How did an engineering professor get into writing romance novels about science?

It's not erotica, it is romance, okay?

It's just telling a good sweet story with stem as an underbelly to that.

It's Thursday, December 21st, and would you look at the time at Science Friday?

I'm Seifright producer D Peter Schmidt.

There's been a lot of attempts at improving diversity in science, technology, engineering, and math fields,

also known as STEM.

And even though there's been gradual progress here over the last decade,

white men still hold about two-thirds of these jobs.

But Dr. Carlotta Berry, a professor of engineering and robotics,

is taking a slightly different approach to encouraging people from marginalized backgrounds to enter the sciences

by writing romance novels that feature black characters who work in STEM.

I sat down with Dr. Berry to talk about how she got started on this journey

and why she wants to make STEM a little

steamier. But first, Ira Flato talks with reporters about the legal gray area of Pennsylvania's

fringe distribution program and how it's facing challenges amidst a windfall of opioid settlement money.

In 38 states it's legal to distribute syringes for drug use.

These sterile syringes are a big part of harm reduction services.

Those are efforts to safely prevent drug overdoses.

Public health experts are largely in support of this.

But in Pennsylvania, a state with one of the highest drug overdose rates in the country of this

but in Pennsylvania a state with one of the highest drug overdose rates in the country

...