This week on ID we are interviewing Mireia Roig-Paul, a second year PhD student in Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, to learn all about pollutants and the potential threats they pose to our environment and our health. She studies in the laboratories of both Jennifer Fields and Serhan Mermer, and her research focuses on the intersection of so-called “forever chemicals” PFAS and non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL), how they move through soil, and how they interact with each other.

In the wake of the ongoing graduate employee strike at Oregon State University, Hannah and Mireia sit down to talk with the president and VP for Communications of the Coalition of Graduate Employees (the labor union that represents graduate employees at OSU). Austin Bosgraf and Erika Stewart explain the string of events that lead to this strike, what is at stake for vulnerable grads, and where we go from here.

In the wake of the ongoing graduate employee strike at Oregon State University, Hannah and Mireia sit down to talk with the president and VP for Communications of the Coalition of Graduate Employees (the labor union that represents graduate employees at OSU). Austin Bosgraf and Erika Stewart explain the string of events that lead to this strike, what is at stake for vulnerable grads, and where we go from here.

Dams, climate change, habitat loss, predation, anglers. Wild salmon must contend with all of these challenges during some point in their lifetimes. But an additional challenge may be having a negative impact on wild salmon that we don’t yet quite understand: hatchery salmon. Investigating the impacts of hatchery salmon on wild salmon is no easy feat, and it’s not made easier when you’re trying to do it in possibly one of the most remote and wild places in Oregon…But that’s exactly what our guest this week is doing! Emily Treadway is a first year Master’s student advised by Dr. Seth White in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences at OSU. On top of being a graduate student, Emily is also an employee at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife working within the East Region Fish Research Office. Hosted by Lisa Hildebrand.

Taylor Azizeh, a first-year Ph.D. student at OSU’s Marine Mammal Institute, joins Matt to discuss how climate change might be driving gray whales to shift their feeding habits along the Pacific Northwest coast. Taylor's research explores the phenomenon of 'prey switching,' where these benthic specialists switch from seafloor to water-column feeding. By combining stable isotope analysis, GPS tracking, and drone photogrammetry, Taylor aims to understand how gray whales adapt to changing prey availability in a warming ocean. Listen in to hear about her journey from Costa Rica to London to OSU, her passion for these majestic animals, and the big-picture questions she seeks to answer. Hosted by Matthew Vaughan.

Erika Stewart, a second year MA student in the School of Literature, Writing and Film, joins Matt to chat about how horror represents itself in video games. Erika's research focuses on an emerging subgenre of games which she coins 'Malewaric' games. These games are capable of hijacking your computer, inducing a deep sense of fear of which Erika contributes to the hypothesis that computers have become an extension of our body. Listen in for a further exploration of horror video games, how Erika's passion for gaming influenced for graduate pathway, and the importance of the grad student union! Hosted by Matthew Vaughan.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus is one of the most infectious viral diseases in the world. FMD virus affects all cloven-hooved animals and there have been outbreaks all over the world except for in North America. While FMD virus doesn’t necessarily cause fatality in animals, it causes severe milk production losses and can leave affected individuals severely weakened and debilitated. This is particularly problematic for people who keep livestock as it can affect their livelihoods and economic welfare. Join us this week as we talk with Cambrey Knapp, a 2nd year PhD student in Comparative Health Science who is studying wildlife-livestock interactions related to FMD virus around Kruger National Park in South Africa. Hosted by Lisa Hildebrand.

Katie Minich is a first year Masters student in Applied Anthropology in the College of Liberal Arts, with a minor in Interdisciplinary Studies. Katie is coupling her 8 years of birth work experience with research on the sustainability and decolonization of doulas in the healthcare workforce. Hosted by Matthew Vaughan and Lisa Hildebrand.

We chat with Jillien Zukaitis, a first year PhD student in Nutrition, College of Health. Her lab, fondly referred to as the ‘Milk Lab’, studies at all things milk. With a clinical background as a dietitian, Jillien now couples her practical experience with translatable research. Partnering with OHSU, Jillien assesses the composition, nutritional value, and potential health benefits of human milk on the development of preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Hosted by Matt Vaughan and Joseph Valencia

What can be learned from anthropologists studying other anthropologists? Danu Yang is a second year master’s student and anthropologist in the Applied Anthropology Graduate Program. Her main subject of study is a collaborative project dedicated to translating anthropological research between Chinese and Portuguese. Danlu is conducting an ethnographic study of the people involved in this translation project. She is herself highly multilingual, speaking Chinese, English, Portuguese, and Spanish.  Danlu is also interested in what motivates anthropologists to study rural China and what is gained when local knowledge is able to be expressed without English as an intermediary. Hosted by Selene Ross and Joseph Valencia.