The Show About Science

What is it like to fly a plane while attempting to make a podcast from 2,000 feet in the air? And can we pull this off?

In this episode of The Show About Science, Nate chats with Carley Walker, the Director of Development at STEM Flights, and then takes to the skies with STEM Flights volunteer, Dragan Lazić, a passionate pilot and aviation safety expert.  Nate's thrilling flight experience at Waukegan National Airport highlights the importance of STEM education and programs like STEM Flights, which inspire young people to explore aviation and STEM careers.

STEM Flights is a national nonprofit organization that connects Middle and High School students with volunteer Pilot Mentors to inspire America’s youth to pursue STEM and aviation careers with a unique flight experience.

Learn more about STEM Flights:www.stemflights.org/

Apply to fly a STEM Flights mission:  www.stemflights.org/applyforastemflight

Learn more about Dragan and Golden Wings Team: www.goldenwingsteam.com/

T-Shirt Contest

The first 3 listeners who subscribe to The Show About Science mailing list will receive a Show About Science Flight Crew T-Shirt. Learn more at https://theshowaboutscience.com/2024/09/14/110-stem-flights-with-dragan-lazic-and-carley-walker/

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It's the hottest day of the year, and deep underground, a mysterious countdown has finally hit zero. After years of silence, millions of cicadas are emerging from the earth, ready to take the stage in a once-in-a-lifetime event. But how do these creatures synchronize their grand entrance?

In this episode of The Show About Science, Nate explores the fascinating world of cicadas emerging en masse after years of living underground. Joined by Jorin Graham, a physics PhD student from Northwestern University, they dive into the science behind cicada synchronization, the role of xylem in their lifecycle, and how synchronization mechanisms are key in nature.

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In this episode of The Show About Science, Nate unearths the surprising history of the Kentucky Coffee Trees growing in his backyard and quickly becomes obsessed with germinating their seeds. This obsession leads him to a lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he meets up with plant ecologist, David Zaya, to uncover the evolutionary tale of these trees and the role humans now play in preserving them.

Bacteriophages, also known as ‘phages,’ are the most common lifeform on the planet. They are constantly hunting for bacteria to infect and kill. What if we could harness these tiny microbes to help us in our fight against harmful, disease-causing bacteria? On this episode of The Show About Science, Ben Chan, from Yale University, joins Nate to explore the potential of phages in treating human infections amid the declining effectiveness of broad-spectrum antibiotics.

If you’re interested in collecting phage samples, you can email Ben at [email protected] for further instructions on how to safely prepare and send your samples.

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In this episode of The Show About Science, Nate heads to the banks of the Chicago River to meet up with Melissa Pierce, PhD, the Technical Program Director at Current, a nonprofit water innovation hub. Together, they explore the complex world of urban water chemistry, focusing on the river's historical pollution problems and the measures taken to improve the water quality, in particular, an in-depth look at Current's H2Now program. In the second part of the episode, Nate travels to Washington, DC, to chat with Steve MacAvoy, PhD, a professor at American University. Steve's research has centered around studying the impact of urban infrastructure on river water chemistry and how the rising concentrations of specific chemicals are impacting our waterways.

Episode Resources:

H2NOW website: https://www.h2nowchicago.org/

Current's website: https://www.currentwater.org/

River Lab: https://www.currentwater.org/river-lab

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What it would really entail to conquer the relentless Martian elements, engineer a thriving, self-reliant biosphere, and craft life-preserving abodes within the alien realms of lava tubes?

Zach Weinersmith is the cartoonist behind the popular webcomic, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. He, along with his partner in science, Kelly Weinersmith, have just published a new book entitled, 'A City on Mars', which explores the science behind settling the Red Planet.

In this episode of The Show About Science, Zach and Nate delve into the monumental challenges of constructing a metropolis on the Mars.

Learn more about 'A City on Mars': https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/639449/a-city-on-mars-by-kelly-and-zach-weinersmith/

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What happens when 21 kids sue the U.S. government for a dream of a world without climate change? On this episode of The Show About Science, Nate interviews Elizabeth Rusch about the kids who are working to make that dream a reality. Elizabeth is the author of the new book, "The Twenty-One, The True Story of the Youth Who Sue the U.S. Government Over Climate Change," which tells the story of 21 young climate activists supported by environmental lawyer, Julia Olson, who sue the government for actively supporting the fossil fuel industry.  

Learn more about Elizabeth Rusch at https://www.elizabethrusch.com/

Follow the case at https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/

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The platypus is a fascinating animal that has perplexed generations of scientists. Now researchers are studying the platypus on the molecular level, and it's just as surprising.

Frank Grützner is a professor of genetics at the University of Adelaide. Frank studies the monotremes, a different lineage of mammals that includes the iconic egg-laying duck-billed platypus and short-beaked echidna. 

On this episode of The Show About Science, we talk about the genetic mysteries of the platypus and their potential for advancing medical science. It's a captivating journey into nature, genetics, and medical breakthroughs you won't want to miss.

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Dr. Kimberly Arcand is a Visualization and Emerging Technology Scientist at NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard, and Smithsonian.

In this episode of The Show About Science, Nate and Dr. Arcand dive into the mysteries of the universe illuminated by Chandra's use of X-ray light. From uncovering the intricacies of black hole cosmic recycling processes to exploring the aftermath of exploded stars and the mesmerizing pulsars emitting high-energy particles like cosmic lighthouses, this is a galactic tour like no other!

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Can sound help us understand the complex patterns in our universe? This question leads Nate to Symbolic Sound in Champaign, Illinois, where composer Carla Scaletti guides him on a journey where sound, music, and data intertwine in captivating and thought-provoking ways. Along the way, we'll meet Kimberly Arcand, who unveils the hidden melodies of space through her celestial soundscapes, delve into the fascinating world of protein folding with Martin Gruebele, and listen to the delicate dance of DNA with Mark Temple.

This episode was inspired by a fantastic LA Times article entitled The Sounds of Science by Sumeet Kulkarni. https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2023-02-03/the-sounds-of-science

Kimberly Arcand is a visualization scientist and emerging technology lead at NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory with the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian.

Martin Gruebele is a professor at the University of Illinois where he leads the Gruebele Group.

Carla Scaletti is an experimental composer, designer of the Kyma sound design language and co-founder of Symbolic Sound Corporation.

Mark Temple is a Senior Lecturer in Molecular Biology in the School of Science at the Western Sydney University (WSU). Mark also created a web app that lets anyone plug and play their own DNA that’s been sequenced by a company such as 23andMe or Ancestry.com.

Web App: http://dnasonification.org/index.html
Myrtle Rust performance: https://youtu.be/n_3edKbfmbg

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