25th Annual Current Topics in Science Lecture Series

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The first meeting of the course will be on Wednesday, 29 August 2019 and will provide an introduction to the course, its goals, and requirements; the first speaker will present on the following Wednesday.

Follow this course on Canvas at https://vsc.instructure.com/courses/7374

Comments regarding writing style

Click here for notes regarding writing style for the weekly writing assignments in this course.

Click here to learn how to control page numbering (using sections and footers).

Comments regarding academic degrees

• One graduates with a baccalaureate degree (B.S. or B.A.), not a bachelorette degree. Undergraduates work toward a baccalaureate degree. The degree usually takes four to six years of work. One could have a bachelor's of science or bachelor's of arts degree.
  
  
• A master’s degree (M.S. or M.A.) may be earned after completion of a baccalaureate degree. The degree usually takes two years of post-graduate work and the individual could end up with a master's degree in biology. One could have a master's of science or master's of arts degree.
  
  
• The degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) applies to anyone who received a doctoral degree or a doctorate. Doctorate is a noun, so one may have a doctorate or a doctoral degree (not a doctorate degree). The degree usually takes four years of research. Those who hold a doctorate have the honorific of Dr.
  
  
• Pre-medical (or pre-medicine) programs are educational tracks that provide guidance and activities for students who plan on going to medical school. Pre-medical majors do not exist. Many premedical programs require a baccalaureate degree.
  
  
• The degree of Juris Doctor (J.D.) is not a doctorate and therefore a lawyer does not have the honorific Dr., yet lawyers use the honorific Esquire (or Esq.) following their surname.
  
  
• One might pursue postdoctoral research, that is, a person who holds a doctoral degree may become a postdoctoral scholar (a standard abbreviation for postdoctoral research does not exist and therefore is not part of one's title). Postdoctoral research opportunities can span from a few months to many years. One does not get a postdoc, yet one may pursue postdoctoral research.
  
  
• Boston University has a good description of the classification of ranks and titles for faculty appointments (for example: lecturer, assistant professor, associate professor, professor, and more).

Leslie Kanat, Ph.D. (29 Aug 2019)

The first meeting will provide an introduction to the course, its goals and requirements.

Watch Greta Thunberg as she arrives in NYC on 28 Aug 2019 to attend meetings at the United Nations.

Carrie Black, Ph.D. (4 Sep 2019)

Position: Geospace Facilities, Program Officer, National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA

Title: From Wolcott, VT to Washington, DC: A Vermonter’s Adventures in Science

Email: cblack@nsf.gov

Web: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=12808

Suggested reading (abstract below):

In this talk, I will discuss the educational and career path that led me from a log cabin in Wolcott, Vermont to managing the nation’s most powerful scientific radars for the study of the upper atmosphere. I will give an overview of the science of space weather, why it is a high priority for the US Federal Government, and how Vermonters can participate in the scientific efforts. I will also discuss how science is funded by the government and specifically by the National Science Foundation.

Nicholas Gotelli, Ph.D. (11 Sep 2019)

Position: Professor of Biology, UVM

Title: Forecasting Nature: Ecological Experiments in a Time of Planetary Change

Email: Nicholas.Gotelli@uvm.edu

Web: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=12808)

Suggested reading (abstract below):

We are living in an era of unprecedented environmental change, and scientists are being asked to forecast how nature will respond. How do scientists forecast the future? This talk describes experimental studies of forest ants and carnivorous plants. These little organisms are model systems for understanding big changes caused by global warming (ants) and water pollution (carnivorous plants). The talk concludes with a brief discussion of what motivates scientists to do their work, and what the benefits are of an undergraduate science education.

Please read the following two papers:

Environmental proteomics reveals taxonomic and functional changes in an enriched aquatic ecosystem (Northrop et al., 2017)

Climatic warming destabilizes forest ant communities (Diamond et al., 2017)

Alvin Acerbo, Ph.D. (18 Sep 2019)

Position: Beamline Scientist, The University of Chicago Center for Advanced Radiation Sources

Title: Using a Synchrotron X-ray Microprobe for Imaging and Microspectroscopy Research in Biology and Geochemistry.

