Emily Kwong
Emily Kwong (she/her) is the reporter for NPR's daily science podcast, Short Wave. The podcast explores new discoveries, everyday mysteries and the science behind the headlines — all in about 10 minutes, Monday through Friday.
Prior to working at NPR, Kwong was a reporter and host at KCAW-Sitka, a community radio station in Sitka, Alaska. She covered local government and politics, culture and general assignments, chasing stories onto fishing boats and up volcanoes. Her work earned multiple awards from the Alaska Press Club and Alaska Broadcasters Association. Prior to that, Kwong produced youth media with WNYC's Radio Rookies and The Modern Story in Hyderabad, India.
Kwong won the "Best New Artist" award in 2013 from the Third Coast/Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition for a story about a Maine journalist learning to speak with an electrolarynx. She was the 2018 "Above the Fray" Fellow, reporting a series for NPR on climate change and internal migration in Mongolia.
Kwong earned her bachelor's degree at Columbia University in 2012. She learned the finer points of cutting tape at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in 2013.
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For this second installment of the Sea Camp series, we explore the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It's the largest of five gigantic garbage patches in the sea. -
In this first glimpse of the "Sea Camp" series from NPR's Short Wave podcast, hear how climate change will significantly shift three-quarters of the ocean's surface currents by the end of the century.
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A rare visitor from another star system has been spotted: the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. -
Emily Kwong and Regina Barber of NPR's Short Wave talk about a comet visiting from interstellar space, caterpillars that eat and break down plastic, and how animals' sense of smell varies by altitude.
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NPR's science podcast Short Wave shares how taking a nap can deliver a eureka moment, a new picture of a planet right after it was born, and how wildfires can affect water quality – after the fires stop burning.
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Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on the planet, and some of them may be on the rise. At least in listener Abigail Krich-Starr's area, that's due to warmer, wetter weather — which, yes, is linked to climate change. But it doesn't stop there: Ecologists and entomologists say increased heat could also alter mosquito behavior, shift their natural habitat, and even change how pathogens incubate and spread inside their bodies. So how do you protect yourself against the (mosquito) masses? Our experts suggested several things: - Assess your risk by checking local mosquito surveillance efforts, like this one for the state of Massachusetts - Consider rescheduling outdoor events happening between dusk and dawn, which is peak biting time for multiple mosquito species - Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, weather-permitting, to limit exposed skin - Use an EPA-approved DEET repellent, and/or a permethrin spray for clothing and outdoor gear This episode is part of Nature Quest, a monthly Short Wave segment that answers listener questions about the local environment.Got a question about changes in your local environment? Send a voice memo to shortwave@npr.org with your name, where you live and your question. We might make it into our next Nature Quest episode! Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave. -
Gen Z and younger millennials are the most climate literate generations the world has ever seen. They learned about climate change in school; now, it's part of how they plan for the future, including for jobs, housing ... and kids. -
Emily Kwong and Regina Barber of Short Wave talk about a tool to increase biker safety, the genetic secrets that make orange cats orange, and a link between gum disease and heart rhythm disorders.
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Scientists are using the video game Minecraft to study how humans learn, perfecting a classic Roman pasta dish with science, and a possible reason why more young people are getting colorectal cancer.
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Welcome!! This is the first episode of Nature Quest, a monthly Short Wave segment that answers listener questions about your local environment. This month, we hear from a listener in California who's concerned that the flowers in his neighborhood are blooming way, way earlier. Is that normal? And is climate change the culprit? Short Wavers Emily Kwong and Hannah Chinn investigate. Got a question about changes in your local environment? Send a voice memo to shortwave@npr.org with your name, where you live and your question. We might make it into our next Nature Quest episode!Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
