University Communication is putting a new twist on how Nebraska Today delivers stories about our state’s flagship university and the students, faculty and staff who flourish here.

We’ve thrown our microphones into the ring with Faculty 101, a podcast series that delivers regular insights — some serious, others silly — into the work and lives of Husker faculty.

Listen: Faculty 101 with Karen Kunc

This week, Faculty 101 host Mary Jane Bruce catches up with Karen Kunc, a Cather Professor of art who specializes in the form of printmaking known as woodcut.

Kunc explains why she founded the Lincoln-based Constellation Studios and how the workshop setting can benefit students. She then describes the ways that Nebraska’s landscapes — open prairie and undulating sand hills — have shaped her artistic spirit and techniques.

Later, Kunc discusses the interdisciplinary art course she launched at the university’s Cedar Point Biological Station, where participants explore the shared challenges of art and science while incorporating the natural environment into their works.

She also delves into the childhood experiences — camping with a large family, traveling to deserts, digging for fossils — that informed her sense of identity and artistry from an early age. Bruce and Kunc wrap up the podcast by exploring the nature of creativity and what adults gain from re-engaging that creativity.

Faculty 101 episodes will be featured here on Nebraska Today, but you can also subscribe via iTunes and Stitcher. Additional podcast delivery systems will be announced as they come online.

As always, we welcome your feedback. If you like the podcast, please subscribe and share it via a favorite social media channel. You can also offer us feedback and story ideas by sending email to nebraskatoday@unl.edu or calling 402-472-8515.