SCIENCE

An index for science & science adjacent notes

Table of Contents

1. memory through metamorphosis
2. the art of quorum sensing
3. unrequired required reading: a list of books for people who care about better science
4. long term consequences of fight or flight states
5. sounds from space
6. the botanical mind
7. notes on psychedelics

tldr; of The Science I’ve Done (tm)

1. Synergistic Effects of Mixed Populations of Sinorhizobium meliloti and Bacillus simplex on Root Infection and Nodulation (2017-2019)
   My undergraduate research project had to do with the beneficial relationship between certain soil bacteria and legumes. I somewhat inherited this project and didn’t get to see much of the design at this point in my career, but I had results and data to interpret, which was a huge takeaway
2. Some miscellaneous tropical marine ecology work (2017) I didn’t really know what I wanted to do at this point… but I studied abroad in Roatan, Hondouras for a few weeks in the summer learning about reef conservation. I was logging 2-3 dives a day and I had the full scientific identities of over 100 species of fish, cnidarians, and algae memorized. I guess this was my first exposure to fieldwork and ecology.
3. Reduction of phenolic content in Theobroma Cacao cotyledons by microbial fermentation (2018)
   This was a short project I worked on over a 10-week NSF funded experience called an REU which I’d highly reccommend to any undergraduate looking for summer research opportunities. For this project, I basically looked at the effectiveness of the microbial fermentation community in developing the flavor profile of chocolate. This wasn’t a perfect experiement but the intentions were there. This was the first time I had full agency actually designing an experiment and I learned a lot through trial and error. This experience was a nice marriage of field work and bench work and I also got really good at molecular methods during this time.
4. **Currently: my PhD work doesn’t have a real title right now. But I’m looking at the lung microbiome and how it responds to chronic exposures to dust
   It’s a lot and I don’t know 100% what the story is at this point. All I know is that lots of bad dust = respiratory disease = changes in the bacterial community that hangs out in the lung at a given time. When I have more to offer, I’ll add it here.

Things I’m interested in exploring more

1. Science communication: SciComm is a big deal in academia, but I believe it’s still missing its target audience. What are the limitations of SciComm and how can we circumnavigate issues of accessibility and appeal?
2. Community science and what it takes to normalize open/recreational lab spaces (such as GenSpaceNY)
3. Science-art endeavors/residencies (SVABioArt)