By Scott LaMar, WITF Director of Smart Talk Multi-Media and Public Affairs Programming

Chances are that you have already been approached on the job this week about participating in a bracket pool with your co-workers to predict the winners of the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament.  It’s estimated more than 30 million Americans – 10% of the entire population of the country – will participate in one or more bracket pools.  It is the one time of year when many people who couldn’t care less about sports or college basketball in particular break out their wallets and follow the games.

Radio Smart Talk for Tuesday, March 16: This decade’s college-aged Americans could end up less well educated than their parents. But not if the “Complete College America Alliance of States” has any say in the matter. This effort involves 17 states, including Pennsylvania, who are partnering with their colleges and universities to make college completion a top priority over the next ten years. Included among the end goals – to see that 60 percent of Americans aged 25 to 34 have college degrees by the year 2020.  We’ll learn more about this Complete College Alliance, and what it will take to meet its goals.

Radio Smart Talk for Monday, March 15: In Latin, "sylva" means woods. That's where the name "Pennsylvania" comes from: "Penn's Woods." But would William Penn recognize his woods today? Could the name of our Commonwealth someday become nothing more than an ironic legacy? Is Pennsylvania's forest disappearing?  We'll ask Secretary John Quigley from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources – and we'll welcome your questions and comments about state efforts to protect and preserve our natural world.

Radio Smart Talk for Friday, March 12: The security lines, the extra charges, navigating airport terminals, schlepping luggage, keeping the kids occupied. There's always been a certain amount of stress and complication associated with air travel, but is it worse today? Or is it just getting easier to drive? GPS makes it easier to navigate; technology like mp3 players and satellite radio make the drive more pleasant. What can airports and airlines do to make the experience of flying more pleasant?

Radio Smart Talk for Thursday, March 11: It’s tax season…between now and April 15th, millions of Americans will fill out forms, sift through piles of paperwork, root around for receipts, and ultimately, send it all to the IRS, as well as state and local tax bureaus. Thursday on Radio Smart Talk, as part of our continuing mission to be a full-service radio station, we’re giving you an hour to ask any and all questions about your taxes this year.

Radio Smart Talk for Wednesday, March 10: Now that (hopefully) all the blizzards are behind us, and we head into spring, we can look forward to sunny days and cool breezes, in between the inevitable thunderstorms and occasional tornadoes. We're giving you another chance to ask any and all questions you may have about the weather. We'll welcome back Tom Russell, the Chief Meteorologist from WHP-TV, the CBS affiliate in Harrisburg, and Dr. John Scala, meteorologist from WGAL-TV, the NBC affiliate in Lancaster.