The blog covers issues broadly related to sustainability in Minnesota and the world both from an environmental perspective and from an interpersonal perspective. It also covers issues related to mycology (the study of fungi) with a specific emphasis on the interaction with fungal organisms and buildings.
Solar panels on the West Bank of the Twin Cities Campus at the U of Minnesota - N. Carlson
One of the criticisms of solar power is that it takes up arable land and makes it unusable for crops. See a previous post on solar panels in agriculture. At this location on the west bank a former building site and a parking lot are converted into a site for generating solar powered electricity. The elevated solar panels on the left provide cover for vehicles enhancing the value of the parking lot without taking up significant amount of space.
Fresh fruit easily becomes moldy in a refrigerator. Samples were taken from the surface of the blue berries. A heavy growth of Botrytis spp. was noted through out the sample. The white particles in the measuring cup are whey protein.
Botrytis means grape diseases. It is the combination of the Greek botrys = grape and the Latin itis = disease. (ref: Wikipedia) By coincidence, the common asexual form of this organism shown below grows on grapes and the conidia (asexual spores) also look like microscopic grapes.
Photomicrograph of Botrytis spp. cluster stained with lacto fuchsin - 400x
Second photomicrograph of Botrytis spp. stained with lacto fuchsin - 400x
On May 23, 2019 The Midwest Consortium for Hazardous Waste Worker Training - will be offering a one day Mold Remediation Awareness Course at the University of Minnesota - East Bank Campus. Instructors are Mike Buck, Neil Carlson, and Sean Gabor.
Mold remediation courses provide
an overview of activities involved with mold remediation and are designed to
train individuals who are or who anticipate being employed at a mold
remediation work site.
Activities
in this courses could include sampling techniques available to find
hidden mold and the limitations of these techniques, how to identify the
most common fungi related to water damage and health hazards, methods to
prevent water events and mold growth in buildings, emergency response
plans, protective equipment, and control containment or confinement.
Additional
site-specific training for emergency response must be provided so individuals
can carry out any role, which may be assigned during a response.
Cost: $225 - Continuing Education Units Provided
Registration call 612-624-2345 or 612-626-2596 web site: hazmat.umn.edu
Forgetting to immediately clean a lunch dish provides an easy way to grow a variety of fungal organisms without using a culture plate. Both Rhizopus spp. and Aspergillus niger have dark colored spores. The Aspergillus niger conidia are uniformly round. The Rhizopus spp. sporangiospores have an irregular walnut shape.
Aspergilllus niger
Rhizopus spp.
Penicillium spp. with Rhizopus spp. sporangiospores and Aspergillus niger conidia.
Graphic recording by Amy Sparks of A Visual Spark (1/17/2019)
Moderator Elisia Cohen (Hubbard School Director) asked Timothy Blotz (Fox 9 news anchor) and Michelle Cortez (Bloomberg News) to explain the keys to successful communication between scientists and journalists.
Preparation prior to the interview is key. This allows the scientist to make sure they are communicating accurate information. In some situations, it is acceptable to politely refuse to answer questions if the news media misrepresents their stated intentions and questions are about topics that are not fully researched.
Tips from the notes above: Test out your ideas to regular folks prior to talking with the reporter, and be prepared to share what is important to you. Know the controversy well and address it directly. Let the audience know why they should care. Promptly contact the news director for factually incorrect information so a correction can be made to the web post.
Practice with a podcast or talking with others to get comfortable in front of the camera. A good news reporter will do what they can to put their interview subject at ease. If you are super shy, you can refer the reporter to another scientist who is more comfortable in front of a camera.
Timothy Blotz interviews Amazing Race winner Dr. Natalie Strand - 4 min.
Graphic recording by Amy Sparks of A Visual Spark (1/17/2019)
Amanda Stanley from Compass offered up suggestion to communicate effectively in a "post-truth" world. Passing false information through the media has been going on since at least the 17th Century. False news often spreads much faster than real news so it is difficult for the truth to catch up.
Changing people's minds with facts does not work. People want to bury the opposition with facts, destroy them, and sometimes end up being a jerk. Asking people to change their beliefs often requires them to change who they are. This usually does not happen.
Extending curiosity to find out what people care about and where there is a common interest can be a productive starting point for discussion. Connect to people with shared values, build trust, and share the awe of scientific discovery.
During her talk audience members watched a brief video on the Speaking Science improv for scientists mini-workshops held throughout the year. I was fortunate to attend this class and found it to be very helpful and a great learning experience. Working on improvisation for scientists improves interpersonal and communication skills. Alan Alda advocated this in his book, If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?
Christine O'Connel, The Alan Alda Center - Improv. in Science - 13 min.
Alan Alda - Relating Through Improvisation - 5 min.
Improvisation for the Communication of Science - Alan Alda - 14 min.
Graphic recording by Amy Sparks of A Visual Spark (1/17/2019)
After an introduction by U of Minnesota President, Eric Kaler, a faculty panel of Michael McAlpine Assoc. Prof. Mech. Eng.) , Jane Kirtley (Prof of Medical Ethics), and Kristina Krohn, MD (Assoc. Prof Med.) responded to questions posed by moderator Chris Cramer (V.P Research).
Panelists offered several recommendations to assist with clear communication of scientific discoveries.
Adjust the message to the audience.
Share the excitement of your research.
Establish credentials with rapport, humility, truth, and caring.
Repeat the same message in slightly different words.
Know the facts.
Know that reporters often focus on the negative.
When dealing with legislators, use anecdotes over data, establish relationships with the legislative staff, offer a message they can share, and admit when you don't know an answer to a question.
Current issues facing journalists - Jane Kirtley - 8 min.
Tissues and electronics in a 3D printed "bionic ear" - Michael McAlpine - 7 min.
Graphic recording by Amy Sparks of A Visual Spark (1/17/2019)
On January 17, 2018 Emily Graslie delivered the keynote address at the Speaking Science Conference at the University of Minnesota. Emily is the chief curiosity correspondent at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois. She originally started as a landscape painter who fell in love with the objects in the zoological Museum at the University of Montana.
On a three day trip to the Field Museum of Chicago to film episodes for her Brain Scoop YouTube channel, the Field Museum staff offered her a job to work there.
Emily's advice to scientists is to identify your audience, use the language your audience uses, and modify the tone based on the audience. Brain Scoop made two separate videos on speciation. They produced the first video for a senior high school and freshman college audience. The second video used candy to represent species with middle school students as the target audience.
Candy Taxonomy - Emily Graslie presentation
Emily let her curiosity guide her career. She stepped out of her narrow role as an artist and moved into unexplored territory that gave her greater meaning.
Sample Science Scoop Videos below.
Meet Emily Graslie - Chief curiosity correspondent - Field Museum - 6 min.
Rodents of Unusual Size - 7 min.
What is the Function? - an engineer attempts to guess the function of animal parts - 8 minutes
The Value of Curiosity - Emily Graslie - TED Talk - 13 minutes
