Some people are led to believe that they lack motivation. Wendy Grolnick, professor emerita of psychology, wants you to know that’s just not true.

“Motivation is really a function of what situation you're in, what your interests are, how people are treating you, and what your opportunities are — everyone is motivated,” Grolnick says. “The idea is that environments and people who are trying to motivate others need to tap into people's motivation, which is there.”

Grolnick busts the lack-of-motivation myth and other mistruths about productivity in the book “Motivation Myth Busters: Science-Based Strategies to Boost Motivation in Yourself and Others,” co-written with Benjamin Heddy and Frank Worrell.

On this episode of Challenge. Change., Grolnick explains strategies to boost motivation when you feel stuck, how to set manageable goals, and tips for sticking to New Year’s resolutions.

“The vast majority of people who make New Year's resolutions don't keep them,” she says. “So, as we start to think about what we want to do in the New Year, it would be best to pick something that has meaning to you and value to you. If you're doing it because you feel pressure to — you feel like you should but don’t want to or somebody is pushing you — the research shows it's not likely to last.”

Challenge. Change. is produced by Melissa Hanson for Clark University. Listen and subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Find other episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.

How can you identify the species living in a 38.6-square-mile section of the Amazon rainforest without stepping foot in it? Geography Professor Florencia Sangermano turns to ecoacoustics.

Sangermano was among researchers who competed in the five-year, $10 million XPRIZE Rainforest competition, which challenges scientists to use technologically advanced techniques to rapidly survey the tropical forest’s biodiversity and better understand its ecosystem.

Sangermano was part of the ETH BiodivX team, which was awarded the $250,000 bonus prize for groundbreaking achievements, including co-designing technology with indigenous and local communities.

On this episode of Challenge. Change., Sangermano discusses how many species they identified in the rainforest and what it was like to be recognized as a finalist.

Challenge. Change. is produced by Melissa Hanson for Clark University. Listen and subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Find other episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.

In chemistry and biochemistry Professor Don Spratt’s lab, students make ice cream in the name of science.

Spratt’s Kitchen Chemistry course has become a popular selection for students who aren’t science majors. In the lab, students experiment with ingredients under Spratt’s guidance. While making butter, ice cream, root beer, and pickles, they discover how pH, elements, and molecules interact with food.

“This course was spawned from trying to help students not be so scared of chemistry, but also appreciate science around us and improve scientific literacy,” says Spratt. “Food is chemistry, and if students can see that, they’ll become better cooks, and that could be a good life lesson.”

On this episode of Challenge. Change., Spratt gives us a taste of the science behind making ultra-creamy ice cream and a history lesson on pickles. Outside the kitchen, Spratt studies enzymes responsible for cancers and other diseases, neurodegenerative and immune disorders, and congenital defects. His research focuses on the structural and mechanistic studies of the HECT E3 ubiquitin ligases and homeodomain transcription factors using biophysical approaches.

Challenge. Change. is produced by Melissa Hanson for Clark University. Listen and subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Find other episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.