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Everything Metabolomics: Tips and Resources from a Metabolomics Pre-Conference Tutorial
It was nine a.m. on Wednesday, May 17th and already the Ohio Union’s Interfaith room was nearly filled to capacity. Perhaps drifting away from the room’s original purpose, the occupants had…
Marching for Science
Saturday, April 22, 2017 was a big day for me. It marked the first time I have marched for something as an activist for a cause I believe in. The cause? Science. The problem? Science literacy and…
Perspectives on Science Communication
The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.
-George Bernard Shaw
Science communication with those outside your area of expertise can be…
Exploiting the soybean aphid's genome to help develop aphid management strategies
Aphids are small insects that have a stylet (a piercing-sucking mouthpart) that acts as a straw and allows them to feed from plant sap (Figure 1A). Many species reproduce asexually, or clonally…
Discussing Climate Change and Agriculture
I was recently invited to address a public meeting of the Sierra Club, an environmental activism organization, in Columbus, OH to discuss the projected effects of climate change on agriculture. It…
How Do Scientists "See" Structures that are Smaller than Light?
Traditional optical microscopy is a powerful tool used by the majority of scientists, but it is not without limitations. Namley that a wavelength of light has an amplitude of approximately 550 nm…
Salt: So Simple and Yet So Complicated
The winter season in Ohio ultimately means some degree of snowfall and an ample application of salt and brine solutions to streets and sidewalks. A 2011 report by the Ohio Department of…
An Arctic Apple a Day Will Keep the Pseudoscience Away
Soon you will be able to fill your grocery cart with the Arctic Apple, a non-browning apple developed by Neal and Louisa Carter. Would you hesitate though if you discovered this product was a…
Realizing the Value of Ancient Crops
Many travelers have road tripped across the heartland of U.S. Many of these trips occur during the summer growing season, allowing the layperson to see tremendous agricultural productivity of the…