Spark Science

Do you like Sci-Fi and Fantasy? Then you like Speculative Fiction and so do we.   Dr. Lysa Rivera joins us again, after being one of Spark Science’s first guests, to talk about the history of Black and Brown voices in this genre and to also share some great recommendations, beyond Octavia Butler. However we of course talk about her too.  At WWU, Dr. Rivera specializes in Chicano/a/x and African American literature and has an extremely popular class focused on this field. She also currently serves on the editorial board for Femspec, an interdisciplinary and peer-reviewed journal devoted to the study of speculative fiction within feminist contexts.

Why do people believe false stories on social media? Who is most susceptible to misinformation or to the more malicious version, disinformation?   In this episode, we speak with Ph.D. candidate in Cognitive Psychology at Northwestern Nikita Salovich. Her research on how “fake news” grows and how we can slow or stop the spread.   Spark Science encourages our listeners to get vaccinated and to use the information in this episode to have discussions with hesitant family and friends to get vaccinated as well. Another great resource is the Debunking Handbook.

“Which one did you get, Pfizer or Moderna?” This was the big question at the start of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout but how do these vaccines work? Why do they have to be kept at ultracold temperatures? What is mRNA?   These questions are answers in this episode featuring WWU Biology professor and RNA researcher, Dr. Suzanne Lee. Lastly, if you haven’t already, Spark Science would like to encourage you to get any COVID-19 Vaccine available, mRNA or not.

It has been a year since we have talked with Infectious Disease Specialist, Dr. Vijai Bhola. He is now our go-to regular medical doctor to answer our questions about the pandemic one year in.   We discuss the various vaccines, the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic on different populations, and predictions for the future.   One takeaway that Dr. Bhola would like to convey is to “not let your guard down”. We are not out of this pandemic yet so keep those masks on and those interactions outside your home circle limited. Check out https://www.cdc.gov/   Image credit: CDC/ Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAM

What is “Mars Time”? Are you excited about machines flying on another planet? Or Martian rock coming back to Earth?   If you are curious about spacecraft on the Red Planet then check out our Season 7 Premiere featuring one of the best communicators in town, NASA Scientist and Western Washington University Geophysicist, Dr. Melissa Rice.   We reference her Op-Ed “A Wright Brothers moment on Mars will expand our cosmic perspective” published in the Seattle Times in this episode. You can check it out here. https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/a-wright-brothers-moment-on-mars-will-expand-our-cosmic-perspective/   Image credit: NASA -- Artist rendition of the helicopter Ingenuity flying next to the Perseverance Rover.

For our Season 6 Finale, we speak with conservationist, storyteller, filmmaker and fellow pop culture enthusiast, Luwi Nguluka. She shares her path from medicine to wildlife activism. Luwi is the co-founder of "Women For Conservation", Zambia's first network for women working on wildlife initiatives and is involved in the “This is not Game” bushmeat campaign which tackles the illegal trade. To learn more about Luwi’s work, check out her TEDx Talk titled What conservation can cook like for an African.

The old adage "A picture is worth a thousand words" explains how photography can create conservation stories accessible across cultures. Our guest for this episode uses beautiful images to help save wetlands around the world. Gab Mejia is a National Geographic Explorer, Nikon Ambassador for Asia, Jackson Wild Media Lab Fellow, and an engineering undergraduate student. Join us for a conversation about his path from hobbyist to international award-winning science communicator.    Check out Gab Mejia's Instagram @gabmeija Image credit: Gab Mejia Location: Mindanao, Philippines

Backyard Botany & Birdsongs - In the first segment WWU student Liz Cunningham interviews a local expert about how a love for gardening can help science spread. The second segment shares how bird and whale song expert Dr. John Bower became an ornithologist at Fairhaven College.

What makes people accept scientific information? This episode is part 2 of our short Sharing Science series where we talk to researchers who study how science is communicated. Our guest is Dr. Reyhaneh Maktoufi a Civic Science Fellow at NOVA and a producer for Story Collider. She is also an artist who uses comics to emphasize the importance of trust and encourage empathy in science communication.

How do we humans interact with scientific information? This episode is part 1 of our short Sharing Science series where we talk to researchers who study how science is communicated. In this episode, our guest is Dr. Sara K. Yeo from the University of Utah. She specializes in Science and Risk communication and most recently has started to study how humor is used to share scientific information on social media.

