Tartan Talks

Christopher LaFuria•tartantalks.simplecast.com

Education

A storytelling podcast from Edinboro University. Hosted by Christopher LaFuria.

Last refreshed: August 25th, 2025 at 4:22 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Discovering Dia de los Muertos

Spooky. Haunted. Dark. Eerie. Those are some of the adjectives we in the United States might use to describe Halloween and the end of October. But in Mexico – and to Mexican-Americans – it's almost the complete opposite. Dia de los Muertos is the annual celebration that coincides with Halloween and the Christian celebration of All Saints Day. Families and friends gather on this multi-day holiday to pray for an remember their lost loved ones. Edinboro University student Nathalia Perez-Torres and ...

Oct 22, 2019•20 min

Chemistry in the Kitchen

It's October! That means we're celebrating beer. But we're not just sitting back and sipping on a cold one. We're going to learn about the processes and science behind brewing and fermentation, why it's important to have a fundamental knowledge of chemistry to be an expert and why IPAs are overrated (Calm down, beer folks. It's just one professor's opinion). Today on "Tartan Talks" we spoke with Edinboro University professor Dr. N. Gabriel Armatas, who teaches chemistry and is the founding membe...

Oct 08, 2019•26 min

Uncomfortable Conversations: The People's Will

We're going live here at Tartan Talks! A few years ago, Edinboro University developed the "Uncomfortable Conversations" series to series to engage in meaningful, civil discourse on timely, often sensitive, issues that are shaping the national dialogue. AKA: Here's a perfect opportunity to bring Edinboro's academic discourse to the masses through this podcast. On Sept. 15 – Constitution Day – a panel of experts from Edinboro and the Erie region came together to discuss the Electoral College: What...

Sep 20, 2019•1 hr 19 min

Investigative Arts

The woman’s severed head lay in the woods, 10 yards off a rural road. Her mouth was open. Her eyes were closed. Her hair was gray and fluffy. A teenager spotted her about half past noon on Dec. 12, 2014. Moments later, police say, the boy called 911. “I found a human head,” he calmly told the operator. Today, almost three years after the discovery, the woman’s identity remains a mystery. Authorities haven’t determined how or when she died, her age, why she was decapitated, or how her head came t...

Sep 03, 2019•27 min

Playing the Bagpipes with Mia Harvey

Can't get enough of the spirit of the Scots? Here's a bonus episode with Edinboro University student – and bagpipe expert – Mia Harvey, who takes us through the theory and practice of this instrument, and how she it became a major part of her life. Enjoy!

Sep 03, 2019•16 min

Spirit of the Scots

Edinboro University – home of the Fighting Scots. But why? The original Edinboro establishment was surveyed by Scotsman and Williamsport native William Culbertson and Alexander Hamilton (no, not THAT Alexander Hamilton, but a 3rd cousin) surveyed the area in 1796, with Culbertson returning the following year to settle around Lake Conneauttee – a Native American name meaning “Land of the Living Snowflake.” According to Russell Vance’s “A Portrait of Edinboro,” Edinboro was originally called “Wash...

Sep 03, 2019•27 min

Women Writers of the Beat Generation

A crew of literary bandits that came of age in the 1950s, the Beat Generation abandoned traditional American values and cultural norms. These writers of the 1950s practiced sexual liberation, experimented with drug use, dug into jazz musicians like Billie Holiday and Thelonious Monk and objected mainstream materialism. Although most literary fans immediately recognize names like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsburg, Edinboro University professor Dr. Mary Paniccia Carden believes we need to focus more...

Sep 03, 2019•24 min

Tartan Talks Season 1 Trailer

Welcome to Tartan Talks, a podcast from Edinboro University. Each month, we’ll take a look at the individuals who make Edinboro an exciting, diverse and profound place to discover your passions. We’ll learn about faculty, staff and students – beyond the classroom walls, beyond the lecture halls, beyond this campus. Following our initial release in September, Tartan Talks will be published twice each month, with a special holiday program in December. Listen to Tartan Talks on Apple Podcasts, Spot...

Aug 05, 2019•2 min

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