Conservation and Honeymoons, Part II

/ Maria Wheeler-Dubas / Leave a comment

Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve been waiting for! The second half of our honeymoon adventures, and this time with a guest author–My Adventure Buddy 🙂

I asked him to write whatever he wanted about the last part of our trip, and he did not disappoint. One of his favorite parts of our trip was a visit to a coastal scrub dunes natural area. It was a habitat type we were both completely unfamiliar with. Barely the distance of a few football fields away was the ocean, yet the low, scrubby plants of the dunes made the area feel almost like an Arizona dessert. The smell of saltwater was replaced with something…greener? Heavier? Maybe it was just that the open surroundings made the heat so much more oppressive that you thought you could feel the density of sunlight, even so that it tricked your nose. Whatever it was it was, the scrub dunes left quite an impression on both of us.

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Rob: So, what do I remember of the scrub dunes?

It was hot. I remember thinking that I wouldn’t want to tackle a desert expedition without gallons and gallons of water (Lawrence was a crazy, crazy man). The sun seems hotter down there than PA. And more focused, like we’re underneath a young kid trying to burn ants with his dad’s magnifying glass.

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But I don’t mean to give the impression I didn’t like it. I truly did. There’s just this different theme to the air and the light in a hot, dry place. It’s a graver, more serious feeling. You’re still very excited to explore each movement in the brush (after all, there are fewer shadows, all the secrets are in the open for you to find), but perhaps there’s an ancient instinct telling your muscles not to hurry like you do when entering a cool, northern forest where you vault over fallen logs and scamper up hills. Instead, here, surrounded by sand and bristled, thorned scrub plants, ancient genetic material cautions you to move slower, conserve your energy and moisture. It’s a beauty you experience slower.

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If the interrogating sun exposes the secrets on the ground, the sand is the stenographer – meticulously recording all movement gracing its surface. At first, we missed these records, we tromped over them (leaving our own for the next visitor) as we inspected flowers or looked up silhouettes of birds. Soon enough, we glanced down (perhaps from a pointed rock in a flip-flop) and found raccoon prints in the mud, sinewy grooves we mistook for snakes until we spotted tiny feet from a lizard on either side. We found what we think are rabbit prints. These always cross the trail at the shortest intersection.

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It was a great trip. I mean that too. I truly enjoyed it, not just in the “we-went-to-the-beach-and-had-fun” kind of way. It was so much fund, never a boring day at Palm Beach. And my new traveling partner…my new wife…and I found that we are both such nerds. Our visit to the zoo lasted nearly six hours as we moved at the speed of sloth from exhibit to exhibit, taking in all that we could. In fact, we got to meet a sloth! (Maria: thanks so much to Erin at the Palm Beach Zoo!)

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Many highlights to this trip. In fact, so many fun or special moments, if everything was a highlight, are there any highlights?

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Find the Frogs!

/ Maria Wheeler-Dubas / Leave a comment

Over the weekend, the hubby and I had a few minutes to take a walk around my parents’ neighborhood in central Ohio. Though firmly rooted in the suburbs, we came across the tiny remainders of a wetland (presumably drained) at the edge of the neighborhood. Cattails grew on both sides of what had turned into something a drainage ditch, and duckweed and some sort of potamogeton floated here and there in the shallow water. What we enjoyed best though–frogs! It may have been a small space, but this little patch of habitat was crowded with green frogs. I only had my phone on me, but I snapped a few pictures that I thought would be fun to share. Can you find the frogs in the pictures below?

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One frog here…not too hard to find.

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A little tougher…

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Oh that camouflage…

Found the frogs? Excellent! Now, while I have the floor, I do want to highlight a few things about frogs that are super important.

  • Frogs, along with other amphibians, are invaluable as indicator species. If there is a problem with a habitat, frogs and salamanders are among the first kind of living things to struggle because of their thin semi-permeable or permeable skin. And this is very important: if there is a problem with a wetland or a waterway, it’s not just a problem for “nature.” It’s a problem for us as well.
  • Amphibian populations around the world are declining. There are a number of speculated causes, but high on the list are habitat loss and the spread of the chytrid fungus.
  • Why are frogs helpful for you? For one thing, their diet includes a number of pesty insects including (wait for it)…mosquitoes. So, if you’re not a fan of getting bitten by creepy crawlies, you like frogs.
  • Why else are frogs helpful for you? A looming medical disaster is the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Countless numbers of human lives have been saved over the past several decades through the use of antibiotics, but a shadow is falling over that triumph as bacteria have begun developing resistance to what used to be effective treatments. However, antimicrobial peptides from frogs’ skin secretions may be one of the hopes for the future of bacterial infection treatment. If we keep our frogs safe, we might also be safeguarding medicines for the next generation. (P.S. This is for another post, but I can’t help it: you can help slow the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria. If you are prescribed an antibiotic, be sure you use the medication only as directed by your doctor. Please do not Google “Do I have to finish my antibiotics.” Your doctor examined you; a blogger with an opinion did not. That includes me! Also, be aware that antibiotics are useless against viral infections, so don’t pressure your doctor if they say you’ll just have to wait it out. Most importantly: never share medication. Now back to frogs!)
  • If you still don’t believe me about how crazy cool frogs are, trust the experts at the Smithsonian! If anyone has fun facts, they do 🙂

Top Ten *Free* Summertime Learning Adventures in Pittsburgh

/ Maria Wheeler-Dubas / Leave a comment

Stay tuned for Part II of the honeymoon story 😉 And while my brain may still be a bit locked in beach/honeymoon mode, overall I remain on a quest to find educational and super fun things for folks and families to do over the summer. Very important key to this, though, is budget. All the costs of summer time fun can add up quickly, but one of the many things I love about Pittsburgh is the awesome variety of things to do for free. Free! My favorite word.

