The Spark

Now that daylight saving time ended this past weekend, it’s usually a time where people can feel a little more blue than usual. According to Dr. Ahmad Hameed, Psychiatrist at Penn State Health, it’s called seasonal depression.

“This kind of depression, which is affiliated to a particular season and generally it happens in fall and winter. And when the seasons, then one gets back to not being sad and depressed during this time. Individuals who have seasonal affective disorder, which is which is what it was previously called, have low mood, lower energy issues with focus, concentration, their irritability and changes in sleep pattern, “said Hameed.

If you notice you feel a little more depressed during the fall or winter months, then it’s important to reach out to a mental health expert to dig a little bit deeper into it. Dr. Rafat Omar, Psychologist at UPMC suggests reaching out to a therapist if you think you are struggling with seasonal depression.

“I mean, you know, as with any other depression, you know, there are things that we can do to manage it, to mitigate it, to help the person get through it. So, it's not something that necessarily is going to come and disrupt your life and you're just a passive victim to it. So, I want people to feel comfortable knowing that they are empowered to do something about it, to help alleviate it a little bit as much as they can, “said Omar.

Daylight saving time doesn’t directly cause mental health conditions, but it can intensify those who are currently battling depression or anxiety.

“Well, you know, you look at what happens when daylight savings time comes around, the lights get longer, the days get shorter, there's less sunlight. Typically, with the time of year, it gets colder out. So, you know, there's less that people are. Able to do in some regards, you know, less time, but they're able to spend outside and especially for people who enjoy being outdoors, this becomes a challenge for them. So even though it's not a direct cause. That impacted because as we know, with depression, as the depression worsens, the activity level drops. As the activity level drops, the depression worsens even more. So that sort of snowball effect, coupled with the lack of benefits that we get from the sunlight because there's fewer sunlight hours kind of combined to create the perfect storm, so to speak, for more depressive symptoms, “said Hameed.

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A study for the advocacy group PennEnvironment found microplastics present in waterways throughout Pennsylvania, making it a major concern in the fight against pollution. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastics that is not biodegradable according to Faran Saviz, Zero Waste Advocate with PennEnvironment.

“There are some you can see in the visible environment, especially tiny plastic pellets called nurdles that are used to make larger plastic products. But a lot of these microplastics you just can't see, but they're out there, “said Saviz.

PennEnvironment has done two projects for testing microplastics and has tested over 100 waters in Pennsylvania.

“We found microplastics in every single waterway that we've tested. Our most recent one was on some of our cleanest, most important waterways around the state. They're called exceptional value, high quality or class A cold water trout streams. So, these are sort of the best of the best that we have. And unfortunately, we found microplastics in every single one that we tested. Meaning it doesn't matter if it's the cleanest waterway or the dirtiest. It doesn't matter if there's visible litter or absolutely nothing at all. Pristine nature. These plastics are polluting everything everywhere, “said Saviz.

Harry Campbell, PA Science Policy and Advocacy Director at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation says research suggests humans ingest about 2,000 particles of microplastics a week over the course of a year.

“That can get into our hearts, into our brains, into our bloodstream, into our lungs through. And it can affect a whole myriad of systems with either physical irritation or the impacts of those compounds that make up that plastic particle as they begin to degrade, whether it be in the environment or in our bodies, those compounds that make up that plastic start to degrade into their individual chemical components. And those components can act as singularly or synergistically in combination to cause cancers to affect even mental health learning rates and other factors that are a direct correlation to our own health and well-being, “said Campbell.

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The Pennsylvania Art Educators Association is celebrating 75 years in 2024. The organization has a huge impact on art educators throughout the state according to Ashley Gogoj, Chair of the Art and Program Design Department in the Carlisle Area School District

“So, providing professional development opportunities for teachers, providing art shows and opportunities for teachers to showcase their students work. And I know firsthand when I was a brand New York art educator 19 years ago, my program supervisor at the time said, This is an organization you really shouldn't get involved with. So I started going to conferences, attending workshops. I was on board for a period of time. So it just really provides a lot for our teachers, which then goes directly down to our students. So, you know, I think Pennsylvania is a leading state in art education, and that is because of Ohio, “said Hoffman.

The organization also involves the youth with programs such as the National Art Honor Society. Ben Hoffman, President of the Pennsylvania Art Educators Association says they work to create opportunities for students as much as possible.

“We have some great sponsors who, you know, can that give students scholarships or supplies back to those students and those educators. And then for that National Honor Society, just something to, you know, add to the conversation is Pennsylvania is not doing this work alone. We are an affiliate of the National Art Education Association, which I believe right now is just shy or almost 17,000 are educators across the nation and overseas. So there's every state has an agency or organization doing this work, “said Hoffman.

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The DaVinci Science Center is a national award-winning nonprofit organization that has brought science to life to science since 1992. It was established by a faculty member at Lehigh University. It was initially formed in a former Bethlehem steel plant building with hands-on experience. Now the location is downtown Allentown. For visitors, it showcases the relationship between art and science.

“A lot of our scientists have pretty extensive art pursuits, whether it's in their free time or, as you know, a second position or a former job. And I think that's because there's a kind of natural intersection between the two disciplines. The biggest thing for me is whenever you're trying to solve a science problem, you have to be able to think creative, “said Lin Erickson, CEO of the DaVinci Science Center.

The Science Center offers hands on experiences for everyone of all ages. It also offers an opportunity for students to get out of their classrooms to experience hands-on exhibits like curiosity hall. It was inspired by Leonardo DaVinci.

