Beyond the Bench

Why are plant and insect identification services essential, and how much fun is it to work at a plant disease and insect clinic? (Hint: a lot of fun.) Dr. Matt Bertone, Director and Diagnostician at the NCSU Plant Disease & Insect Clinic, discusses all things insect identification, specifically with flies. He also gets into why spiders are awesome, and he shows us some of his beautiful macro photography!

Follow Matt on Twitter @Bertonemyia.

Learn more about the students producing this podcast and their science communication efforts by following us on Twitter @SciCommUCR and visiting our website.

What is the role of science policy in today's America, and how can scientists transition from academia into the policy world? Dr. Brian Gray, a former Congressional Science Fellow, discusses his path from being an evolutionary biology Ph.D. student in California to working with legislators in D.C., why science policy impacts every person's life, and how scientists can play a role in shaping policy!

Connect with Brian.

Learn more about the students producing this podcast and their science communication efforts by following us on Twitter @SciCommUCR and visiting our website.

What complexities play into the management of weeds in crop systems, and what does a weed scientist do for their job on a daily basis? Dr. Lynn Sosnoskie, a weed scientist at the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, discusses the variety of tactics she employs to control weeds, why weed management is more complex than people typically think, and how she got into the field of agricultural science in the first place!

Follow Lynn on Twitter @LynnSosnoskie.

Learn more about the students producing this podcast and their science communication efforts by following us on Twitter @SciCommUCR and visiting our website.

In this episode, Dr. Noah Whiteman, an Evolution Professor at UC-Berkeley, shares his story of growing up in northern Minnesota, being a 1st-generation college student, navigating starting his lab while being the first out LGBTQIA+ faculty member in his departments at the University of Arizona and UC-Berkeley, and finding joy and unexpected discoveries through his research on various organisms.

Learn more about The Whiteman Laboratory here.

Learn more about the students producing this podcast and their science communication efforts by following us on Twitter @SciCommUCR and visiting our website.

How can America's wartime victory gardens be reimagined to inform an increasingly uncertain future, and how can digital tools be used to create compelling narratives around food and farming? Dr. Rose Hayden-Smith - an Emeritus University of California (UC) Cooperative Extension Advisor in Digital Communications in Food Systems & Extension Education, the Editor of the UC Food Observer, and a Food and Society Policy Fellow - discusses how her journey through a Ph.D. in US history and working with many forms of technology led to a career in extension, how she started the UC Food Observer, and how gardens are an engaging first step towards uniting our communities and joining up the thinking between policy areas!

Learn more about Rose, The Victory Grower, here.

Learn more about the students producing this podcast and their science communication efforts by following us on Twitter @SciCommUCR and visiting our website.

How can scientists play a critical role in public policy, and how can grad students get involved? Morgan Dundon and Stephanie Piper from UC Riverside's Center for Science to Policy discuss their experience in public policy as graduate students, the professional development opportunities they host on campus, and what they have learned from legislators!

Learn more about UC Riverside's Center for Science to Policy here.

Learn more about the students producing this podcast and their science communication efforts by following us on Twitter @SciCommUCR and visiting our website.

How can we enable a global response to disease by creating low-cost vaccines using plant viruses? Dr. Larry Grill, the Dean of Research and a Research Professor at the Keck Graduate Institute, discusses his research in vaccine development and disease diagnostics in developing countries, how his experience founding Large Scale Biological Corporation led to the development of vaccine production technology, and his undergraduate teaching philosophy!

Watch Larry's TEDx talk on enabling a world response to disease here.

Learn more about the students producing this podcast and their science communication efforts by following us on Twitter @SciCommUCR and visiting our website.

How do transposable elements contribute to gene and genome evolution, and what are the benefits of a hands-on laboratory education for undergraduates? Dr. Sue Wessler, a Professor of Genetics at the University of California Riverside and Home Secretary of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), discusses her career researching fragments of DNA that can insert into new chromosomal locations, how she has helped to make the NAS more inclusive, and the Dynamic Genome course-based undergraduate research experience that she developed and implemented at two universities!

Learn more about the Wessler Lab at wesslerlab.ucr.edu.

Learn more about the students producing this podcast and their science communication efforts by following us on Twitter @SciCommUCR and visiting our website.

How can we use quantitative modeling to solve plant disease issues around the world, particularly huanglongbing? Dr. Neil McRoberts, a Professor of Plant Pathology at UC Davis, discusses the intersectionality of his epidemiology research, how he got interested in the field of plant pathology at an early age while growing up in a small Scottish town, and how there's room for everyone in science, even those who despise labwork!

Follow Neil on Twitter @UnderGardener1.

Learn more about the tools used in the battle against huanglongbing, and view research snapshots by Neil and other Citrus Series guests by visiting the Science for Citrus Health website and following along on Twitter and Instagram @sci4citrus.

Learn more about the students producing this podcast and their science communication efforts by following us on Twitter @SciCommUCR and visiting our website.

Why is plant virology important for biosecurity, and how can we form international professional connections at conferences and via Twitter? Dr. Adrian Fox, a Senior Plant Virologist at Fera Science Ltd., discusses his research and plant diagnostic work, what it's like to be an industry scientist, how he communicates science via his dog's Twitter account, and his myriad of activities outside of science, including playing the trombone and baking.

Follow Adrian on Twitter @Blisteredcanker and his dog @PlantpathDog.

Learn more about the students producing this podcast and their science communication efforts by following us on Twitter @SciCommUCR and visiting our website.