So if you’re still looking for some fun ways to stimulate creativity and engagement, while not breaking the bank, below are the top ten places that offer free family learning adventures you can explore this summer. Just as a side note when you’re exploring the event pages, for a number of the facilities listed below, free programs are mixed with cost programs. Nothing outrageous, just something to keep in mind. Also, some of these activities are great not just for families but for singles, couples, groups, Uncle Louie, whomever!

  • Allegheny County Parks ~ Hometown Hoops minicamps and swimming classes (free swimming classes only held at Boyce Park, South Park, and Settlers Cabin Park)
  • Carnegie Libraries ~ Story times, Teen Times, Craft Time, Gamer Time (??), and Author events
  •  Allegheny Observatory (The stars, people! The stars!) ~ Free, but reservations required, ages 8 and up
  • Assemble Pittsburgh ~ M3 programs free over the summer—arts, materials, and building for 1st-8th grade

Of Honeymoons and Conservation, Part I

/ Maria Wheeler-Dubas / Leave a comment

I already knew that I had picked an awesome Life Adventure Buddy (aka husband), but I think our honeymoon added an extra layer of confirmation to that idea. Rob and I didn’t plan any sort of theme when we decided on Palm Beach, Florida; we just wanted to do fun things in the area. And for both of us, “fun things” ended up meaning trips to natural parks, wildlife centers, a zoo, and beach, beach, beach! It’s pretty fantastic when you share quirky interests 🙂 Since we had a great time on our trip, and I’m eager to relive the sun and the sand, I figured I’d share some of our journey along with the conservation tidbits we picked up.

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The first day of our trip, we spent a day (of course) at the beach where I was reminded of the vast awesomeness of the ocean. I know all the geographical facts (Europe is that way, Africa is that way), but when you stand on the shore and realize just how tiny you are—it’s hard to explain, but the majesty of the ocean just feels like anything is possible, that limits don’t exist. If I could fly, I would soar as far out into the blue as I could and revel in the utter freedom. If I could sail my own ship directly above the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, I would sing every song I know, as loudly as I want, and never have to stop or bother with that whole being “in tune” business. And who knows…with thousands of square miles of the open sea, maybe there really are elusive dragons or a ship of femme fatale pirates still searching for treasure out there—all just waiting to be immortalized in the pages of fantasy. Besides my dreamy side, the oceanic perspective was a mindbender in a spiritual or philosophical sense as well: if God is all-powerful and the universe is infinite, how can I not even comprehend the bigness of some saltwater? Not even a drop in a proverbial bucket of planets, stars, and hosts of galaxies? Yet here it is…so open that I can see no end. Mind boggling.

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Of course, the other strange thing to wrap my mind around is how my seemingly insignificant self can impact something so great. Many of us are aware of our oceans’ troubles (rising sea levels, rising temperatures, non-point source pollution, etc), but I always want to remind folks that we really can make a difference! Even if you’re landlocked, the simplest things like recycling, opting for reusable shopping bags, turning off lights and electronics when not in use, and minimizing pollutants that make it to the oceans via run-off and watersheds—all of that can make a tremendous positive impact for ocean conservation if we make a collective effort.

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After a glorious day of splashing through waves and making sand art (I got pretty fancy), we visited a sea turtle rescue facility called Loggerhead Marinelife Center. On any given day, volunteers and staff are caring for loggerheads, greens, Kemps Ridleys, hawksbills, and even leatherbacks that have somehow run afoul of nature or humans. On the day we visited, one lucky loggerhead was about to be released after a thankfully mild experience with a fish hook and line! Other turtles (like Betty White, story below), had been at the facility for a few months while injuries or infections were carefully tended to by skilled vets.

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Rob and I with Shertz, a loggerhead sea turtle who had been cold-stunned in Cape Cod and arrived at the center with a hole in her carapace (top shell). She’s progressing well and will hopefully be released soon!

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A vet and volunteer performing routine check-up on Betty White

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Betty White’s story

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The center also kept track of sea turtle nesting on the beaches in the area. Since humans and artificial light sources can pose a huge problem to little hatchlings, volunteers try to make sure sea turtle babies are able to safely incubate, emerge, and seek out the ocean uninterrupted.

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Turtles and the ocean are pretty darn cool, but the adventures didn’t stop there! Next, we visited Manatee Lagoon, a manatee education center sponsored by one of Florida’s energy companies. What I loved about this facility was its bluntness about threats to manatees, yet still the accessibility of the information. Boat strikes are a huge problem for manatees, and the material at Manatee Lagoon didn’t shy away from this. However, the information was still presented in a truthful yet gentle enough way for even children to learn to be responsible boaters as adults. Plus, the manatee life history information was presented from the standpoint of “Mia,” a cartoon manatee ready to share valuable information to families!

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While at the lagoon…we were super lucky! Only one manatee passed by the facility all day, and it just happened to be during our short visit! I might have squealed a little bit…

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The one manatee to pass by all day…so excited that we saw her/him!

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Hey look! We got a picture with a manatee!