Email: aacerbo@uchicago.edu

Web: https://gsecars.uchicago.edu

Suggested reading (abstract below):

Geoscientists are interested in the fundamental mechanisms driving geological processes. Understanding the underlying geochemical and geophysical properties of these processes requires improved imaging and tracking at the molecular and atomic scale. Focus areas of research include migration pathways of contaminants in complex geological media, and physical properties and material response of surface and subsurface earth materials. These types of studies require chemical and physical characterization of environmental and earth materials at spatial resolutions ranging from nanometers to millimeters. Determining the physiochemical characteristics of heterogeneous materials with trace element sensitivity is supported by microbeam X-ray fluorescence (micro-XRF) analysis, X-ray absorption fine structure (micro-XAFS) spectroscopy, X-ray microdiffraction (micro-XRD) and fluorescence computed microtomography (fCMT). This powerful combination of complementary spatially-resolved analytical techniques is increasingly in demand by geoscientists as they strive to make scientific headway on the fundamental processes that control biogeochemical cycles. We have sought collaborative research projects designed to explore pressing problems in low temperature geoscience and environmental science at the newly commissioned XFM microprobe beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. This talk will provide an overview of commissioning activities and experimental capabilities of the XFM microprobe beamline along with initial results from select research projects that make use of the combined capabilities provided by the XFM microprobe and the suite of imaging beamlines at the NSLS-II.

David Allen, Ph.D. (25 Sep 2019)

Position: Assistant Professor of Biology, Middlebury College

Title: What drives Lyme disease risk in Vermont.

Email: dallen@middlebury.edu

Web: https://sites.middlebury.edu/dallen/

Suggested reading: Allen et al. (2019)

Brian Glenney, Ph.D. (2 Oct 2019)

Position: Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Norwich University

Title: Skate and Destroy: Helmet Neglect in Extreme Sports.

Email: bglenney@norwich.edu

Web: none.

Suggested reading: none.

Elizabeth Gribkoff, MS (16 Oct 2019)

Position: Reporter about energy and the environment for VTDigger

Title: Bumble bees, solar panels and wastewater plants: the environmental beat.

Email: egribkoff@vtdigger.org

Web: https://vtdigger.org/

Suggested reading: none

See Gribkoff's 27 Oct 2019 article entitled: Landowners frustrated by wetlands rules

Matt Amenta, Ashley Donahue, Kelsey Jacobs, Brandon Lanoue, Erin Nichols, and Renee Spiese (23 Oct 2019)

Students Matt Amenta, Ashley Donahue, Kelsey Jacobs, Brandon Lanoue, Erin Nichols, and Renee Spiese will present summaries of their internships conducted this past summer.

NOTE: The format of the paper for this presentation differs from previous assignments. Review three of the possible six presentations. Please use the following three subheadings for each of the three speakers chosen: Identity of Speaker and Title of Presentation, Internship Activities, and Critique of Presentation.

This paper may have up to three pages of text, plus a title page. The title on the title page could state: Internship presentations by science students at Northern Vermont University-Johnson.

Richard Taylor, Ph.D. (30 Oct 2019)

Position: North Carolina State University

Title: Quantifying Labile Organic Carbon Dynamics in Antarctic Peninsula Sediments: A Radiocarbon Approach.

Email: rtaylor@ncsu.edu

Web: none

Suggested reading: abstract below

¹⁴C is often utilized to determine long-term sediment accumulation rates; however, since ¹⁴C is incorporated into the biomass of phytoplankton via photosynthesis, it can also be used to investigate the labile fraction of organic carbon deposited on the seafloor. This talk showcases the results of ¹⁴C measurements used to evaluate Labile Organic Carbon (LOC) in two contrasting environments: a seasonal ice regime (West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), stead-state) and a post-ice-shelf retreat regime (East Antarctic Peninsula (EAP), non-steady-state). A near-surface gradient in ¹⁴C profiles can be entered into a simple two end-member mixing model, with supporting mixing coefficients (based upon radioisotopic sediment profiles of ²³⁴Th and ²¹⁰Pb), to investigate LOC flux and turnover times (τ-LOC) within the sediment column. The mixing model assumptions were tested by comparing the results with an independent analytical technique - Ramped Pyrolysis Oxidation (RPO). Due to the remoteness and extreme environment, the Antarctic Peninsula provides an excellent opportunity to document the evolution of seabed LOC inventories and turnover times following an ice shelf retreat as the ecosystem moves towards steady-state. In the EAP, LOC inventories decreased from 74.9 to 9.7 mg/cm² and τ-LOC decreased from 60 to 6 years as time since ice-shelf retreat decreases suggesting that bulk organic matter is accumulating and aging over time. As the Larsen A Ice Shelf retreated, the seabed began to transform from an oligotrophic, organic carbon poor system to an LOC-rich food bank, due to the introduction of freshly produced marine plankton. Along the WAP, LOC inventories ranged from 17.3 to 70.4 mg/cm², and τ-LOC values (on 100-day timescales) were long enough (›0.8y) to provide nourishment to benthic fauna throughout austral winters.

