Innovations in STEM Education; How the Courts Abet Bad Cops; A New Case for Dr. Kay Scarpetta

On this week's podcast:

Freeman A. Hrabowski III is one of the nation’s most renowned educators. As president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, he has gained widespread fame for his innovative programs shaping young minds for careers in what are known as the STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and math. Dr. Hrabowski joins us to talk about those programs and his book, “Holding Fast to Dreams: From the Civil Rights Crusade to STEM Achievement.”

Trial attorney Gerry Spence has never lost a criminal case since he began practicing law in 1952.  In between representing everyone from the forgotten to the famous, he’s written more than a dozen books. Spence joins us to discuss his latest text, “Police State: How America’s Cops Get Away with Murder,” a stinging indictment of the American justice system and its protection of corrupt law enforcement officers and agencies.

Twenty-five years ago, crime novelist Patricia Cornwell created the character Dr. Kay Scarpetta, who relies on forensic research as a law enforcement tool. The franchise now totals 29 New York Times bestsellers, with 100 million copies sold in more than 120 countries. Cornwell joins us to discuss her new Kay Scarpetta novel, an intensely psychological odyssey called “Depraved Heart.”