Well, we had a few more days of exciting, but I think I will leave you with a cliff-hanger. What did we see next?? I guess you’ll have to come back to check 🙂

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Peace, love, and manatees!

More Summer Time Happenings

/ Maria Wheeler-Dubas / Leave a comment

Earlier this week, I posted a tidbit on how to keep your family’s summer full of science. One other way to add a splash of learning fun to your kids’ summer is to look into the day camps offered in your area. Since I live in Pittsburgh (and I must say, we are spoiled with the resources we have in this city!), my suggested camps are a bit biased to the general Western PA area.  However, some quick searching online will most likely reveal some exciting opportunities no matter you are. Start with your local museums and even universities. They often partner with organizations for fun educational camps.

If camp costs are in issue, which they most certainly can be, check to see if scholarships are offered before going another direction. Many of the camps listed below have funding ready to help families with the cost, especially if multiple kids are involved. And if that doesn’t work out, I will say this: Don’t Underestimate Your Local Library. Besides Vacation Bible School, I only went to camps a few times as a kid myself, but we took part my local library’s activities on a very regular basis. In Pittsburgh, we have the fantastic Carnegie Library that offers classes and programs for all ages—toddlers, kids, teens, and adults. Take advantage of that! Even if you go to camp!

Pittsburgh Camps with A Science or Nature Theme

Pittsburgh Park Conservancy— Go outside! Get muddy! Learn about the habitats of western Pennsylvania! It will be glorious J Their camps run for 3 years olds up to kids just finishing 7th grade. http://www.pittsburghparks.org/summer-camps

Carnegie Museum of Natural History—I’ll admit, I love animals and I love the outdoors, but the museum has a lot of local institutions beat when it comes to variety. Offering different-themed camps almost every week—plus nature camps out at their field station, Powdermill Nature Reserve in the Laurel Highlands—I would be willing to bet my Wonder Woman mug that there is something for everyone through the museums camps. http://www.artandnaturalhistory.org/camps/

Carnegie Science Center—Like the natural history museum, the science center features a variety of different camps focusing on anything from Mars to robotics to the chemistry of the kitchen. There are different topics every week for the different age groups (ages 4-12+), and they do a fantastic job of showing how science is mixed into so many tiny corners of our everyday lives! And they do it with games and snacks. Really hard to go wrong with snacks. http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/programs/summer-camps/

Animal Friends— A creative approach to teaching children the responsibility of taking care of animals, the Animal Friends shelter offers a day camp that invites children ages 4-17 to learn about the care and training of companion animals. Mixed in with crafts, games, and age-appropriate activities, the camps sell out quickly, but, I’ll be honest, sound awesome! http://www.thinkingoutsidethecage.org/site/c.elKWIeOUIhJ6H/b.8627157/k.74A8/Camps_for_Young_Pet_Lovers.htm

National Aviary—As the only bird-focused zoo in the country, the aviary’s camps have a strong focus on avian conservation with a good dose of adventure mixed in! The camps are built beginning with 4 year olds who will learn what makes a bird a bird, and continue up to 18 year olds who will go in-depth with avian veterinary science and hands-on bird care. http://www.aviary.org/Summer-Camps

iD Tech Camp (CMU)—This goes a little out of my comfort zone, but if you have a budding young computer scientist, and she just can’t get enough of programming, the iD Tech Camps at CMU would be worth looking into. A part of a network of universities catching the future generation of computer scientists, the camp is an intensive program on CMU’s campus. The notable drawback is the tuition, which probably very limiting for families. However, I do believe they offer scholarships. https://www.idtech.com/locations/pennsylvania-summer-camps/pittsburgh/id-tech-carnegie-mellon-university/

Phipps Conservatory— Campers age 2-13 will learn all about caring for plants, uses for plants, conservation, and sustainability at the day camps of the Conservatory. Ok, well, the toddlers probably aren’t quite going for sustainability yet, but they will love playing with dirt and bugs 🙂  https://phipps.conservatory.org/classes-and-programs/for-children/seasonal-camps

Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium—If your kids love animals and maybe already have that little spark of passion for conservation, try zoo camp! Every day they’ll meet new animals, play games, sing songs, and learn about how they can help protect wildlife. Older campers will get to go behind the scenes at some of the animal exhibits and meet with keepers to learn about what it’s like to work with animal ambassadors. http://www.pittsburghzoo.org/Education/ZooCamp

Summer Science at Home

/ Maria Wheeler-Dubas / 1 Comment

Summer is almost here! If the school year was a sundae, we’d be scooping up the last of the melted ice cream and swirls of chocolate fudge from the bottom of a soda shop glass. What does summer mean for kids and families? Technically, it probably means that the schedule is already jam-packed with soccer camp, band camp, family vacation, gymnastics class, volunteering, internships, and mowing the yard.

Oh, but summer also can mean something very exciting…something that better get you hopping on the edge of your seat and reaching for a lab coat…summer can also mean…more time for science!! In the down time from school, you and your family are the lucky winners of some opportunities to keep those critical thinking skills sharp and your excitement for knowledge bouncing! Here are a few ways to keep science going at home over the summer. *Note, this post is intended for parents, but if you’re under 18 and you found it, great! Just be sure to check with a parent or guardian before trying any experiments at home.*

Make Little Bits of Your Summer Inquiry-Based

One way to keep learning minds fresh is to engage in the challenges and quests of inquiry-based learning. Inquiry-based learning means learning through experiences and probing for answers, rather than being given all the facts to memorize up front. It’s a hands-on approach. In a classroom, that could mean being presented with a case study or a scenario, and the students would need to reason through the case to eventually learn and understand the information after clarification from a teacher. The approach greatly helps with critical-thinking skills in addition to observational skills.

