Science is a Story

In this episode of Science is a Story, Kathy Straub, dean of the School of Natural and Social Sciences at Susquehanna University, talks with Stephen Robertson, assistant professor of psychology, about the impacts of food and drugs on impulsive behavior. Using rats as model organisms, Stephen’s lab investigates how a high-fat, high-sugar diet affects impulsivity by disrupting the brain’s dopamine reward system. This wide-ranging conversation explores addiction, decision-making, the distinction between liking and wanting, and features a delicious (to rats) concoction called “gloop.” 

In this episode of Science is a Story, Kathy Straub, dean of the School of Natural and Social Sciences at Susquehanna University, talks with Siobhan Fathel, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, about the fascinating world of beaver dam analogs. Known as nature’s engineers, beavers inspired these human-made structures that are helping to restore waterways leading into the Susquehanna River. Together, they explore why these dams are such an effective environmental solution and how they’re being studied right here on campus