David Kestenbaum
David Kestenbaum is a correspondent for NPR, covering science, energy issues and, most recently, the global economy for NPR's multimedia project Planet Money. David has been a science correspondent for NPR since 1999. He came to journalism the usual way — by getting a Ph.D. in physics first.
In his years at NPR, David has covered science's discoveries and its darker side, including the Northeast blackout, the anthrax attacks and the collapse of the New Orleans levees. He has also reported on energy issues, particularly nuclear and climate change.
David has won awards from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
David worked briefly on the show This American Life, and set up a radio journalism program in Cambodia on a Fulbright fellowship. He also teaches a journalism class at Johns Hopkins University.
David holds a bachelor's of science degree in physics from Yale University and a doctorate in physics from Harvard University.
-
If Discovery's return to Earth shapes up to be a risky prospect, NASA has a series of rescue plans ready. Discovery is rigged to fly on auto pilot, and the astronauts can escape to the space station. The question would then be, who brings them home: Americans or Russians?
-
In nine days, NASA will launch the space shuttle Discovery on a mission to the International Space Station, despite the safety concerns of two senior officials. They spoke with reporters Wednesday to explain their reservations about the mission. Both were worried about a repeat of the Columbia Shuttle accident.
-
An experiment confirms that a weird tribe of particles known as neutrinos actually change from one form into another as they journey about the cosmos. Neutrinos seem to pass through any object. If that's really the case, are neutrinos cursed to wander the universe in solitude forever?
-
A new NASA mission to the moon will pelt the lunar surface to study plumes of dust and search for ice crystals. The unmanned mission, slated for October 2008, will launch a lunar orbiter from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., using the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle.
-
After Katrina, sections of wall holding back water in New Orleans canals failed when they should have held. In a letter released Friday, an independent panel says engineers who designed the canal walls should have included a larger safety margin.
-
A government panel issues preliminary findings about why New Orleans' levees failed after Hurricane Katrina. The 800-page report concludes that the disaster wasn't due to faulty work by the Corps or anyone else. That's at odds with conclusions reached by two other independent teams.
-
The highly-rated game show Deal or No Deal, with its scantily clad women and mystery suitcases, returns to NBC this week. An economist from the Netherlands, where the show originated, uses the game show to study how people assess financial risk.
-
With the start of hurricane season about three months away, many people are asking whether repairs to New Orleans' flood-protection system will be ready in time. NPR Science Correspondent David Kestenbaum provides an update on efforts to restore the city's levees.
-
A new National Academy of Sciences report finds that transportation accidents involving nuclear waste pose minimal risks. The academy recommends further study of scenarios involving long-duration fires or terrorist attack, and it points out another issue the government needs to address: public fear.
-
After the levees broke in New Orleans, investigators went around looking for stopped clocks. By plotting clock times and locations, investigators are piecing together how and when parts of the city had flooded.