Lab Out Loud

As professor of Environmental Studies and Geosciences at Lawrence University, Marcia Bjornerud knows a lot about rocks. In her new book, Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks, Marcia emphasizes the connection between human experiences and the physical earth, encouraging everyone to learn from the dynamic landscape around us. Marcia joins us to tell us about Turning to Stone and how the book is mapped to her own life, provides suggestions for how schools can improve teaching geosciences, and explains why we are living in a golden age of geoscience. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2025/04/episode-284-turning-to-stone/

Ever feel lost in the world of wellness advice online? Our guest, Dr. Jonathan Stea, has a new book called "Mind the Science" that helps cut through the noise of the wellness industry, exposing pseudoscience and mental health misinformation. As a promoter of science communication, Dr. Stea seeks to empower people to make informed decisions about mental well-being. His new book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the real science behind mental health and protect themselves from misinformation lurking in healthcare, pop culture, and social media. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2024/11/episode-283-mind-the-science/

Science comedy writer Sarah Rose Siskind has some ideas. We met Sarah at SXSWedu in the spring of 2024 where she delivered a keynote titled Science Comedy: Why it's a Thing and How to Do It. Of course we had to have her on the show. To open our 18th season, Sarah joins Lab Out Loud to share insights from her work with Hello SciCom, emphasize the link between humor and empathy, and give some tips for using comedy to communicate science in your classroom. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2024/09/episode-282-teach-science-with-humor/

It's spring, and it's a great time to get students outside to do some science. Need some ideas? Science teacher Brian Kaestner (St. Mary's Hall in San Antonio) and Vernier Educational Technology Specialist Colleen McDaniel join us to discuss how they use Vernier sensors so students can locally measure the effects of climate change. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2024/05/episode-281-vernier-climate-change/

Video version at: https://youtu.be/7zvYh4XvFVk In 2017, Sam Cornwell launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to make a pinhole camera called the Solarcan. Now a successful company with the same name, the Solarcan is a simple camera that takes extremely long time exposures capable of capturing the path of the sun. Sam joins us for this special video episode of Lab Out Loud to tell us how the Solarcan combines art and astronomy for the citizen scientist in all of us. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2024/03/episode-280-solarcam

Ella Marushchenko joins Lab Out Loud to discuss her job and her journey from a traditional art background to creating scientific illustrations. Stressing the need for artistic freedom in scientific visualization, Ella describes how she balances the collaborative process between artists and scientists as she translates complex concepts into visually appealing art. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2024/01/episode-279-scientific-illustrator/ 

In a recent survey, Nature asked scientists about their use of Twitter, and discovered that many decreased their use of the platform, and some have decided to leave it completely. To help understand this trend, we welcome bilingual science journalist Myriam Vidal Valero to the show. Myriam reminds us how many scientists need social media to connect, share their work, and build connections to help advance their careers. With the recent changes at Twitter, Myriam helps us navigate through the fragmentation of what's left in the landscape of social media for scientists that still want and need to collaborate online. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2023/10/episode-278-scientists-leaving-twitter/ 

To talk to us about the life cycle of our technology, we welcome Lucas Gutterman to the show. As the director of the Design to Last campaign with PIRG, the Public Interest Research Group, Lucas provides us with some insight and strategies on how we can advocate to make our devices last longer, and in turn save money and previous raw materials. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2023/08/episode-277-chromebook-churn/ 

Artist Dan Nott joins Lab Out Loud to tell us about his new graphic nonfiction book called Hidden Systems. With the help of visual metaphors, Dan illustrates systems that we often take for granted, such as the internet, the electrical grid, and providing water. Hidden Systems reveals these difficult to understand and often hidden systems that we tend to care about most when they aren't working. Through his research and art, Dan also reveals their history, with sometimes uncomfortable truths about our past that are literally hardwired into our present. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2023/05/episode-276-hidden-systems 

