Learn about the remarkable partnerships that produced more than 2,500 Carnegie‑funded libraries across the United States and the complex, negotiated process that made these institutions enduring pillars of public knowledge. Drawing on contemporary scholarship, the conversation illuminates how local communities, librarians, and decision makers harnessed Andrew Carnegie’s philanthropic energy to shape America’s public library system.

00:30 Intro

03:00 Andrew Carnegie: Immigrant to Titan of American Industry

11:30 Carnegie Libraries Spread Across the Country

24:40 Library Design and Enduring Legacy

30:00 Carnegie’s Vision of Citizenship & the Gospel of Wealth

39:45 What We Learned This Week

For a full list of episode sources and resources, visit our website.

What does it look like when a community builds critical infrastructure before established institutions recognize the need? In this episode, we examine a short-lived but transformative ambulance program that helped define modern emergency medical response at a time when most U.S. emergency calls were handled by minimally trained personnel. At the intersection of medical research, workforce development, and community trust, this effort, known as the Freedom House Ambulance Service, reframed first responders as field clinicians and demonstrated how on-the-job education can function as public health infrastructure. Learn about the researchers and educators who helped shape early resuscitation science, the culture of embedded learning that accelerated community care, and the institutional shifts that rippled across the country in the wake of the program’s success.

00:30 Intro + Ohio’s changing kindergarten enrollment cutoffs; school & family impact

06:00 Freedom House Ambulance Service: Community-driven transformation in Pittsburgh’s Hill District

13:20 Learning under fire: education and training in the field

17:05 Writing the textbook for emergency medical care

18:30 Building effective learning community in a crisis context

23:20 Rules, restrictions, and mavericks; pushing boundaries to further medical research

25:50 Education as public infrastructure, not credentialing pipeline; the relative value of expertise

27:00 The structure of schools & workplaces for community empowerment

For a full list of episode sources and resources, visit our website.

Freedom House Ambulance Service - Wikipedia

Nancy Caroline - Wikipedia

Peter Safar - Wikipedia

Emergency Medical Services - Wikipedia

America's First Paramedics Were Black. Their Achievements Were Overlooked for Decades

Freedom House Ambulance: The FIRST Responders | America's First EMT Service

How to see Dublin’s secret painting | The Doyle Collection

Freedom House Ambulance Service – EMS Museum

About Us - Freedom House Doc

These Trailblazing Black Paramedics Are the Reason You Don't Have to Ride a Hearse or a Police Van to the Hospital

Send Freedom House! | Pitt Med | University of Pittsburgh

Nancy Caroline Award | Safar Center for Resuscitation Research

The Jewish Woman who Revolutionized Emergency Medicine | Aish

Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs by Frederic William Burton | National Gallery of Ireland

'There's no telescope this large ever built. It's not like we have a precedent for how to do these things,' Giant Magellan Telescope engineers on why they used the Unreal Engine to build an unprecedented telescope simulator | TechRadar

We’re back to kick off our “third” season (and sixth year!) with learning strategist, National Board certified science educator, and special education teacher Tina Heineke-Kurtz. Tina is a delightful and adventurous human being with a strong passion for inclusive education, and her career in teaching and advocacy has touched the lives of countless students. We spoke with Tina about life in Oconomowoc, co-teaching in an inclusive classroom, and the challenges of meeting the needs of all learners. Welcome back, listeners, and enjoy the chaos of a gaggle of Midwesterners.

00:00 Ice Fishing with the Stomach Bomb

08:40 Teaching Journey and Career Path

13:20 Middle School and Mentorship

21:00 Co-Teaching In Inclusive Classrooms

27:40 COVID and Social/Emotional Displacement

34:40 Making Chicken Soup

37:20 Inclusive Practices and Stakeholder Perspectives

47:00 Professional Development and Personal Growth

49:20 MARBLES, MARBLES, MARBLES!

56:50 The One Who Cared

1:00:00 What We Learned

For a full list of episode sources and resources, visit our website.