Alec Cowan
Senior Podcast Producer
About
Alec Cowan is a senior podcast producer at KUOW, where he works on Booming and other podcast projects.
Alec has worn many hats at KUOW. He helped launch Soundside and brought many eclectic stories to the program, from a late-night patrol with real life superheroes to the sewing machine sounds of an artisanal sail loft. Additionally, he was previously a producer for The Record with Bill Radke and the Primed podcast.
Before joining KUOW, Alec worked in NPR's Story Lab, where he helped pilot the Louder Than a Riot podcast and assisted in producing a story on volunteerism in Iraq for Rough Translation. Originally from Grand Junction, Colorado, his roots in the Northwest begin in Eugene, where he studied English and philosophy at the University of Oregon and worked as a news reporter for NPR member station KLCC. He is likely neglecting his saxophone, growing book collection, and expanding personal project list in favor of boosting his online Xbox ranking.
He's proud to be KUOW's unofficial "boat guy."
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: he/him/his
Podcasts
Stories
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After another harsh winter, Whatcom County continues flood repair
An exodus of residents from Whatcom County following the 2021 floods left attractive space for some people who can’t afford homes and are living out of RVs and cars — even though they know there’s a high risk the area will flood.
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The XFL promises alternative football. Can it survive?
The XFL is on its third attempt at an alternative football league. The first iteration was in 2000, and lasted for a single season. The second attempt, in 2020, was sidelined after five games due to COVID. But there's a long history of alternative football in the spring. Will fans support the team enough to keep them afloat? And can the team attract enough fans with its unique style of play?
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The Abstract: A song of fire and ice cores
Can fertilizer be sustainably made without fossil fuels? How have volcanos changed our atmosphere? We look at two recent studies about emissions today and throughout the past.
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When WA was a country music capital — Stephanie Clifford's 'The Farewell Tour'
When you think about country music, places like Texas, Appalachia and Nashville probably come to your mind. Maybe you even know about California's "Bakersfield Sound." But the Pacific Northwest has a long country tradition: from honky tonks in Tacoma to radio shows in Walla Walla and dances at Whatcom County meeting halls.
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The hunt is on for 'Monkeyshines' in Tacoma
Every lunar new year, a group of volunteer artists sneak through Tacoma in the dead of night. They hide thousands of colorful glass “floats” – 5- to 10-inch orbs, with an insignia stamped on the top. If you’ve been in Tacoma sometime over the past month and seen people shaking bushes, climbing trees, or turning up rocks, you’ve likely seen a collector of what are locally called “Monkeyshines.”
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Hear it again: Where the wild things grow — a visit to the new UW greenhouse
If you’re riding your bike down the Burke-Gilman Trail through the University of Washington campus, you’ll cruise by a long row of glass buildings. Over the last three years, the University of Washington has been moving its extensive plant collection from its Botany Greenhouse in Redmond to this new 20,000-foot greenhouse on campus.
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The 'chatbot' race is on. How should we use them?
Late last year, ChatGPT took the internet by storm. Many have heralded the large language model (LLM) as a new era of technology. Since ChatGPT's parent company, OpenAI, released it to the public, other tech giants are jumping in. Bing, Microsoft's search engine, debuted a limited release of its helpful AI. Google is also working out the kinks in its version, named "Bard." But what's going on under the hood?
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Rural communities desperately need more pharmacists. A new initiative aims to help
Around the country, many rural communities are dealing with the issue of “pharmacy deserts.” A combination of widespread retirements and high operating costs is leading to a shortage of pharmacists and pharmacies. In rural communities across Washington state, those in the profession are usually the first person residents see for medical care.
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The Abstract: Stink bugs, penguins, and climate change, oh my
In this first episode of a new segment on scientific research in Washington state that we're calling "The Abstract," we’re exploring new revelations about how animals adapt to climate change and what that tells us about the future of ecosystems, including an unwelcome and foul-smelling new neighbor here in the Pacific Northwest, and an adorable Patagonian predator.
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Washington state has a new carbon credit market. What does that mean?
In the face of climate change, some state governments are turning to an old standby: market-based solutions to try to lower carbon emissions. With the first carbon credit auction set to take place in Washington, how will the state balance industry with conservation?