The year 2019 was hailed the International Year of the Periodic Table. Western Washington University professors staged a reenactment at the Spark Museum featuring the scientists credited with the creation of the Table of Elements in 1869.    Spark Science was lucky enough to get a few of them into the studio late 2019 to talk about why we are celebrating this scientific tool 150 years later.   Thank you to our guests Dr. Serge Smirnov a biochemist, Dr. Tim Kowalczyk a physical chemist, and Dr. Dietmar Schwarz a biologist.

What are clam gardens? Join us on Spark Science’s first research field trip up the coast of Vancouver Island, BC. Dr. Marco Hatch answers this question by showing us a day in the life of a marine ecologist. We learn about clam habitat and how people have been managing these beaches for thousands of years.   Photo of clam garden rock wall located in Fulfod Harbor B.C. courtesy of Dr. Marco Hatch. For more information on his research, go to his website https://wp.wwu.edu/hatchlab/ If you would like to learn more about the garden in the image and other efforts to manage these historical gardens, check out the Clam Garden Network.

For our 100th episode, our first and most frequent guest is back, Dr. Melissa Rice. Days before quarantine, we entertained a live audience at WWU with stories of missions past and details about the future Mars Rover launching this July.   If you would like to learn more about Dr. Rice’s work you can visit https://wp.wwu.edu/mars/ You can follow her on instagram @westernmartians  & Twitter @martian_mel

Who shapes the lives of science students? Here at WWU, two students edited and produced podcasts for their final project in a spring science communication course. They decided to feature the people they admire. This episode features physics major Chase Boggio interviewing WWU physics professor Dr. Takele Seda about his education in Ethiopia. The second segment features engineering student Maria Watters speaking with her mother, a doctoral candidate in Public Health Sciences, about when she ran a free clinic in Nepal.

When you think of winter in the Pacific Northwest, what comes to mind? Snow, rain, darkness? Many people think of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which is why we held and recorded a LIVE show at the start of 2020 to share tips on how to deal with SAD, depression, grief and anxiety. Our guest was the energetic and media-savvy WWU Executive Director for Counseling, Health and Wellness, Dr. Sislena Ledbetter.    For more information about Dr. Ledbetter, you can visit drsis.com Image courtesy of drsis.com

We return to GeekGirlCon, an annual fall convention in Seattle that celebrates the various identities of geekdom, to showcase how curiosity combines with costuming, chemistry, ceramics, and computer-generated reality.   This is our second episode covering 2019 GeekGirlCon. To find out more about the convention and out guest’s amazing work following them on twitter @GeekGirlCon @amyraehill for astro-ceramics & for Torrey’s cosplay @tereshkova2001

What do all of these things have in common? GeekGirlCon. This annual fall convention in Seattle celebrates the various identities of geekdom and in this episode, we showcase how bugs can help kids through adolescents, how easy it is for children to connect science to the everyday world and the fun world of forensics.   This is our first episode covering 2019 GeekGirlCon.   To find out more about The Bug Chicks, Mmmmonsters and/or Geek Girl Con follow them on twitter. @TheBugChicks, @mmm_monsters, @GeekGirlCon

During this global pandemic, do you want to hear directly from a medical doctor who specializes in infectious diseases? We did.   While stuck at home inundated with COVID-19 news, we thought it would be nice to learn from and get to know one of the people on the front lines.    Join us for an interview with Dr. Vijai Bhola where we talk about the history of vaccines, the current response to this outbreak and some positive words to help our anxious minds.   Image credit: CDC/ Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAM  

What do the Atomic Bomb and one of the first hands-on science museums have in common? The answer and a whole lot of geeky fun can be found in our interview with Dr. Whitmore. We discuss the language of science, the movie Real Genius, and our favorite Star Trek episode.   To find out more about the Exploratorium check out https://www.exploratorium.edu/  & follow Dr. Whitmore on twitter @DarthScience

How different are people's paths into science and what are students going through right now? Each spring Spark Science host, Dr. Barber DeGraaff, teaches a science communication course where students can create podcasts for a final project. This episode features WWU student Khleo Isaguirre interviewing Biology professor, Dr. Adrienne Wang. This episode also shares WWU student Kassidy Haluska speaking to other College of Science and Engineering majors about their choices.