Meet the Friends of Big Bear Valley, a group that maintains two solar powered webcams focused on Jackie and Shadow, a pair of bald eagles in Big Bear Valley, California. Executive Director Sandy Steers and Candee Roberts join us to share a little of Jackie and Shadow's life while describing the continuous challenges that the eagles face. Listen to the show to learn how you can observe these eagles in your classroom for environmental awareness, appreciation and enjoyment. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2023/03/the-bald-and-the-beautiful-tales-from-the-nest-in-big-bear-valley 

Announced in 1984 by President Reagan as a way to boost science education, the Teacher in Space program invited teachers to apply to become the first citizen into space. Realizing that two teachers from Wisconsin were selected, we reached out to connect with one of them. From Tomah, Wisconsin, science teacher Larry Scheckel was a finalist in the program alongside Christa McAuliffe. Larry joins the show to describe the Teacher in Space application and selection process, tell us about the state of science education in the 80s, and relive the shared grief that he and other finalists experienced when the Challenger exploded. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2023/02/episode-274-teacher-in-space/

Rhett Allain returns to Lab Out Loud for his 5th time to talk about ChatGPT, a novel artificial intelligence chat tool from OpenAI. In the last few months, Rhett has also been exploring how to use ChatGPT to see how it can solve physics homework, serve as a suitable teaching assistant and even write code. Rhett shares his experience as we think about the utility of emerging AI tools and how they might challenge educators to teach differently. Show notes: https://laboutloud.com/2023/01/episode-273-chatgpt/

Thinking of snow? We first talked to Dr. Kenneth Libbrecht in 2006 when the US Postal Service began featuring his photographs of snowflakes on stamps. 16 years later, we wanted to find out what's changed in snowflake science, so we invited him back to the show. Dr. Libbrecht joins us again to share new discoveries in snowflake science, describe how he became the snowflake expert for the movie Frozen, and discuss some tips on talking your own pictures of snowflakes. Show notes and snowflake photos at: https://laboutloud.com/2022/12/a-closer-look-at-snowflakes/

Sloan Science and Film is an online publication from the Museum of the Moving Image that examines the intersection of science and film. As curator of Science and Technology at the museum and the Executive Editor of scienceandfilm.org, Sonia Epstein returns to Lab Out Loud to discuss how Sloan films were used during the pandemic, how you can use the teacher's guide with over 60 science-themed short films available to stream, and what you might find if you get a chance to visit the Museum of the Moving Image. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2022/11/episode-171-sloan-science-film/

For the last decade, this episode on zombie neurobiology has been a seasonal favorite. Listen to Dr. Steven Schlozman describe how to use zombies to teach science. More show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2022/10/episode-270-zombie-science-returns/

Pencils. Notebooks. Glue sticks. Dry erase markers. Safety goggles. Tissues. As students returned to school this fall, they were asked to obtain numerous school supplies for their own use and sometimes for the entire classroom. When are school supplies necessary and when are they excessive? Dale and Brian discuss the topic of school supplies for all classrooms and particularly for the science classroom.   Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2022/09/episode-269-school-supplies/

After 15 years, the Lab Out Loud podcast is changing. What does this mean? We are incredibly thankful for the support that NSTA has provided for the show, but after 15 years we are now looking for alternative funding to continue the show. We need your help! Learn how you can support Lab Out Loud as a listener or an advertiser. Will we still produce shows? Yes, that's our plan. But we may not be as regular as we have over the last 15 years. Thank You. Making this show has been an incredible pleasure. Thank you all so much for listening. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/?p=5663

Stephen Pompea joins the show to discuss how scientists can support science education in formal and informal settings. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/?p=5624

Nathan Schreiber returns to the Lab Out Loud podcast to talk about his newest project using a series of graphic novels designed to teach chemistry concepts. Building off of the popular game, Valence uses science ninjas in an action packed adventure that teaches foundational chemistry about what makes up the universe, how it's measured, and how it's transformed. Nathan joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to discuss his games and graphic novels, describe how his characters can engage students in learning science, and share a sneak peak at his next project! Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2022/05/learning-chemistry-with-ninjas/

