EPISODE · Apr 7, 2026 · 49 MIN
AquaMissions hopes to prevent drownings by teaching Cleveland students to swim
from Sound of Ideas · host Ideastream Public Media
AquaMissions Every year in the United States there are over 4-thousand drowning deaths, making it the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5-14, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Northeast Ohio, due to the proximity to Lake Erie and Cuyahoga River, there is even more reason to teach young people to swim. According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, in 2025 there were 19 drownings in Lake Erie. With summer fast approaching, the likelihood of accidental drownings increases. The nonprofit program, AquaMissions, now located at Cleveland State University, teaches kids ages 7 to 11 how to swim to help prevent accidental drownings. The "Sound of Ideas" is partnering with Cleveland State University student journalists this semester. On Tuesday's show, we'll highlight the work of Aquamissions with a segment produced by CSU's "Broadcast Pre-Production" class. Guests: - Lynne Nagy, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director, AquaMissions - Ronqesha Robinson, Assistant Principal, Rhodes College & Career Academy, Cleveland Metropolitan School District & Board Member, AquaMissions - Devyn Etling, AquaMissions Intern and Instructor & Senior, Cleveland State University - Misa Colon, AquaMissions Student & Fourth Grader, Garfield Elementary, Cleveland Metropolitan School District Artemis II Moon Mission On April 1, NASA launched its first moon-related mission since the 1970s, a 10-day mission with four crew members set to slingshot around the moon, and return to Earth. Monday, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen completed their lunar fly by, and with that, the Artemis II mission crew has traveled farther from Earth than any human in history. Now the four astronuats aboard the Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle, which they have nicknamed "Integrity," are making their way back for a splash down in San Diego planned for Friday night. As they say at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, "the road to the moon goes through Ohio." We'll talk to NASA Glenn's human exploration chief on Tuesday's "Sound of Ideas" to talk about this mission and the Artemis program in general. Guest: - Aaron Weaver, Ph.D., Chief of Human Exploration and Space Operations Projects, NASA Glenn Research Center CIFF Turns 50 The 50th Cleveland International Film Festival kicks off this Thursday. While the event has remained one of Northeast Ohio's cultural touchstones, it's also undergone several big changes in the past few years, most notably shifting home venues. And while the festival continues to evolve with this year's 50th iteration, it once again offers hundreds of screenings to cinephiles who will be in attendance. Guest: - Kabir Bhatia, Senior Arts Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
What this episode covers
AquaMissions Every year in the United States there are over 4-thousand drowning deaths, making it the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5-14, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Northeast Ohio, due to the proximity to Lake Erie and Cuyahoga River, there is even more reason to teach young people to swim. According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, in 2025 there were 19 drownings in Lake Erie. With summer fast approaching, the likelihood of accidental drownings increases. The nonprofit program, AquaMissions, now located at Cleveland State University, teaches kids ages 7 to 11 how to swim to help prevent accidental drownings. The "Sound of Ideas" is partnering with Cleveland State University student journalists this semester. On Tuesday's show, we'll highlight the work of Aquamissions with a segment produced by CSU's "Broadcast Pre-Production" class. Guests: - Lynne Nagy, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director, AquaMissions - Ronqesha Robinson, Assistant Principal, Rhodes College & Career Academy, Cleveland Metropolitan School District & Board Member, AquaMissions - Devyn Etling, AquaMissions Intern and Instructor & Senior, Cleveland State University - Misa Colon, AquaMissions Student & Fourth Grader, Garfield Elementary, Cleveland Metropolitan School District Artemis II Moon Mission On April 1, NASA launched its first moon-related mission since the 1970s, a 10-day mission with four crew members set to slingshot around the moon, and return to Earth. Monday, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen completed their lunar fly by, and with that, the Artemis II mission crew has traveled farther from Earth than any human in history. Now the four astronuats aboard the Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle, which they have nicknamed "Integrity," are making their way back for a splash down in San Diego planned for Friday night. As they say at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, "the road to the moon goes through Ohio." We'll talk to NASA Glenn's human exploration chief on Tuesday's "Sound of Ideas" to talk about this mission and the Artemis program in general. Guest: - Aaron Weaver, Ph.D., Chief of Human Exploration and Space Operations Projects, NASA Glenn Research Center CIFF Turns 50 The 50th Cleveland International Film Festival kicks off this Thursday. While the event has remained one of Northeast Ohio's cultural touchstones, it's also undergone several big changes in the past few years, most notably shifting home venues. And while the festival continues to evolve with this year's 50th iteration, it once again offers hundreds of screenings to cinephiles who will be in attendance. Guest: - Kabir Bhatia, Senior Arts Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
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AquaMissions hopes to prevent drownings by teaching Cleveland students to swim
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