Dr. Rob and the Curious Crew pose at Jackson Field in Lansing for their brand-new "Baseball Science" episode. Photo credit: WKAR/MSU.

WKAR Public Media has announced the season premiere of Curious Crew, the station's original science show for kids.  Premiering May 20, the debut episode had host Dr. Rob Stephenson and the Crew explore curveball curiosities and the physics of baseball at Jackson Field, the home of the Lansing Lugnuts.

The series airs on PBS stations in Michigan and across the country as well. Episodes also stream in the free PBS app and at video.wkar.org beginning with their first air date.

In “Baseball Science,” players on the Lansing Community College baseball and softball teams help Dr. Rob demonstrate the science phenomena at play in both sports.

“Recording the show on location at an actual minor league baseball stadium – right in our own backyard – provided such a memorable experience for our young cast members,” said Carol Yancho, WKAR senior producer. “When Dr. Rob said he wanted to film an episode about baseball science, Jackson Field seemed like the perfect spot. It also allowed WKAR to involve and highlight the Lansing community.”

Season 9 of Curious Crew covers more fun STEM topics, including thermal conduction, electric generators, salty science, sense of touch, surface tension, angular momentum, and guitar science.

With the exception of "Baseball Science," episodes were recorded in WKAR studios on the campus of Michigan State University over the past year. It was the first time that Dr. Rob and the Crew were able to return to in-person filming since the pandemic. WKAR welcomed 33 new cast members for this season.

"It was such a delight getting back to in-studio Curious Crew production for season nine,” said Dr. Rob Stephenson, host of Curious Crew. “That in-person energy was especially exciting and the on and off-camera silliness makes the studio especially lively. I always love working with our Crew kids and we were fortunate to bring in a large group of wonderful new cast members who joined some of our terrific veterans.”

To view "Baseball Science," the first episode of the season, visit video.wkar.org/video/baseball-science

Curious Crew is not all that viewers will see from the Crew in 2023. A brand-new season of Curious About Careers has launched as well, featuring episodes on the following careers: welder, martial arts instructor, biosensor engineer, power plant director, and blind transition services manager. You can view the first episode on welding here: wkar.org/video/welder-curious-about-careers

Since the WKAR original series first aired in October 2014, Curious Crew has been honored with three national awards (NETA and Telly), nine Regional Emmy® awards, and three Broadcast Excellence Awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. Curious About Careers has won two Regional Emmy® awards.

Season nine of Curious Crew is made possible in part with support from Michigan State University Federal Credit Union and Consumers Energy Foundation.