The next guest on the Lab Out Loud podcast is National Geographic Explorer and storyteller Tara Roberts. For the last couple of years, Tara has been following a group of black scuba divers around the world as they search for and help document slave shipwrecks. These explorations to the ocean floor and within human journeys have been shared as rich stories through her "Into the Depths" podcast and as a cover feature in the March issue of National Geographic magazine. Tara joins Lab Out Loud to share her experiences as an Explorer, describe the importance of discovery through a different lens, and emphasize the significance of telling these stories.   Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2022/04/episode-265-tara-roberts-storytelling/

Our guest this week is Tim Hartelt from the Department of Biology Education at the University of Kassel in Germany. With colleagues Helge Martens and Nina Minkley, Tim recently co-authored a study investigating if science teachers were able to diagnose the alternative conceptions the may hold when teaching biology concepts. Tim joins us to discuss the study and its findings, how teachers might identify alternative conceptions, and explain how they might be connected to their own professional experiences and content knowledge. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2022/04/episode-264-alt-conceptions-teaching-science/

[ This episode is sponsored by Siemens STEM Day Possibility Grant Sweepstakes ]   This week, the Lab Out Loud podcast welcomes Dr. Meenakshi Sharma to the show. From her unique perspective as a professor of science education who trains pre-service teachers, Dr. Sharma recently wrote an article detailing the characteristics of elementary teachers who effectively implement the Next Generation Science Standards. Dr. Sharma joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to discuss these characteristics, explain how they are grounded in using real-world phenomena, and describe why this shift in science teacher training is so important.   Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2022/03/episode-263-characteristics-of-effective-science-teachers/

In this installment of #ScientistOutLoud, the Lab Out Loud podcast welcomes research and teaching professor Prashant Sharma from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Using morphology and genomic data, Dr. Sharma and his lab recently challenged our understanding of arachnid classification, by adding horseshoe crabs to the same class as spiders and scorpions. Dr. Sharma joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to remind them how modern classification works, describe why his team believes horseshoe crabs should be classified as arachnids, and discuss how this work showcases the process of science. About The Guest: Dr. Prashant Sharma is the principal investigator of the Sharma Lab in the department of Integrative Biology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The lab's research broadly addresses macroevolution of invertebrates through the lenses of phylogenetics, genomics, and comparative development, with emphasis on chelicerate arthropods (from sharmalabuw.org) Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2022/03/episode-262-horseshoe-crab-classification/

Trish Shelton joins the Lab Out Loud podcast to highlight a new learning initiative from NSTA called the Professional Learning Unit (PLU). Designed as an asynchronous mini-course, a PLU is a bite-sized learning experience available on demand when a teacher, department or district needs it most. Listen to the show to hear more about this exciting new learning opportunity, and find out how you can participate in a PLU to help grow your practice. About The Guest Tricia is the NSTA Chief Learning Officer where she works to support educators and students across the county as they work to integrate contemporary research in science education into classroom teaching and learning (from NSTA Profile). Show notes at:  https://laboutloud.com/2022/02/episode-261-nsta-plu/

From the Learning Scientists podcast, cognitive psychologist Megan Sumeracki joins the Lab Out Loud podcast to talk about the science of learning. With a goal to make scientific research on learning more accessible, the Learning Scientists started as a Twitter account that has now grown to a popular podcast aimed at teachers, students and other educators. Megan joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to describe how scientists research learning, remind us about proper experimental design (and why it's important), and share how the Learning Scientists are helping to broadcast these discoveries.   Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2022/02/episode-260-the-learning-scientists/

For over a decade, the Bioart Scientific Image and Video Competition has provided an artistic vehicle for biological scientists to share their research beyond the confines of their lab and professional circles. Chris Curran, one of the Bioart judges, joins the Lab Out Loud podcast to talk about the Bioart competition, the intersection of art and science, and how teachers might use stunning visuals to inspire students and advance scientific literacy. About the Guest: Christine Perdan Curran is a professor of biological sciences at Northern Kentucky University and director of the NKU Neuroscience Program. She also represents the Society for Birth Defect Research & Prevention for the FASEB board, and serves as a judge for the FASEB Bioart competition. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2022/01/episode-259-bioart/

