Michigan Minds brings to life the wide-ranging faculty expertise at the University of Michigan. This series features quick yet informative analysis that provides unique perspectives on today’s top issues. U-M faculty are among the world’s leading researchers and teachers across all disciplines. Michigan Minds taps that thought leadership and shares this expertise with the world. It is produced by Michigan News, a division of the Office of the Vice President for Communications.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Hala Darwish (https://nursing.umich.edu/directory/hala-darwish) is an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing and Department of Neurology at Michigan Medicine and assistant dean for community culture at the School of Nursing. She explains why everyday green spaces—a garden, a neighborhood park, trees along a street—deserve far more attention and how nature can help the brain recover from the constant demands of modern life.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
23 Aug 2026
Preparing teachers and students for the future
Elizabeth Moje (https://marsal.umich.edu/directory/faculty-staff/elizabeth-birr-moje), the George Herbert Mead Collegiate Professor of Education and dean of the Marsal Family School of Education at the University of Michigan, discusses how educators can better understand students' diverse cultural and literacy practices. She explains how teachers can serve as cultural brokers, connecting the knowledge and strengths young people bring to the classroom with academic learning.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
29 Jul 2026
Debunking the top myths of EV ownership
Parth Vaishnav (https://seas.umich.edu/research/faculty/parth-vaishnav) is an assistant professor of sustainable systems, climate and energy at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability. His research aims to understand how technology can help solve social problems, primarily focusing on the environmental and human health consequences of energy production and use.
Vaishnav explores how economic, political and operational realities constrain technology deployment. His current work focuses on finding equitable strategies to decarbonize the economy and examines the consequences of automation for the environment, equity and work.
Vaishnav joins the Michigan Minds podcast to discuss the evolving landscape of electric vehicles, debunking myths about battery degradation and affordability. He also details how EV owners can turn their cars into home power plants and why the industry must look beyond a "one-to-one replacement" of gas cars to truly solve environmental challenges.
For people weighing their options, how can electric vehicles still make sense as a cost saving and environmentally friendly choice?
Two-thirds of car sales in the U.S. are used cars. Most people buy used, and today, used EVs are the cheapest vehicles to own in any category—sedans, SUVs or trucks.
Because of this, people should really consider buying a used EV. While people often worry about battery degradation, batteries made after 2020 have improved so much that degradation isn't a major concern anymore.
For new cars, consumer options are growing steadily. If you factor in lifetime refueling and maintenance—like skipping oil changes—electric vehicles are cheaper over their lifespan than gas cars in many places, though they can still be more expensive in others. Home charging overnight also makes a huge difference. Currently, the higher total cost of an EV is often driven by higher insurance rates. However, that should improve as EVs prove their reliability and repair costs come down, leading the insurance industry to adjust its pricing.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.4 / 5
9 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 49 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
