In this episode, Madi Wayt sumarizes highlights from the October 2019 Oxford Science Cafe talk by Dr. James Cizdziel from the UM department of chemistry and biochemistry.

Plastics are everywhere! We are living in an age of plastics, much like  the Bronze and Iron Ages. Whereas plastics are cheap and useful, they  are also carelessly   discarded and mismanaged. Unfortunately, this has resulted in widespread plastic pollution, including the infamous ocean  garbage patches. Worse, plastics degrade by UV-radiation, microorganisms, and mechanical action (e.g. waves), yielding smaller and smaller particles called micro- and nano-plastics. These small plastic particles accumulate in the food chain and have even been detected in rain! Dr. Cizdziel introduces microplastics as an emerging global pollutant, discuss its sources and impacts. What can we do to save our oceans from this invisible threat?

Narrated and Edited by Madi Wayt.

In this episode, we interview Dr. Josh Gladden, Vice Chancellor of Research at the University of Mississippi who gave the first-ever Oxford Science Cafe in October 2011. 

Interview by Sumeet Kulkarni and Lorena Magana Zertuche

Edited by Subhayu Bagchi

The Oxford Science Cafe was founded in October 2011 by Dr. Marco Cavaglia, then Professor of Physics at the University of Mississippi. 10 years later, he tells the story of its inception: where he got the idea and inspiration, how he conceptualized it in Oxford, MS, and how the community has engaged and benefitted from the regular monthly conversations about science over a decade.

Interview by Sumeet Kulkarni and Lorena Magana Zertuche

Edited by Morgan Perkins

The Oxford Science Cafe turns 10 this month! Starting from October 2011, it has presented monthly talks and conversations on science for the community in Oxford MS. To celebrate, we present season 2 of the Ssippin' Science podcast featuring interviews with past speakers at the cafe, and more!

Meet the new production team of graduate students from the University of Mississippi: Sumeet Kulkarni, Lorena Magana Zertuche, Morgan Perkins, Subhayu Bagchi, and Madi Wayt.

Archaeologists reconstruct the past in multiple ways, using novel scientific techniques, historic records, oral traditions, and artifacts. Lexi O’Donnell and Carolyn Freiwald talk about their research on ancient migration in northern New Mexico and today’s Mexico City 800 years ago using the biological and chemical differences in human teeth. Who were migrants in Tlalnepantla, Mexico?  What happened to the Gallina people in northern New Mexico when their homes were abandoned? Dental morphology and isotopic analysis are key forensic techniques that answer questions posed by historical records and oral traditions.

Edit: At 5:30, there do exist other stone towers in the Southwest, but outside the region where this research was conducted.

In the build-up to the launch of Perseverance: the Mars 2020 rover, we talk with Dr. Janice Bishop, Chair of the Astrobiology group at the SETI Institute. Her research involves using spectroscopy to shine a light (of multiple wavelengths) on the molecular structure of different minerals found on Mars. Listen to how Perseverance is going to be instrumental in expanding this avenue of research and enjoy stories about how the rover landing site was selected.

Read more about the mission and Dr. Janice's research:

https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

http://jbishop.seti.org/

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Earth Day, we invite a panel of experts to have a broad conversation around global environmental issues, implications of the present coronavirus situation and how it ties with local issues in Mississippi regarding sustainability, the well-being of the river ecosystem and raising awareness to protect public health and the environment.

The panel features:

Lindsey Abernathy, Associate Director of the UM Office of Sustainability and Chair, UM Green Fund Committee

Dr. Cliff Ochs, Professor, UM Department of Biology and instructor for the UM climate change class

Dr. Ann Fisher-Wirth, Professor, UM Department of English and Director of the Environmental Studies minor

Lydia Koltai, Leader, Oxford chapter of the Citizens' Climate Lobby and an herbalist, permaculture gardener, and homesteader

As we spend our time locked up inside in the midst of a pandemic, gazing at the beautiful night sky outside can offer a bit of solace. Astronomer Dr. Maria Weber (Delta State University) takes us on a tour of the springtime skies and points out exciting celestial objects to look out for.

Some resources to help you get started:

* Starwalk 2: Augmented reality smartphone app. https://www.vitotechnology.com/star-walk-2-guide-sky-night-day.html

* Stellarium web: Planetarium in your web browser! https://stellarium-web.org/

Spring is here, the crickets are chirping.  In 2004, they suddenly fell silent on an island in Hawaii.

Dr. Susan Balenger (University of Mississippi) tells us why.

As told at the November '19 Oxford Science Cafe.