At home this summer, one of the things you can do as a family is try to plan for a few mini inquiry adventures. The best part of an inquiry-based or experiential learning approach is that the parents don’t need all the answers before get started. Start by picking a topic, maybe do a bit of background to give yourself a boost, and then start developing some questions that can be answered by observation or even experimentation.

For example, let’s say you want to take biology by the cornibus and visit a nature park, but you’re not quite a field naturalist yet. That is A-Ok. With an inquiry-based approach, you can arm yourselves with guide books and a field journal, and start asking questions. Try focusing on a particular aspect of the environment to keep yourself from being overwhelmed. A few question examples that don’t particularly require background knowledge but are fun to answer are below:

  • Are the kinds of plants near the stream the same or different as the kinds of plants near the meadow? Why might that be?
  • Can we hear more bird calls at the forest edge or in the forest interior? Why might that be?
  • Is there a fair bit of the scat on the ground (oh the fun with poop) or no? What kind of mammals might have been passing through?
  • What size pebbles are at the bottom of the creek? Are they big pebbles or small pebbles? Why might pebble size matter?

A key part of inquiry is to work through your questions; in many ways, that process is more important than the answer. As you reason through your question and observations, take some field notes, make sketches– just write as much down as you can. You’ll probably be impressed with what you take note of, and you will definitely be impressed with what your kids observe! And as a bonus, most parks have great naturalists you can pass on some of your questions to if you get super stumped with your guide books 🙂  It’s a great way to get more out of a hike.

Science at Home

Maybe exploring completely new territory isn’t your cup of iced coffee yet, and you want to start with a bit more guidance. Not a problem! If you’re up for a few good home-cooked adventures, here are some great resources below for easy experiments. There are instructions and explanations for the suggested projects, but I’d recommend familiarizing yourself with the concepts behind the experiments, either with a text book or a trusted source. Also, most of the projects can be done with common household items or something you can easily pick up at Target. (But beware—I ALWAYS tell myself I only need facewash and socks when I go in that store…but a new mop, two sweaters, light bulbs, throw pillows, and a box of granola bars later…)

Scientific American—Education, Bring Science  I love some of the projects on this page. Many of them seem geared for roughly fourth grade and up, but honestly, younger kids would probably like many of the activities too (they just may not understand all of the explanations.) What I really like about the directions page for each project are the question prompts. A key part of scientific inquiry is being able to reason through your methods and results, and the prompts will help work on those critical thinking skills.

University of Wisconsin—Science is Fun, Home Experiments  This page has a number of different experiments that you can conduct at home, plus the explanations for how and why the experiments work. Some of the activities are a bit advanced or involved, depending on what kind of resources you have around the house; but overall the page has quite a few great ideas!

Scholastic—Videos of Experiments  Maybe today just feels like a quiet afternoon. Maybe you have dinner guests coming and the kitchen needs to stay clean. No matter! Here is a list of some great videos of experiments that you can watch, and perhaps try yourself later. As a side note, some of these videos give great explanations of what’s happening, but some are going to require a little bit of research—hey that could be a good idea though!

Lab Safety

Even if you’re working with baking soda and vinegar, it is always important to keep safety in mind. The stereotype of a scientist in lab coat and goggles came about for a reason, and that reason is to protect yourself! Even at home. Before you get started on a project, what sort of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) will you need? For most of the projects here, old clothes and some sort of glasses or goggles are probably all that you really need, maybe even gloves if you want to be safe (and let’s be real here, you’ll look cooler anyway.) Amazon has some cost-effective starter gear, if you’re interested. And after every experiment, be sure to wash your hands!

Steel City Science

/ Maria Wheeler-Dubas / Leave a comment

Pittsburgh skyline

I moved to Pittsburgh almost seven years ago when I first started graduate school. On the one hand, the first thought that pops into my head is “Holy crikeyness, that long ago? I’m old.” But quickly behind that thought is how much I’ve come to love this city. From my beloved hockey team to the view driving out of the Ft. Pitt Tunnels to the phenomenon of pierogies, Pittsburgh has become my second home. Beyond the sentimentality, though, is the science. Pittsburgh, aka, the Steel City, has a unique collection institutions and universities that produce some fantastic research ranging from robotics to wildlife biology, and everything in between.

Since I haven’t posted anything on here in precisely an age, I thought a good way to jump back in the writing boat would be to showcase some of the folks in Pittsburgh who work on really fantastic projects. And I’ll be honest, this post really should have been titled something like “Steel City Bio” since I’m a bit biased to living things, but I have an affinity for alliteration. And maybe I’ll have a sequel in the future! So without further hubbub…

 ~The Researchers~

Dr. Jonathan Pruitt—Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh

We regular Joes and Josephines may shudder when we see single spider, let alone a group of spiders all hanging out together; but the cooperation between these eight-legged, erm, friends is precisely what gets Dr. Pruitt’s inquisitive wheels rolling. A behavioral ecologist in Pitt’s biology department, Dr. Pruitt focuses on intraspecific interactions between social spiders. In other words, he studies spiders that live and work together in giant colonies with giant webs (calming breaths and a happy song.) In addition, it turns out that within these colonies, individual spiders have personalities and “careers” based on their personality. The combination of different personalities within a colony of spiders has a direct impact on the persistence/survival of the entire colony! Now how’s that for spidey-senses?