Overall, τ-LOC on 100-year timescales (based on ²¹⁰Pb distributions) were always longer than those based on ²³⁴Th distributions (τ-LOC <11y; 100-day timescales). Resuspension, lateral transport, organic carbon diagenesis and bioturbation act to age LOC, and LOC is becoming more refractory over time, likely due to remineralization and degradation by microbes and benthic fauna. The method comparison experiment, yielded pCO₂ vs temperature plots exhibiting two main peaks: a low temperature (labile) peak and a higher temperature (refractory) peak corroborating the main assumptions.

made in the mixing model, that bulk organic carbon can be represented by two distinct pools. Gaussian decomposition revealed a three-component admixture; each component’s absolute abundance (µmol/g of sediment) decreased down core and increased in ¹⁴C age. The low temperature, labile, component (C1) agreed well with the ¹⁴C derived LOC profile. The more refractory component of organic carbon had higher preservation efficiency than did the labile component.

Arthur Makaris, Lic. Ac. (6 Nov 2019)

Position: Acupuncture & Qigong Health Center, Essex Junction, VT

Title: Sparks of Life, the Concept of Qi in Chinese Medicine and Naturalist Philosophy

Email: amakaris@comcast.net

Web: http://www.completechinesemedicine.com

Suggested reading:

Nature paper "Why Chinese medicine is heading for clinics around the world " at https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06782-7

Scientific American paper "Meet Your Interstitium, a Newfound 'Organ'" at https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/meet-your-interstitium-a-newfound-organ/

Nature paper "Structure and Distribution of an Unrecognized Interstitium in Human Tissues" at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-23062-6

 

Anthony D'Amato, Ph.D. (13 Nov 2019)

Position: Professor and Director of Forestry Program, Rubenstein School, University of Vermont

Title: Sustaining the Northern Forest in the Face of Global Change.

Email: anthony.damato@uvm.edu

Web: none

Suggested reading: none

Ginger Nickerson, Ph.D. (20 Nov 2019)

Position: Forest Pest Education Coordinator, University of Vermont Extension

Title: Telling Stories: Using Qualitative Research To Explore Natural Resource Management Issues.

Email: ginger.nickerson@uvm.edu

Web: none

Suggested reading: see below.

Hi folks, I am looking forward to meeting with you on November 20th for Telling Stories: Using Qualitative Research to Explore Natural Resource Management Issues and talking about my current work on solid waste management.  To get the most out of our conversation, check out the following materials – none of these will take more than 10 minutes, 30 minutes max for all four. Do not worry if you do not see the connections between these resources now – hopefully the connections will make sense on the 20th!

1. Read “Environmental Studies Part 2: Qualitative Research” (Virginia Wesleyan University website) (5 mins) especially the middle section: “Qualitative Research in Environmental Studies”
2. Read“An Overview of Qualitative Research Methods” (5 mins)
3. Watch “Photovoice – Kaiser Permanente Community Health Initiatives” (6:59 mins)
4. Watch  “How Recycling Works: Behind the Scenes at Chittenden Solid Waste District Materials Recovery Facility” (6:28 mins)

(Optional) Poke around on “5 Questions for a Scientist”  (10 minutes) These are very short interviews with scientists, including “advice for young scientists.”  There are three pages of interviews – see if you can find two scientists who are of interest to you.

Lesley-Ann Giddings, Ph.D. (4 Dec 2019)

Position: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Middlebury College, VT

Title: The Acid Rock Drainage Microbiome at Ely Copper Mine in Vershire, VT, Seasonal Variations, and its Potential to Produce Novel Secondary Metabolites and Transport Metal.

Email: lgiddings@middlebury.edu

Web: none

Suggested reading: none

Leslie Kanat, Ph.D. (11 Dec 2019)

Position: Professor of Geology, Department of Environmental and Health Sciences, Northern Vermont University-Johnson

Title: Fragile X Syndrome.

Email: les.kanat@northernvermont.edu

Web: https://fragilex.org/

Suggested reading: none

We will not meet during the week of Final Exams.

Please submit your last paper by 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 18 December 2019.

back to Kanat's home page, the Current Topics home page, or send e-mail to Leslie Kanat