The Interface

Compressor stations are the unsung heroes of natural gas pipelines, but they have a dark side... These stations release chemical pollutants into the air, hitting levels that raise eyebrows on national standards. What's worse, these stations often pop up in rural areas, hitting vulnerable communities the hardest. So when a local community advocate asked VSCI for help, our Environmental Justice team dove deep to explore the chemicals, the health toll, and the community struggles, working to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and local communities.

Lee Sickler, Sam Bickley and other members of V-SCI's Team Reservoir Emissions tracked the carbon footprint of hydropower and found that two reservoirs in Alabama both had emissions above the limits proposed for "clean energy". In this episode, Host Gabrielle Jawer joins them as they discuss their modeling efforts in hydropower reservoir's hidden carbon emissions. Lee and Sam explain the process of using the G-res tool to estimate emissions and highlight the importance of acknowledging and addressing these traditionally overlooked emissions. Learn how you can make use of the G-res tool with these tutorial videos made by V-SCI's Team Communications. Guests: Lee Sickler, Sam Bickley Host: Gabrielle Jawer Music: Finneas Moore Editor: Yezi Yang, Gabrielle Jawer

In this episode, host Gabrielle Jawer interviews members from V-SCI's Team Candy Darter, a group of scientists dedicated to the conservation of the endangered Candy Darter fish species. Gabrielle dives into the research efforts undertaken by Team Candy Darter, including their recently completed white paper. The team discusses the significance of the Candy Darter in the ecosystem, its status as an umbrella species, and the threats it faces due to habitat degradation and hybridization. They also shed light on federal and state-level policies that aim to protect the Candy Darter and the challenges in translating these policies into effective conservation efforts on the ground. Guests: Isaac VanDiest, Gates Palissery, Jem Baldisimo Host: Gabrielle Jawer Music: Finneas Moore Editor: Yezi Yang, with help from Shuree Altantsetseg