1050 Bascom

The First Amendment with Professor Howard Schweber by 1050 Bascom

In this episode, Nama and Evan are joined by Ryan Ring, a recent graduate of the La Follette School of Public Affairs, to talk about the upcoming State Capitol Eat and Greet event on September 26, where Ryan will be a panelist, as well as Ryan's career from Washington D.C., to MPA, to working on the Joint Finance Committee for the state of Wisconsin.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, Nama is joined by executive board members of BridgeMadison to discuss the event they hosted in April regarding crime and punishment.

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to talk with Corey Robin, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center. Prof. Robin is also a frequent contributor to The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, and other publications. Prof. Robin was on campus in April as part of the University’s Phi Beta Kappa Society’s Visiting Scholar Program. He presented a talk entitled, “Clarence Thomas’s Radical Race Politics and the Future of the Supreme Court.” We asked Prof. Robin about his research into the intellectual life of Clarence Thomas, the longest serving justice on the Supreme Court. It was a fascinating conversation and we learned so much. Listen here.

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were honored and delighted to interview Amed Khan. Amed is the President of the Amed Khan Foundation and a UW–Madison alum who majored in International Relations and Political Science. His career defies any standard résumé: from working in the West Wing as a special assistant at the Peace Corps, to running rescue missions in Kabul, coordinating evacuations in Syria and Ukraine, and founding a refugee housing initiative in Greece. Amed has shown what it means to step up when the world falls apart and to do so without waiting for permission. In this conversation, we talked about what inspired him to take this path, what it really looks like to do humanitarian work in conflict zones, and how his time at UW-Madison helped shape a worldview that still guides him today. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to interview Crystal Potts, Senior Director of State Relations & Statewide Outreach, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Crystal is also a Badger alumni who majored in Political Science and Chinese. Crystal is the university’s key liaison to the governor’s office, state legislature, and state agencies, advocating for public higher education across Wisconsin. We thoroughly enjoyed talking to Crystal about her academic and professional background and pivotal role at the University. Listen here!

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were excited to talk with Lieutenant Colonel Scott Gross, Commander of the Air Force ROTC at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Lt. Col. Gross brings nearly two decades of distinguished service in the United States Air Force, with experience spanning leadership, intelligence, foreign area expertise, and program management. His career has taken him across the world as he did strategic and operational planning in Jordan for Special Operations and Intel operations in Iraq. He also led program management work in Boston and Ohio. As the leader of the Air Force ROTC here at UW-Madison, Lt. Col. Gross plays a critical role in shaping the next generation of military and civic leaders. In this interview, we talked with him about his experiences in the Air Force, the lessons he’s learned about leadership and service, and why he believes it’s essential for students, regardless of their career aspirations, to think about ways they can contribute to public service.

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were honored to welcome Ambassador John E. Lange, a distinguished diplomat, global health leader, and proud alumni of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Over his 28-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service, Ambassador Lange served in pivotal roles, including U.S. Ambassador to Botswana, Special Representative on Avian and Pandemic Influenza, and Deputy U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator at the launch of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.His career has taken him from high-level diplomatic negotiations to frontline crisis leadership. After retiring from the Foreign Service in 2009, Ambassador Lange continued his commitment to global health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Foundation, where he has worked to advance global health diplomacy, pandemic preparedness, and disease eradication initiatives.In this episode, Ambassador Lange shared insights from his diplomatic career, his work in global health, and the importance of public service in addressing global challenges. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Ambassador Lange and learned so much. We hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we are excited to welcome back Professor Tana Johnson from the La Follette School of Public Affairs and Political Science. Professor Johnson’s research and teaching interests span international institutions, environmental and economic policy, and the interaction of governments, businesses, and civil society. We asked her about some of the main topics she covers in her International Environmental Politics course as well as what’s working, and what’s not, in international environmental politics more generally. We learned so much and enjoyed our conversation. We hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were excited to interview PS alum, Josh Shapiro. Josh graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2018 and earned a Master’s degree from the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy in 2021. Josh has built an impressive career in legislative affairs, progressing from campaign management and political internships to senior-level policy advising in the U.S. House of Representatives. Josh has gained expertise in drafting legislation and has a broad policy portfolio, focusing on energy, commerce, infrastructure, and telecommunications. We asked Josh about his time at UW-Madison as well as his fascinating career path and his current work on Capitol Hill. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Josh and hope you will too.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we welcome back Miranda Garcia-Dove and Abby Grabowski, co-Presidents of BridgeMadison, to talk about the role of AI in Education and Society. Miranda and Abby are joined by fellow students Elliott Bliss, Lexi Golding and Marissa Reude. They covered a lot of ground in their discussion of how AI is impacting education, the workforce, the environment and society more generally. It was a lively and engaging discussion that offered a variety of thoughtful student perspectives. Listen here.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to welcome Mark Copelovitch. Professor of Political Science and Public Affairs, to talk about the Trump Administrations flurry of executive orders and job cuts across multiple government agencies and organizations in his first several weeks in office. A lot has happened in the political and economic world in a short amount of time, and we couldn’t think of anyone better to talk to than Prof. Copelovitch. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with him and learned so much. We hope you will too!

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were thrilled to interview Tom Beaumont, Senior National Political Correspondent for the Washington desk of The Associated Press. Tom earned a BA in Political Science from UW-Madison in 1989 as well as a MA from the J-School in 1993. In his career, Tom has covered six presidential campaigns, including the past four as a national correspondent for the AP. We had a wide ranging and fun conversation with Tom about his career path as well as his experiences and insights covering the last several presidential elections.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were excited to talk to Dominic Zappia, the ASM Chair. Dom is a senior at UW-Madison and has been the ASM Chair since the start of this school year. We discussed ASM's structure and powers and why students' participation in ASM's Spring 2025 elections is crucial for effective shared governance. We enjoyed our conversation with Dominic and hope you do too! Listen here.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to talk to Garrett Jones, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science. Garrett is currently teaching our department’s The American Constitution: Powers and Structures of Government course. We talked to Garret about the development of the US constitutional framework historically and with respect to the challenges of constitutionalism in contemporary U.S. politics and government. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Garrett and learned so much. We hope you will too.