Maddie Bender
Executive Producer, The ConversationMaddie Bender is a science, health, and technology journalist. She has contributed print, digital, and audio stories to outlets including The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Scientific American, Smithsonian and VICE.
She provided production assistance on <i>This Is Our Hawaiʻi</i>, HPR's first narrative podcast, and joined <i>The Conversation</i> in 2024.
She holds a master's degree in epidemiology from the Yale School of Public Health. When not editing out "uhs" and "ums" in interviews, you can find her baking sourdough and teaching group fitness classes.
Contact her at mbender@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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The Lyon Arboretum has lost a federal grant to digitize its collection of rare Hawaiian seeds; Honolulu celebrates the Manu-o-Kū -
A local music group has been sporting new instruments with a fascinating backstory. Belgian luthier Tim Duerinck created them out of flax fiber. -
Former UH law school dean Avi Soifer reflects on the rule of law during President Trump's first 100 days in office; Capital & Main senior reporter Marcus Baram talks about the launch of his newsroom's DOGE impact tracker -
Environmental advocate Solomon Pili Kahoʻohalahala spoke to The Conversation's Maddie Bender about ocean protections amid Trump's executive order for deep-sea mining permits. -
The bone collector caterpillar lives in spiderwebs along the Waiʻanae Mountains and evades capture by encasing itself in the skeletons of the spider's victims and the spider's own shed skin. HPR's Maddie Bender has more.
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Trump calls for mining the sea floor in new executive order; Scientists have discovered a new species of caterpillar in the Waiʻanae Mountains, nicknamed "the bone collector." -
Today on The Conversation, we're replaying interviews with filmmakers who focus on stories of the ocean. -
The ballroom dance club at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa recently defended its national title at the National Collegiate DanceSport Championships in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Conversation spoke to three members of the club. -
Lawmakers rush to pass bills before the end of the legislative session; HPR hears from the winners of the Hawaiʻi History Day competition -
John Letoto, the founder of Kalo & Cream, spoke with HPR's Maddie Bender about how his small business has been preparing for the Merrie Monarch Hawaiian Arts and Crafts Fair.
