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Speaking Personally

Speaking Personally

Written by: AZPM
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About this listen

 Candid conversations with the people shaping Arizona and beyond. We’ll dive beneath the surface to explore who they are, what drives them, and the paths that led them here. Speaking Personally is recorded on location at the Paul and Alice Baker Center for Public Media in Tucson Arizona.©2026 AZPM Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Leslie Tolbert Ph.D. Dept. of Neuroscience University of Arizona

    Leslie Tolbert Ph.D. Dept. of Neuroscience University of Arizona
    May 5 2026
    Leslie Tolbert spent most of her career studying neuroscience and the mysteries of the brain, which makes her frank discussion about a recent Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis all the more interesting. Tolbert received her Ph.D. in Anatomy from Harvard in 1978; in 1987 she arrived at the University of Arizona where she has held several positions including Professor, Acting Director of the Arizona Research Laboratories, Senior Vice President for Research and Regents’ Professor, among others. In this discussion Tolbert tells Tom McNamara how being exposed to different cultures at a young age expanded her mind, how she fell in love with the brain and her husband at the same time, and how after years of studying there is still so much to learn about the human brain.
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    29 mins
  • 2026 Guggenheim Fellow and Astrophysics Professor Dr. Erika Hamden

    2026 Guggenheim Fellow and Astrophysics Professor Dr. Erika Hamden
    Apr 28 2026
    In April of 2026, Dr. Erika Hamden was named a Guggenheim Fellow, adding to her long list of accomplishments. In conversation with AZPM's Tom McNamara she discusses how public broadcast opened her eyes to the universe, dropping out of MIT, the difficult decision between cooking and astrophysics and how anyone at any age can learn science. Over the past few years, Hamden has exploded as one of the best science communicators on social media with over 125,000 followers on Instagram alone. She recently published the book "Weird Universe: Everything We Don't Know About Space (and Why It's Important)" that explores the complicated mysteries of the cosmos. Along with her myriad accomplishments and fascination with space, she is also extremely down to earth.
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    29 mins
  • The Woman Leading Tucson Electric Power: Susan Gray

    The Woman Leading Tucson Electric Power: Susan Gray
    Apr 14 2026
    Susan Gray started off at Tucson Electric Power as a student and has risen through the ranks, achieving many notable firsts on her way to becoming CEO. In conversation with AZPM's Tom McNamara, she discusses her supportive upbringing, being known on the front lines as "The Girl" and falling in love with Tucson along the way. She shares stories about walking on to University of Arizona's swim team, why its forbidden to disparage math in her house, and why she feels a personal responsibility to the community.
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    39 mins
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