How do you identify “an expert”? The answer to this question is more complex than you might think. Most of us might think of people with multiple degrees or extensive experience in a specific field as experts. However, as our guest this week is discovering, experts can be people with passion, people with connections or people with specific job titles. Recognizing the enacted and relationally valued characteristics of an expert is essential to creating systems where experts that reflect a community’s ideas and values are the ones making the decisions. One example is the community of people around and connected to the Puget Sound watershed region and the jurisdiction of the Puget Sound Partnership: an area spanning 12 counties and 28 recognized Tribal Nations. Large restoration efforts are underway to restore Puget Sound and prime the ecosystem for climate adaptation. These efforts hinge on not just access to climate adaptation knowledge, but who is recognized to apply such knowledge and the social structures to shape its uptake. Our guest this week is Krista Harrington, a 4th year PhD Candidate in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences. Krista utilizes political ecology and science, technology, and society theory in environmental natural resource management. During her Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree and time spent working in wildlife conversation, she kept asking herself “who are we going to for expertise?”. This question ultimately shaped the path of her PhD work and is how she is contributing to restoring Puget Sound. Hosted by Emilee Lance and Esteban Hernandez
Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) are the largest animals that have ever existed on Earth. Despite this, they feed exclusively on krill (Nyctiphanes australis) which are typically no larger than 2 cm. Thus, they must consume massive amounts of these tiny organisms to support the large energy requirements of their life history processes. Researchers are interested in understanding how predator-prey dynamics between blue whales and krill may shift with changing ocean conditions. Nicole Principe is a 2nd year PhD student in the Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna (GEMM) Lab at the Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute, led by Dr. Leigh Torres. Her PhD work is part of the SAPPHIRE (Synthesis of Acoustics, Physiology, Prey, and Habitat in A Rapidly Changing Environment) Project and will focus on blue whales in the South Taranaki Bight in Aotearoa (New Zealand). This interdisciplinary work involves using oceanographic data, active acoustics for prey, drone imagery (i.e., photogrammetry), and hormone analysis to investigate the availability of krill and blue whale health and population resilience to climate change.
Join us for a chat with Jazlee Crowley, a 4th year PhD student in Integrative Biology who takes us on a deep dive into the complex interactions of the bodhi tree. Jazlee's research takes us to Hawaii, but as we soon learn, relationships with the bodhi tree are prominent in many countries and cultures. As Jazlee investigates the role of the bodhi tree in Hawaii as an "invasive", it becomes apparent that her research sits at an intersection of science, philosophy, spirituality and culture. Hosted by Matthew Vaughan and Emilee Lance.
Oregon’s many winding rivers meet the Pacific Ocean in gorgeous estuaries scattered along the coastline. These estuaries are critical habitat for salmon, water birds, Dungeness crab, and oysters, and are deeply connected to the local economies of coastal communities. These estuaries are also the primary habitat of eelgrass — a fully aquatic flowering plant. We may overlook eelgrass as the creepy thing under the waves that brushes against your foot while wading through the water, but it is actually incredibly important to coastal ecosystems. It protects against erosion, absorbs pollutants, provides breeding grounds for many fish and invertebrate species, and can act as carbon sinks. Unfortunately, eelgrass is disappearing because of dredging, development, and sea level rise. The good news is that researchers are actively investigating how to best restore eelgrass habitat. Olivia Boisen, a fifth year PhD student in the department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, is one of these researchers. As part of her research in the lab of Scott Heppell, Olivia is investigating several estuary sites along the Oregon coast where restoration practices are being implemented. Through this work she is able to determine the effectiveness of certain restoration practices on eelgrass recovery, and subsequently how various fisheries species respond.
What happens when the rich agricultural landscape meets the rugged and wild natural ecosystems of eastern Oregon? Join us as we sit down with Lara Mengak, a 4th year PhD student who is exploring this question. Her dissertation work is trying to understand what social and ecological threats impact ranchers in Oregon. What kinds of conflicts exist between natural predators, such as wolves, and livestock? What are the best ways to mitigate these conflicts? How do we manage landscapes to support wildlife conservation and agriculture? How do these things vary as a function of climate change or drought? Listen is as Lara tells us about her winding and inspiring journey that led her to the intersection of conservation science and agriculture. Hosted by Matthew Vaughan and Taylor Azizeh.
Sea urchins may have a spiny reputation, but they are vital members influencing kelp ecosystems. Join us as Delaney Chabot, a third-year Master Student in Integrative Biology, discusses their importance and also how they act as a connecting link between subtidal and intertidal zones. Delaney is a passionate educator and the visionary behind the 'kelp horn' - listen in to hear more! Hosted by Matt Vaughan and Taylor Azizeh.
Join us as we zoom into the "nano world" with Kelso Arthur, a third-year PhD student in Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at Oregon State University. In this episode we discuss nano and microplastic use in agricultural pesticides, what impacts they could have on environmental health, and how indicator species can help us assess their effects. Kelso shares their journey on how their roots in Kentucky helped pave their pathway into graduate school. Hosted by Matthew Vaughan and Esteban 'E' Hernandez.
Mammals encompass some of the most interesting animals on the planet. We can see how bats have mastered the sky with wings like birds or how dolphins have adapted streamlined bodies for life in the ocean just like fish. The ability to evolve similar characteristics to overcome common problems found in the environment is called convergent evolution and opens our eyes to the fundamentals of how life has changed to face the challenges of our planet. One such trait that is the product of convergent evolution is echolocation, which is the subject of research for our guest on the show this week Serena Frazee.