In this installment of the #ScientistOutLoud series, Dr. Carly Anne York joins the Lab Out Loud podcast to talk about the importance of science communication, how she generates enthusiasm for science and the scientific process, and her efforts in making science accessible for students and the public. About The Guest: Dr. Carly Anne York is biology professor who studies animal behavior, physiology and biomechanics at Lenoir-Rhyne University in North Carolina. Dr. York is also a squid biologist, science communicator and co-owner of an animal sanctuary. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/?p=5465

What are phenomena and how can science teachers use these events to engage students in science? Professor of Science Education Todd Campbell joins the Lab Out Loud Podcast to help start a series about using phenomena in science education. Listen now to hear about new strategies in how pre-service science educators are being prepared, where to start if you are beginning a journey to adopt NGSS, and how we can all use phenomena to help students explain the world around them. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2021/12/episode-257-using-phenomena/

Laurie Wallmark returns to the Lab Out Loud podcast to share two new stories celebrating women in STEM: Code Breaker, Spy Hunter about Elizabeth Friedman and Numbers in Motion about Sophie Kowalevski. Laurie joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to share these fascinating stories while discussing the role of STEM in schools and the importance of exposing all kids to STEM learning opportunities. About the Guest Laurie Wallmark is a computer science teacher and award-winning children's author featuring picture book biographies that recognize women in STEM. Her breakout book Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine (Creston Books) debuted in 2017 and was readily recognized with numerous awards. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2021/11/episode-256-women-in-stem/

Sometimes surprising discoveries happen when scientists aren't looking for them. While analyzing biological samples from California Condors as part of a conservation effort, a team at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance discovered an unusual phenomenon: two condors born in captivity that contained only maternal DNA. This startling observation confirmed a rare event known as facultative parthenogenesis - a form of asexual reproduction in females that typically reproduce sexually. From that team, Dr. Oliver Ryder joins the Lab Out Loud podcast to discuss his work in conservation biology, how his team made this discovery, and what implications it might have for the endangered California Condor and other species. About Our Guest Dr. Oliver Ryder, Ph.D., is the Kleberg Endowed Director of Conservation Genetics at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, where he oversees research activities in the areas of molecular genetics, genomic studies, and genetic rescue efforts, including stem cell applications – all focused on reducing extinction risk and contributing to species recovery and sustainable populations. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2021/11/episode-255-condor-parthenogenesis/

The Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science (TIES) was founded to provide teachers with content and engaging resources to teach evolution in an effective and respectful way. Now with downloadable units that meet every state's evolution standards, TIES offers formidable resources for teaching evolution online. TIES Director Bertha Vazquez joins us to discuss how science teachers can access their powerful resources, tap into their training, and use their support to address critics of evolution. About Our Guest - Bertha Vazquez is a middle school science teacher in Miami-Dade County, and is the founder and director of the Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science. https://laboutloud.com/?p=5400

To answer their questions about pumpkins, the Lab Out Loud podcast connects with a pumpkin expert. From the University of Rhode Island, Dr. Rebecca Brown joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about growing pumpkins, the surprising results of pumpkin breeding, and the pumpkin industry in the United States. About The Guest: Rebecca Brown is an assistant professor at the University of Rhode Island in the Department of Plant Sciences and Entomology, where she conducts research in the areas of sustainable vegetable production and laser scarecrows. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2021/10/episode-253-pumpkins/

Can all games provide learning activities? Is there a connection between scientific models and games? How can educators evaluate games and simulators as learning tools in the classroom? David Gagnon joins the Lab Out Loud podcast to discuss designing and evaluating games for learning, and describes how his team integrates learning theory to create meaningful games that make personal connections to students. About Our Guest David Gagnon is the Director of a game studio and research lab at the University of Wisconsin called Field Day. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2021/10/episode-252-games-and-simulators