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Dr. Steve Latta—Director of Conservation and Field Research at the National Aviary

As the lead scientist at one of only a handful of institutions on the continent to be completely focused on birds, it makes complete sense that Dr. Latta is an ornithologist extraordinaire. His research has ranged from the biology of various species of songbirds and raptors to avian ecology and conservation as a whole. The National Aviary currently is overseeing a variety of projects including migratory bird habitat restoration, urban peregrine falcon monitoring, Louisiana waterthrush, and some citizen science efforts. You can learn more about what Dr. Latta and the Aviary are up to here!

As a few fun facts, Dr. Latta also keeps chickens and sold me a tank for the California kingsnake I kept in graduate school 🙂

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Dr. Jose Padial—Herpetology Curator at Carnegie Museum of Natural History

A little like Dr. Pruitt’s spiders, Dr. Padial’s herps (reptiles and amphibians) might cause a shudder in some folks, but with a dash of an open mind, anyone can quickly see how cool his work is. Part evolutionary biologist, part conservationist, Dr. Padial’s has been a part of projects that span phylogenetics, speciation, biogeography, taxonomy, and any synthesis of these disciplines. While in Pennsylvania, he works with local species, but he also regularly travels to South America for a focus on frogs of the Amazon.

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Dr. Joe Gaspard—Director of Science and Conservation at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium

Many folks aren’t aware of how large a role zoos can play in wildlife research, but I can help with that! Dr. Gaspard came on board at the Pittsburgh Zoo in 2014, but before that, he had built up quite the publications list in the world of marine biology. Working on topics ranging from manatee vision, hearing and touch to loggerhead sea turtle biology, Dr. Gaspard has a brought a broad background with him to Pittsburgh—especially useful with the addition of the elephant seal Coolio currently in rehabilitation in the aquarium.

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Dr. Brady Porter— Associate Professor at Duquesne University

Think I was going to leave this one out? Dr. Porter’s evolutionary biology background traditionally focused on conservation and the population genetics of freshwater fishes, but in recent years, work from his lab has included studies on toads, Louisiana waterthrush, golden eagles, and bald eagles. In addition to his own research, Dr. Porter has completed fish surveys with the Fish and Boat Commission, is on the board of directors for a local chapter of the Audubon Society, regularly organizes or takes part in such citizen science efforts as BioBlitzes and the Christmas Bird Count, and he used to have a grad student that looked like this.

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Bonus Round!

The next two folks aren’t directly in Pittsburgh, but they are close by. Both affiliated with West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV, they’re just a quick drive away from the ‘Burgh, and their respective projects have an impact well outside Western Pennsylvania. So I think you all should learn about them.

Dr. Tricia Miller—Research Biologist

Part of a team with my former academic co-advisor (Dr. Todd Katzner of the USGS), Dr. Miller specializes in movement ecology of birds of prey—golden eagles in particular. Her work has revealed the migratory routes for golden eagles in the eastern half of North America, and she has done a great deal of research on home ranges, habitat use, and flight biology of goldens. In addition, she has been a driving force behind research that aims to minimize the potentially negative effects of wind power on birds of prey while still maximizing wind use. Dr. Miller uses cutting-edge cellular telemetry technology for her work, and I would wager she has come in contact with more golden eagles than anyone else in the world. I should also mention that’s a part of the Eastern Golden Eagle Working Group, and they are pretty much anyone who is worth knowing 😉

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Dr. Jonathan Hall—Assistant Professor

If you’ve ever wondered how our day-to-day lives can impact the wildlife around us, talk to Dr. Hall. Though his research focuses on the effects of subsistence culture, I’m sure he is more conscientious than most of us when comes to an awareness of the human-wildlife interface. An ecologist by training, Dr. Hall’s work has covered the effects of weather patterns on vultures, the effects of cultural conservation practices on biodiversity, and broadscale ecological community interactions in rural India. And even more importantly, as a former Buckeye, he knows that The is part of the name at The Ohio State University.

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That’s all for now, folks! Peace, love and science 🙂

Pittsburgh skyline

The information on this website, crap or CRAAP?

/ Maria Wheeler-Dubas / 2 Comments
bellebooks

Don’t you sometimes wish you just had Belle’s library?

The interwebz is an interesting place. You can find lists of the top 31 things only “Friends” fans will appreciate or lists of studies trying (mainly failing) to find a link between vaccines and autism. You can find glorious videos of David Bowie singing in sassy high heel boots in the Labyrinth or videos of little-known comedians in the 80’s. And then there’s this baby panda trying to make a break for it.

Aside from the fun and wonky, the internet is also a great place for basic information. Whether you’re trying to remember what poison ivy looks like or attempting to stave off a baking disaster (save the pie!!), a quick Google search is generally all you need. A more thoughtful search can also guide you through some complicated tasks, like tracking down a politician’s voting records or pulling up the details on a car or neighborhood before a major purchase. But…what about when you’re trying to wade through fact and opinion? What if you’re trying to find information on a subject that is hotly debated or poorly understood? What if you just want to be assured that the information you’re receiving from out there in cyber space is legitimate and trustworthy?

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: the CRAAP test.

C.R.A.A.P. is a helpful mnemonic for remembering a few key characteristics for judging the trustworthiness of a source. Originally designed by folks at California State University, Chico, the CRAAP test asks readers to look for a source’s currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose. In the academic circuit, it’s largely taught to help students learn to identify scholarly sources and avoid, shall we say, less-than-legitimate websites. Outside the classroom, though, it’s still a handy map to carry on your quest for knowledge.

So what are the criteria we should be keeping in mind as we look for articles online or in print?

C– Currency. How recently was this article written? The publication date of a source can make all the difference in the world when we are talking about the accuracy of information. If the article or paper is more general background type information, you can get away with it being a bit older, but newer is always better. When I was an undergrad, we tended to avoid papers more than four years old when we were first getting in the habit of looking at source dates, but this really depends on the field and how quickly new information comes out. I’d say try to stick with information generated within the last couple of years, and you’re probably good to go.

R– Relevance. How relevant is a source’s information to the question you’re trying to answer? What was the intended audience of the source? As much as I prefer academic journals, I think if any of us were trying to look up information on heart disease, we would probably have an easier time with sources not intended for cardiologists. That being said, picking sources that are too simplified or tertiary might not even be helpful. If you find yourself needing to look up definitions every now and then as you look through a source, that’s fine; but if the article just reads like the Black Speech of Mordor, I’d go for something a bit less technical.

A– Authority. This. THIS. This is a big one, especially for web sources. Who is the author and why should I trust them?

  • If your internet source doesn’t even give you an author, that’s Red Flag #1. If you don’t know who wrote the article, how are you going to trust it? And if an author is listed, what credentials do they have to be giving you their information? Are they doctors? Astronauts? Writers? Pastors? Philosophers? Lawyers? You want to find an author who is well-educated in whatever field you’re researching. You wouldn’t ask a mechanic to do your highlights, or a pediatrician to bake your wedding cake, so it makes sense that you wouldn’t look to a celebrity for medical information (though I do know a lawyer who is an excellent cook, and you should definitely check out her blog). Now granted, if you’re visiting websites like Autism Speaks or the American Cancer Society, you probably won’t be able to find authors on their background information pages. In that case, though, if you’re looking at a large, well-established organization, they’re probably reliable for basic information. Their information wouldn’t be suitable for a college-level paper, but it can give you quick facts.
  • Is there any contact information for the author or publisher?
  • Who is the publisher behind the author? Is it a biased source? For example, the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity is most likely not the most unbiased place to start researching the pros and cons of coal-driven energy, and as much as I’ve loved their safety instructors, the National Rifle Association’s website isn’t going to be helpful if you’re looking up crime or accident stats.

A– Accuracy. This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s tough when you’re exploring a new subject: how accurate is the source’s information? One of the quickest things to look for is the quality of the writing (dang, I just ruled myself out). Are there obvious typos, breaks in flow or logic (crap, crap, crap), grammar issues–things like that? They aren’t necessarily deal-breakers, but they are (hypothetically) more common in sources that have not been peer-reviewed.

What’s peer-review, you say? In a nutshell, peer-review is the evaluation of an article before it is published. The key is that the potential article is not just reviewed by an editor, but by “peers.” This means that if, for example, I did a study and wrote a paper on eagle genetics (who does that?), the journal I submit my paper to would send out my paper to a handful of reviewers. These reviewers would be other researchers who have strong backgrounds in genetics or birds of prey or both. They would pick apart all of my analyses, my rationale, and my conclusions to determine if I answered my scientific questions in the best possible way. If I have a break in logic or don’t properly explain my methods, they’ll catch it before it ever even goes to publication. They could also suggest that I perform more analyses before my paper is published (please no.) Essentially, peer-review helps keep the standard high.

If you’re trying to find information on a given topic, does the source have to be peer-reviewed? Well, probably not. If you’re a student writing a paper, that’s a different story, but in general, I would say it’s probably easier to look at the sources that your source is citing. Do they tend to be .gov or .edu sites? Do they tend to be biased organizations? Are any of their sources primary literature (something peer-reviewed)? Does the source primarily cite its own previous work rather than also including other sources? The types of a sources an article or webpage cites can be a huge indicator of accuracy. And if there are no works cited, beam me up, Scotty. We don’t want that planet.

P– Purpose. The last part of the CRAAP test asks what is the purpose of this article? Is the source trying to sell something? Is the article meant to inform? Is it to persuade? Does the author make clear when they are giving opinion rather than fact? If the article is meant to persuade, do they give solid references to back their opinions? This last item, like accuracy, can sometimes be a bit difficult to ascertain, but honestly, just being aware that there are different purposes for different kinds of writing really makes a big difference.

So there you have it folks, the CRAAP test. Sometimes I wish it had a better name, and sometimes I giggle to myself that I have a perfectly legitimate excuse to say “crap” in front of a classroom of college students (because I’m an adult). I hope it helps you out in your daily web cruising, and if you’re still in school, you can use this guide to amaze your profs with a beautiful reference list!

Peace, love, and science!

The Daffodil Hypothesis

/ Maria Wheeler-Dubas / Leave a comment

This is a very unscientific post, but the reading of “1° F” on my phone’s weather app inspired daydreams of pink cherry blossoms and a soft breeze that wisps through open windows and flutters flowery curtains. I actually do like winter (snowball fights, crunchy footsteps, and all!), but the handful of days every year that drop into the single digits strike a chill even in my Viking blood. My best solution for those days is to chug coffee and hot chocolate, bundle up like an Arctic puppy, and imagine beaches or springtime.

And springtime daydream is what triggered an old daffodil memory that I thought I would share with you all…

sunny_daffodils-2

Some years ago, on a Sunday in April, I accidentally left my car’s headlights on for three services of church. Suffice it to say, when I returned to the parking garage, my car was not having the “start” option. I remember being annoyed, not just at myself, but at the fact that I going to be in the lab later into the evening than I wanted to be. Grad school was stressing me out, and a dead car battery just was not what I needed that day.

Flustered, I called AAA, and they promised to send someone as soon as possible—but considering my situation wasn’t technically an emergency, I could be waiting for a while. After explaining the situation to the parking attendant (who was now going to have to stay late because of me), I sulkily settled down to wait on a seat outside the garage where I could see the AAA driver when he arrived.

As I pouted in my chair, my mind raced with all of the things I needed to do that day and later that week, and I grew more frustrated with each passing moment. Honestly, I can’t even remember what seemed so important at the time, but I’m sure it involved something along the lines of deadlines for grants and conferences or the list of bench work that constantly stayed in my mind even when I was procrastinating.

Then in the midst of my cranktastic mood, I noticed across the street that the landscape around my church and the surrounding neighborhood was dotted with beautiful daffodils in full bloom. It was odd; I didn’t remember seeing them that morning, even though my favorite part of spring is watching daffodils and tulips come into bloom. As I reluctantly admired them (I was enjoying my sour thought process far too much to allow joy), it dawned on me that I had not noticed the blooming of any flowers at all that spring—and it was late April! Surely by now I should have noticed at least a few tree-lined streets bashfully glowing with pink and white blossoms, the colorful bursts of Easter bouquets, or even gentle crocuses that peeped from the earth every spring by the student union on campus. Somehow, though, I had missed it all. And it wasn’t that we were experiencing a late spring that year. I had just stopped noticing the beauty of the world because I was too absorbed in myself and whatever was clearly so important at the moment. My focus locked on the daffodils…so insignificant…but so comforting.

Eventually, of course, the AAA guy arrived and jumped my car battery. I went to the lab and started working on whatever had been preoccupying me. Most likely I finished whatever I needed to, I really don’t remember anymore.

What I do remember, though, was that before I began working, I wrote on a little strip of paper “The Daffodils I Would Have Missed,” and I taped it in front of my bench in the lab. I wanted it to serve as a reminder. My drained car battery had frustrated me. It seemed pointless, a waste of time. Yet without that delay, that forced pause, I wouldn’t have noticed that spring was all around me. Each flower I saw that afternoon had seemed to be a tiny gift, something to make me smile. They calmed my frustrated nerves and reminded me there was a big, beautiful world outside of the small confines I had created in my head.

I know that God used that afternoon as a teaching moment for me. I’d like to say that I never forgot the lesson, but I’m a stubborn soul and I often have to learn lessons many times before they stick. In the years since then, I’ve encountered much bigger frustrations than a dead car battery, but they’ve often been accompanied by much bigger metaphorical daffodils. Alternately, I know I have ignored many a daffodil because I’ve refused to stop pouting in my seat, choosing instead to relish in misery and entitled self-pity.

In 2015, I want to stop pouting. There was too much of that in 2014. I allowed defeat to consume me too many times, and I’m sure I trampled over far too many daffodils in my frustration. So, for myself and everyone else, look for the daffodils! We don’t know what God is up to in our darkest moments. Even when feel at our lowest. Even when the windchill outside seems to be a made-up low number 😉

Mission: 2015

/ Maria Wheeler-Dubas / 2 Comments

Well, friends, family, and cyber community, it’s 2015! That means a combination of things, not the least of which is that I will be signing the date incorrectly on all paperwork for the next month. Rolling into a new year means that, as per Western tradition, some folks will be trying to stick with New Year’s resolutions or break bad habits while other folks will hardly notice that anything has changed other than the calendar on the fridge. (But gold star if that calendar includes hockey players or firefighters with puppies.)

I will admit, I’ve never been much of one for New Year’s resolutions. I’m a Jedi Master when it comes to making excuses, but I would say that my inability to commit to a resolution largely boils down to laziness and a lack of accountability. Who wants to add more work (even if it’s worthwhile?) to their day, and if you’re not held accountable, who is going to notice? I think if I have a support system taking the plunge with me, maybe I will be more faithful to my endeavors.

Thus, I give you:

My 2015 Challenge to All of Us Together
Learn more about the natural world around us and start taking some stewardship steps!

Ok now, wait, wait, wait, before you tune out my save-the-environment shtick, let me give you a really big number: $124-145 trillion. Yes, you read that correctly, trillion. That’s the estimated value of ecosystem services in our global economy. So, on the one hand, our planet is amazing. From mighty volcanoes, to beautiful birds, to the vast and mysterious oceans, to this underappreciated lot, there is quite literally no end to the possibility of discovery and awe with every step outdoors. On the other hand, we quite literally need our natural world. In spite of such beauty and power to be thankful for, we often forget how much we actually rely on our natural resources and easily we can damage them. We may not notice all weather patterns or the water cycle (or the oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon cycles), but we certainly notice when something is wrong. Our planet’s basic processes play a role in everything from our food development to our recreational activities, yet we often take these processes for granted because we don’t necessarily dwell on pollinators in action or notice the consequences of impervious surfaces to stormwater runoff.