If you walk into any grocery store today and find yourself in the beverage aisle, you’ll be able to find all sorts of “prebiotic” sodas touting ingredients like inulin that claim to improve gut health. Many of us are familiar with probiotics and the gut benefits of fermented or cultured foods that contain beneficial bacteria, but prebiotics are a little different. Prebiotics are typically nondigestible fiber compounds that pass undigested through the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract and function as a food source for your gut’s microorganisms.However, it is unclear what the effects of prebiotics are on the human gut microbiome, and more specifically, how diet influences these effects. This is exactly what Emilee Lance, second year PhD student in the department of microbiology, is aiming to understand. Under the guidance of PIs Ryan Mueller and Tom Sharpton, Emilee is working on understanding how the gut microbiome is affected by prebiotics like inulin, and the impact that diet can have on prebiotic efficacy. Using a gut simulator called a SHIME (The Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem) she is able to totally control the initial microbial environment, diet, and mimic specific regions of the gastrointestinal tract such as the stomach, small intestine and different colon regions.
Sometimes the smallest things in the universe can answer some of the largest questions. That seems to be the case with neutrinos. But what exactly are these fundamental particles, that also happen to be the most abundant in the universe, and why are they of importance? Listen in to hear Noah shed light on all things neutrinos, including undereground research facilities! Hosted by Matthew Vaughan and Taylor Azizeh.
Join us as we dive into the world of apex predators with shark researcher Jessica Schulte, a PhD candidate studying the foraging behavior and movement of broadnose sevengill sharks in the Pacific Northwest. This episode is packed with mystery, fun shark facts, unexpected diet discoveries, crazy field stories, and inspiring ventures that lead to a career working with sharks! Hosted by Matthew Vaughan and Taylor Azizeh.
For most of the time that biochemists have been studying proteins they have preached the widely adopted dogma that structure equals function. Proteins are macromolecules made of chains of amino acids, and as they are produced they fold into intricate and specific shapes. These shapes or ‘structures’ are critical to the tasks that they perform, like producing energy for the cell, carrying molecular cargo from one end of the cell to the other, or letting ions across the cell membrane. However, over 30% of the protein humans produce has no specific structure. These are called intrinsically disordered proteins, and only in the last 15 years have they been brought into the spotlight of biochemistry and biophysics research (Structural Disorder in Eukaryotes). Hannah Stuwe is a fourth-year PhD candidate in Biochemistry and Biophysics, and her research revolves around disordered proteins, particularly a protein from SARS-CoV-2 called the nucleocapsid protein. In her work she uses state-of-the-art techniques specifically suited for studying disordered proteins to understand how the flexibility of this protein changes throughout the viral replication cycle.
Per- or Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of chemicals that are known for their ability to contaminate our environment and be resistant to breaking down. However, there’s still a lot to learn about their potential for toxicity. One way scientists can better understand PFAS toxicity is by using the embryonic zebrafish models. These tiny fish have a genome that is around 70% similar to humans. This makes the zebrafish a powerful tool in understanding how some chemicals may express toxicity in humans. Eli Cowan is a second-year PhD student in the lab of Robyn Tanguay, which is a part of the Environmental and Molecular Toxicology lab here at OSU. His research focuses on using the zebrafish model to understand how PFAS exposure may lead to adverse effects in development. With this data and using his in-dept knowledge of biology, Eli then can help answer questions about how PFAS may be toxic to people. Eli was raised in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where he first encountered zebrafish toxicology in a locally-based lab. Eli has always been a natural born scientist, and that curiosity has led him all the way across the country pushing the bounds of science.
If someone asked you to describe a shark, I imagine most folks would report a ten-foot long body, rows and rows of razor sharp teeth, and the ruthless nature of a (literal) cold-blooded killer. If you asked Master’s student Reilly Boyt to describe a shark, she would likely describe a salmon shark. Reilly is our guest on the show this week and she studies the diet and habitat use of salmon sharks using multi-chemical tracers (e.g. eDNA metabarcoding and fatty acid analysis) across size classes and sex. Reilly is also the founder and CEO of Disabilities Within Ocean Sciences (DWOS), an organization dedicated to “building a network and resource hub for disabled marine scientists at every career stage.” She has done prolific advocacy work that focuses on promoting inclusivity and equitable access within the field of marine science. Hosted by Taylor Azizeh & Lisa Hildebrand.
As global temperatures rise, ocean levels and extreme weather occurrences rise with it. One of the leading causes of global warming are greenhouse gases like CO2. Emily Hiatt's research is tryign to develop a cheap, robust way to capture CO2. This topic is hot; even hotter than the rising global temps.
What's cooler than land robots? Underwater robots (ice cold!), which Akshaya Agrawal's PhD research in the Robotics Department focuses on. Her research is indeed cool; developing and testing motion-planning algorithms designed to help teams of robots coordinate movement and perform tasks underwater. But have you ever wondered what's involved in getting robots to operate underwater? And how exactly does one get to work with underwater robots? Listen in to find the answers to those budding questions, as well as Akshaya's journey from India to the U.S, ...or just to hear cool stuff about cool robots!
If you’re not a fan of ‘The Office’ then that title probably made no sense to you. But, if you are, then you’ll know that Michael Scott famously said that mercury poisoning is one of the five Goliaths that America faces (though we never actually find out what the fifth one is…). Regardless, on this week's episode you’ll be able to learn all about this Goliath as our guest, the newly minted Dr. Cailin Sinclair, discusses his doctorate and post-doc work investigating mercury cycling in freshwater systems. Hosted by Lisa Hildebrand.