EcoCurious

In today's episode, Dr. Byron Adams talks about his work on the McMurdo Dry Valleys. As a colleague of Dr. TJ Mackey, Byron studies the soil ecosystem and terrestrial side of the valleys rather than the aquatic areas Mackey studies. Dr. Adams is the Biology Department Chair and a professor at Brigham Young University. He received his PhD from the University of Nebraska in 1998. Dr. Adams has numerous publications in numerous journals and focuses his research on soil ecosystems and their responses to climate change, especially in the Antarctic Dry Valleys.

Today, Dr. David C. Culver tells us about his work on subterranean cave ecosystems. Dr. Culver is an environmental scientist and professor at American University who focuses on studying cave and seep fauna. He attended Grinnell College for his BA and then got a PhD at Yale University. He has traveled the world researching, from caves in Slovenia to seeps in Washington D.C. He is also the author/editor of 5 books and over 100 articles and works with the National Park Service to study the distribution and biology of seep fauna that are endemic to Washington D.C's national parks.

Today, we chat with Dr. Tyler James Mackey about Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys. Mackey is an Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico and a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT. His research uses sedimentology to analyze life's evolution through microbial layers of the McMurdo Dry Valleys' lakes. Mackey has worked on over 15 research publications and currently researches how microbial evidence can potentially show us the origin of complex life in the McMurdo lakes. 

Today, we talk with Dr. Paddy Sullivan, director of the Environment and Natural Resource Institute at Alaska Anchorage University. Dr. Sullivan specializes in research on arctic ecosystems, specifically the Boreal Tundras of Northern Alaska's Brooks range. His current research consists of studying boreal tree advancement and its relation to climate change. Dr. Sullivan has been published in journals such as Science and Nature and has collaborated on over 70 publications.

Today, we hear from naturalist Robert Anthony Villa about the Sonoran Desert. Mr. Villa is a native Tucsonan and a Community Outreach Assistant at the University of Arizona's Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill. He has extensive knowledge of the Sonoran desert and its inner workings. He has worked and appeared in various media publications such as Green Planet, Hamilton's Pharmacopeia, and The Best of Saguaro National Park. He has also worked on multiple books and presentations on the desert and educates and spreads awareness about the Sonoran's wonders.

Today we hear from Mark Johnson about Maine's (specifically Appledore Island's) Rocky Intertidal Zone ecosystem. Mark is a former teacher at Ithaca Highschool and designed and teaches the Marine Environmental Science course at Shoals Marine Lab. Mark has also taught at the TST BOCES New Visions programs, worked at the New York Aquarium and Liverpool Animal Hospital, and carried out research at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine.