It's the end of December. I've finished another semester of undergraduate teaching, and I'm looking ahead to the next calendar year full of new students and new adventures in my professional and personal life. This is also the time of year when everyone trots out a year-end retrospective on their little niche in the world. … Continue reading 2017: A year of “Mulled Science”
What’s new(s) in science
I teach introductory biology courses to college students. It's a busy time of the semester, with exams and assignments and the balancing act of all that goes on in and out of the classroom (for students and professors alike). To ease into our time in class together and provide some motivation to my students for … Continue reading What’s new(s) in science
The rhythms of life–biological clocks and a new season
We're almost midway through the semester at my university. It's a busy time for students and professors alike: assignments, exams, and projects seem to pile up... and so we all anticipate a few days of welcome respite during the upcoming fall break. Meanwhile, the days shorten, the leaves fall, the insects quiet down, and festive … Continue reading The rhythms of life–biological clocks and a new season
Science news this week: Cassini and cats
Maybe you saw the news: this week, we humans intentionally crashed a space probe into Saturn at the end of the spacecraft's 13-year mission to photograph and gather data about Saturn and its moons. The probe, Cassini, has sent amazing images like this one back to us here on Earth, illuminating our understanding of Saturn … Continue reading Science news this week: Cassini and cats
Sharing science: teaching and learning about communication
Many years ago, I became a college professor. My job was to help introductory students learn about the basic principles of biology--the stuff you need to know to build on in higher-level classes, or apply toward asking and answering new scientific questions. To be honest, I had to relearn some basic biology myself. It had … Continue reading Sharing science: teaching and learning about communication
Nature’s blues
Recently, two science news topics crossed my path about seemingly very different themes: genetically modified flowers and sea creatures that glow. The articles caught my eye for different reasons, but it was thanks to a casual conversation on social media with a friend about a third science news article about a rare genetic disease that … Continue reading Nature’s blues
Humans of Earth: Jill Tarter (Summer reading, the final chapter)
On social media a few years ago, I learned about the engaging project by photographer Brandon Stanton called "Humans of New York." What started as an effort to photograph and interview everyday New Yorkers has expanded into a worldwide project to catalog the human condition in the faces and stories of individual people around the … Continue reading Humans of Earth: Jill Tarter (Summer reading, the final chapter)
Raising healthy kids…and their bacteria? (Summer reading, part V)
I'm a biologist, an educator, and a parent. I intentionally consume a lot of new information about science in the course of my work and more casually through social media and the news. I stay informed about many different topics to benefit my students, my family, and my own curiosity. To kick off my summer … Continue reading Raising healthy kids…and their bacteria? (Summer reading, part V)
Connecting with trees (Summer reading, part IV)
I live in a quiet residential neighborhood on the outskirts of a city in Indiana. In similar neighborhoods, often carved out of reclaimed farmland, each lot might feature a couple of trees that were planted relatively recently. Somewhat unusually, my yard contains more than a dozen trees in the backyard, plus a small woodlot behind … Continue reading Connecting with trees (Summer reading, part IV)
Domestic days: Dogs, cats…and foxes? Oh my! (Summer reading, part III)
In June, I usually take advantage of the break afforded by my academic work calendar and the summer weather to catch up on all the domestic tasks that piled up during the spring: house cleaning, yard work, and the like. I am joined at least part of the time by the rest of the family, … Continue reading Domestic days: Dogs, cats…and foxes? Oh my! (Summer reading, part III)
Mulled Science 