Thus, we must remember the words of that great philosopher, Uncle Ben from Spiderman: with great power comes great responsibility. We humans, we’re a reasonably intelligent bunch. Sure, we did produce Justin Bieber and these folks, but as a species, we have accomplished quite a great deal. We have power. And what’s more important, we can each make small choices that collectively have a tremendous impact.

So, what can we change for 2015? I know that most of you are aware of probably the majority of the items on this list below, but here are just a few of the things I personally want to be more focused on for this new year. If these are totally foreign, maybe the best idea would be to pick two new things and try to be faithful about those. At least in my experience, I know that if my starting goal is too big, I overwhelm myself and either give up or slowly stop caring (aye, my brain.) So, list, list, listy:

Recycling—This is a no-brainer. If you’re not already recycling, you have zilch excuses. I know that not all neighborhoods have recycling pickup, but most communities have drop-off locations that can be easily looked up on township websites. One of the more popular excuses I’ve heard not to recycle is that it isn’t cost-efficient because not enough of us in the US recycle. Um, know the easy fix to that? More of us should recycle! The contents of landfills seriously just don’t go away magically…they sit for years, and decades, and probably a very, very long time.

Reusable Shopping Bags—I’m super guilty of this one. I own a good number of reusable shopping bags. Half of them are in my car, half of them are merrily skipping about my apartment like pixies in Neverland. Yet somehow, whenever I go grocery shopping, I get up to the check-out line and realize that I don’t have a single bag with me. Fail. So, if you guys are in this with me, I’d super appreciate the camaraderie of other folks trying to remember their shopping bags too.

Change your Facewash—This was a new one for me in 2014. I had never really given much thought to what kind of exfoliants were scrubbing away those old, keratinized epithelial cells on the surface of my skin until I came across an article like this one. Many health and beauty products contain polyethylene microbeads—tiny bits of plastic to scrub away at that dead skin; but plastic doesn’t particularly decompose, it isn’t filtered out of our waste water, and it causes havoc in natural water ways. If you want to make this switch, look for polyethylene on the ingredients list. I switched to a facewash that uses powdered walnut shell instead, and it works great! (And I will clarify…I’m definitely not someone who always wants to be the first to use “natural” products just because they’re natural. Not because natural means bad, but because it doesn’t necessarily mean good or better. I might have do a post on this in the future sometime.)

Use Native Plants in Your Home Gardening–As native plants become more popular, they’re becoming somewhat more common at nurseries and you can most definitely find them if you want to! Using native plants means your greens and blooms are growing up in their best possible environment, which means less work for you, and you will be a magnet for pollinators (plus, you’re not adding the issues with invasive species.) You can also specifically try a pollinator garden. I’m no green thumb, but I know plenty of gardening enthusiasts who can make magic happen with just a watering bucket and a bit of weeding.

Buy Local–When you’re focusing on local businesses, you’re supporting a healthy economy and cutting back on the need for your products to be shipped hundreds or thousands of miles. Besides farm markets and small grocers, you can also look into farm shares (might be easier for bigger families, but I’ve wanted to try it!)

Try to Switch to Some Organic Foods–I know it’s more expensive, but I’m definitely a stickler for organic dairy and I try to buy organic produce whenever I can. Now, to be clear, organic foods are not good because they are “more nutritious.” Not at all. Rather, most organic foods have been produced using sustainable agricultural practices–at least in theory. To be USDA organic, they have to meet certain standards, many of which really do promote a decrease in pesticide and herbicide use. Of course, not all organic products are created equally (or are equally earth-friendly), but I figure it’s better to try!

Take Advantage of Learning Opportunities Around Your Town—I live in Pittsburgh, and we have some really great resources for learning about science and nature. We have the Carnegie Science Center, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the National Aviary, and the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, in addition to educational efforts like the Citizen Science Lab, local chapters of the Audubon Society, and a number of other organizations. Take the opportunity to learn with these places! Many museums are now even regularly hosting events like 21+ Nights (like this or this), where you can check out all of the exhibits without having to awkwardly tell the six-year-old that it’s actually your turn to complete an electrical circuit and make the bell ring. Visit, have fun, and learn! And hey…if you have a few hours a month, volunteer. You won’t regret the experience 🙂

Make Learning a Habit—In our internet age, we quite literally have the world at our fingertips. We have access to educational resources unlike any generation has before us. Make learning something new about our world a daily habit! Heck, just sit down and Google anything that sounds interesting—why are scarlet macaws red? Where does drinking water come from? Why is the sky blue? What is the aurora borealis? What are the ocean trash patches? You can even get super fancy and hop over to Google Scholar where you are more likely to run into peer-reviewed sources.

**However, it’s a worth a note to please, please, please watch your internet sources. If a website looks or sounds like it was generated in somebody’s mama’s basement, it probably was. The best websites for information tend to end in .gov or .edu, or if you recognize them as a trusted source. Even .org sites can be sketchy (my favorite, honk when you get it), though certainly not always. And I’ll be real with you, this caution includes my own blog! I’m only a couple months out of grad school. I wrote half of this article on my living room couch, and half in my lab. I’m not a master, so don’t take my word for it. Check my resources. But I will say this: if the website tells you not to vaccinate your kids, run, hide, avert your eyes. It’s lying or ridiculous.**

So, are you ready for a 2015 challenge? Definitely post if you have other ideas, this list is by no means exhaustive. I just wanted to create a springboard for change, for positive action. If we each try just a little bit, we’re collectively doing a lot!

Peace, love, and science!