“You know, Walter Isaacson's book talks about Leonardo and his genius and says that that's why he was such a genius more than the other people whose written about Einstein jobs and so forth. He was such a genius and curious. He never finished anything. So, a lot of his artwork, you might know he never finished, but that sets him apart. But in Curiosity Hall, there's three programs, and you're introduced to Leonardo, the artist, Leonardo the scientist and Leonardo the inventor. So, you're at a kiosk and you're looking up at a huge screen. And so, like Leonardo the artist, you have the opportunity to create your own portrait, “said Erickson.

Carol Luthar is the Sr. Manager of STEAM Education at the science center. She hopes that visitors walk away with a new appreciation of science.

“So, I personally really and I think our whole our whole team really believes that science is for everyone. Science is a great way to help people and help the community. When you think about recent things that we as a society have had to deal with. So, for example, the Covid 19 pandemic science really helped us through that. And it's not a process that's done, you know, individually without creativity, without innovation, without community input. It really requires being kind of like a well-rounded individual. And I think what I hope people get when they come to the science Center is they learn that science is interactive, it's community based, and it's something that is really important. And it's not just having to sit at their desk, read a book about electricity, You know, that's not what while that can be interesting, it's not how real scientists work. So I'm hoping that students get a little broaden their idea of what science is and how it can help us, “said Luthar.

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Coming up on this week's edition of The Spark Weekly;

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania has been examining substance abuse and the opioid crisis for 10 years, holding a total of 20 public hearings. 

Also, on The Program

Braver Angels is an organization that brings people together, Asia interviews one member was at the Capitol on January 6 and is very proud about that. and another who is actively involved in electing Democratic candidates. So, their politics couldn't be more different. They became friends via Braver Angels. 

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LancasterOnline’s Brett Sholtis, Investigative Reporter on Democracy and Jaxon White, State House Reporter, joined Friday, November 1 Journalist roundtable segment. The segment included a preview of the 2024 Election, including the importance in Pennsylvania in the national vote, and the amount of disinformation and misinformation reporters and voters had to deal with.

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Our Braver Angels Segment for the Month of November was about Braver Angels Red and Blue Friendships. We spoke with Red member, Tom Cook who was at the Capitol on January 6 and is very proud of it, and Blue member, Ron Chadwell who is actively involved in electing Democratic candidates. Their politics couldn’t be more different, but through Braver Angels they’ve become the best of friends.

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Preston Mitchum Jr. writes books to inspire with books full of positive affirmations. Mitchum was a journalist for over 18 years, and realized he wanted to pour more positivity into his community.

“You know, working at evening shift, we cover kind of some tough some tough stories in some tough communities and in the area that I worked in. And you know what? I got tired. I got tired of just covering those stories night in and night out. And I wanted to find a way to make a difference.”

He founded the PMJ foundation after leaving the news business. He wanted to make a difference in the lives of low-income families.

“I wanted to use the power of media to kind of shine a light on some of the things that are going on in these communities. And let's try to work together to figure out how to solve them, how to offer programs. Services that are going to help family’s kind of raise themselves up from the daily grind that they're going through.”

Mitchum says you can never have too many powerful tools to incorporate into our everyday lives. Positive Vibes Kids promote self-confidence and positivity. A portion of the proceeds support programs and services offered by the PMJ Foundation.

“Words are powerful. And I think whenever we can offer positive words, it's so important. And the beautiful thing about these books is they're quick. It's quick little affirmation. You're not asking for a whole lot of time, so you can take a couple of minutes to read a powerful affirmation as our kids get ready to go to school. When they when they're at school.”

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The temperature for trick or treaters will be quite warm this Halloween with temperatures in the 80’s. Tonight, we will experience a low in the 70’s. Since the month of October was quite warm, WHTM Meteorologist Dan Tomaso believes it could be a warm winter.

“So early indications for snow lovers are not good for this upcoming winter. And overall, the big trend for snow and for winters recently has not been a snow lover's trend either.”

Without a source of cold air and storm activity, there is less chances for snow this December.

“So, you know, if you've been living in this area more than five years, we rarely get snow in December anymore. It's almost like winter doesn't start anywhere in this region. I don't see that changing this year. I mean, unfortunately, the deeper we go into fall and then approaching winter and the warmer it stays again, the trend is going to be hard to change.”

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Dave and Carol Stelts, Owners of Valley of Giants, a pumpkin farm in Enon Valley, recently produced three pumpkins that weighed a total of 7,729 pounds. Dave won the “Grower of the Year” award at the 29th annual Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers weigh-off.

Dave says it takes about 120 days for the pumpkins to grow.

“We take the seeds in the fall, then we bring it back in the spring and sometime in early April we go, and we'll start those insides. We'll get them in our germination chambers, and we'll start to see if we get the seedlings out shortly thereafter, usually by mid late April, some events May, but that's the competitive end of that. But for a lot of people, production-wise or, you know, late May or early June, they get those. But they your question on that it's roughly on the cycle for a pumpkin is 120 days the match for the they get the actual pollination they still harvest today, and we like to be in 100% range.”

Now that the weigh-off is over, and Dave and Carol won the contest, people will now have an opportunity to see the giant pumpkin in person.

“We also have a thing called the Pittsburgh Monster Pumpkin Festival that starts, and then we're going to strip the street where we like to take and showcase after the way off. Excuse me. A lot of these big giant pumpkins after the way off, you know, the grounds want to showcase thousand seven miles so other people can enjoy them and come down and do different things when the pumpkin drops from over 200ft.”

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