Superheroes of Science

When a crime takes place, it seems natural that collecting DNA evidence would be a necessary part of the investigation. But what happens if there isn't any DNA to collect, or DNA evidence is available but there isn't a reference to use with the evidence? Melanie Beasley, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Purdue University, explains how the use of stable isotopes provides strong evidence to help members of law enforcement answer the question, "Who was this person?" Additionally, Beasley explains the field of biological anthropology which studies how humans interact with their environment.

Dr. Ryan Ickert, senior research scientist with the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University, describes how radioactive isotopes are used to determine the age of rocks and minerals in a field of study known as geochronology. When scientists knowing the rates of decay of elements such as uranium, thorium, and potassium, they can use this information as a type of clock to determine the age of materials as far back as the beginning of our Solar System!

Dr. David A. Padgett is an Associate Professor of Geography and Director of the Geographic Information Sciences Laboratory at Tennessee State University. Dr. Padgett discusses Sea Level Rise in North American Coastal Regions: Impacts upon Coastal Aquatic Ecosystems. Discussions included evidence of sea level rise, climate change, impacts on aquatic ecosystems, and the loss of critical wetlands ecosystems habitat.

Dr. Padgett's shared presentation (Google Slides): https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1j7mGUK3ykJatOL5RbxPadg5aqARM-Uph/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=116014254223471186009&rtpof=true&sd=true

Dr. Ronnie Schumann, Associate professor in the Department of Emergency Management and Disaster Science at the University of North Texas, tells us that there is "No such thing as a natural disaster". In this interview we learn about disaster science, recovery from disasters and how to become fire-adapted.

The story of the Asian giant hornet, or murder hornet, starts with an email: "I found a bug...what is it"? Dr. Gwen Pearson runs the Human Insect Interaction Lab for Purdue Entomology and candidly discusses many common myths associated with the hornets. Dr. Pearson also explains a convincing argument for describing the insects as Halloween hornets instead of Murder hornets.

What do the guts of a volcano look like? According to Jonathan Delph, Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University, it depends on the geoscientist you ask. Delph walks us through several illustrations showing the ways different geoscientific disciplines might view magmatic structure: Geochemistry (process-focused), Petrology (field-focused), and Seismology-focused. Additionally, Delph reveals a recent paradigm shift in scientific thinking about the underground composition of volcanoes.

Advancements in technology are creating infinite opportunities for improvements to cybersecurity. Jin Wei-Kocsis, Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Technology with Purdue Polytechnic Institute and Director of the Cyber-Physical-Social Systems Design Lab, explains both Deep Learning and Blockchain technologies and how these technologies intersect with cooperative and secure computing.

Data is all around us! What can we do to make this data meaningful and understandable without making it complicated and overwhelming? Vetria Byrd, Assistant Professor of Computer Graphics Technology with Purdue Polytechnic Institute and Director of the Byrd Data Visualization Lab joins us to discuss data visualization, building data visualization capacity, and the 4 V's of big data.

Additional resources:

Choosing the right chart type: https://img.ctrlq.org/di/data-chart-type.png

Data Visualization Catalog: https://datavizcatalogue.com/

Power BI: https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/

Google Charts: https://developers.google.com/chart

Tableau: https://www.tableau.com/

This website provides a list of different visualization tools along with their pros and cons.

https://www.toptal.com/designers/data-visualization/data-visualization-tools

Tillmann Kubis, the Katherine Ngai Pesic & Silvaco Research Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University, explains how Quantum mechanics is "simply" wave mechanics. Kubis explains and provides examples of the presence of particle physics all around us. He also advises that considering the wave-particle duality, and being open to the hybrid nature of waves and particles, can help us better navigate events in everyday life.

Explore the science that goes into firework displays with Paul Smith, Director of Lecture Demonstrations for the Department of Chemistry at Purdue University. Smith describes the anatomy of firework shells, explains the chemicals used in making fireworks, and covers the requirements needed for getting licensed to build fireworks. Smith also gives a great explanation of the role that science has played in enhancing firework safety!