released from mines into surrounding rivers.

EPA contractors caused gold-mine blowout that turned a river orange
Giant Panda

Pregnant panda? It's almost impossible to tell

The Washington, DC, national zoo has a new baby panda — but scientists only determined there was a pregnancy a few days before the panda was actually born. That's because scientists have yet to develop a method to conclusively determine whether a female giant panda is actually pregnant.

Pregnant panda? It's almost impossible to tell

Quiz: Is This Panda Pregnant?

Quiz: Is This Panda Pregnant?
Scientists have discovered the chemical reaction behind a firefly's glow

What makes fireflies glow?

For years, scientists have known the basic ingredients behind a firefly's light. But a new study explains the process behind the backyard light show.

What makes fireflies glow?
Casts of the jaws of Australopithecus deyiremeda

How a new fossil discovery changes the perceived evolutionary path for humans

Lucy, otherwise known as Australopithecus afarensis, is long considered to be the lone ancestor of modern humans. But a new discovery in the Afar region of Ethiopia could mean that Lucy didn't exist in isolation.

How a new fossil discovery changes the perceived evolutionary path for humans
Toast (white bread) just popped up from the toaster

We're toast, genetically speaking. (Well, a little bit.)

As surprising as it may seem, humans share a common genetic ancestor with yeast. Yes, yeast. Now researchers have shown that even today, some human genes swapped into a yeast cell will function identically as the yeast genes they replaced.

We're toast, genetically speaking. (Well, a little bit.)