As schools transitioned to online learning in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Skype a Scientist saw a increased demand for their service. Boasting a database of thousands of scientists, SKYPE a Scientist uses readily available video chat tools to connect scientists to teachers, students and other groups around the world. Founder and Executive Director Sarah McAnulty joins the Lab Out Loud podcast to talk about Skype a Scientist and its increased programming, how the resource grew during the pandemic, and it fills a growing need to connect students and teachers with scientific experts. About The Guest Sarah McAnulty is an American squid biologist who earned her bachelor's degree in marine science at Boston University in 2011 and got her PhD from the department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Connecticut, graduating in 2019. She is the founder and executive director of Skype a Scientist, a non-profit organization that connects scientists and teachers around the world. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2021/09/episode-251-skype-a-scientist/

Erika Shugart joins the Lab Out Loud podcast for their 250th episode to discuss her role as NSTA Executive Director, share how the association can provide professional development and networking opportunities in a face to face world with digital demands, and explain her vision to provide equity and evidence in science education. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2021/09/episode-250-erika-shugart/

What happens when scientists abandon ethical standards in the pursuit of science? Can we trust scientific discoveries learned with fraudulent practices? To answer some of these questions and more, science writer Sam Kean joins The Lab Out Loud podcast to share from his new book, The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science. Listen to the show to hear Sam explain how he uses storytelling as a means to engage the listener in science while reminding us of the importance in following ethical considerations while executing science practices. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2021/08/episode-249-icepick-surgeon/

To close out season 14, the Lab Out Loud podcast reflects on experiences educating and learning through a pandemic. Co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler also re-connect with Fred Ende and his kids as they share their experiences learning science and communicating with others over the last year. Show notes: https://laboutloud.com/2021/06/episode-248-pandemic-reflections/

In the latest installment of their Scientist Out Loud series, Dr. Terry McGlynn joins the Lab Out Loud podcast to discuss his research with ants and other insects found in tropical rainforests. Since 1995, Terry has been working out of La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica studying ants as a model system. Instead of the boring ants we might find in North America, these tropical species are far more interesting and can teach us a lot about social interactions, organizing behaviors, and balancing ecosystems. Terry joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to answer all of their ant questions, describe his path to become a myremocologist, and explain why we should care about ants in the world around us. About the Guest: Dr. Terry McGlynn is a Professor of Biology at Cal State Dominguez Hills and a Research Associate at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. His research program focuses on the experimental natural history of ants. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2021/05/episode-247-ants/

In an attempt to help students make visible connections between science and sound, Dr. Victor Minces and his team have created Listening to Waves - a suite of online tools that allow students to easily view, manipulate and generate sound. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, Listening to Waves freely provides an online oscilloscope, signal generator, and spectrogram. Dr. Minces joins the Lab Out Loud podcast to share his appreciation of science and sound, explain how students can have fun exploring and playing with sound using his online tools, and describe how these tools have been helpful for learning science at home during the pandemic. About the Guest: Working as a research scientist in the department of Cognitive Science at UC San Diego, Dr. Victor Minces has a background in physics, neuroscience, and the cognitive science of music. He is crazy about sound and is also an aspiring sound artist. Part of his intention with Listening to Waves is to spread that love. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2021/05/episode-246-listening-to-waves/

With a shift to online learning during the pandemic, students have relied on watching and creating more videos. But how has that impacted science education? To help answer that question, the Lab Out Loud Podcast invites Rhett Allain back to the show. Rhett shares some tips and suggestions for online learning - especially dealing with online math. Spoiler alert! He suggests that students make a video to showcase their learning. Rhett also describes his work as technical advisor at McGyver, then takes some time to geek out with co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler about science that is portrayed (or ignored) in pop culture. About the Guest: An Associate Professor of physics at Southeastern Louisiana University, Rhett is also a physics blogger for Wired and Medium, creates videos for YouTube and serves as the technical consultant for the TV show McGyver. Show notes: https://laboutloud.com/2021/04/episode-245-pop-culture-science/

As schooling has expanded into our homes during the pandemic, it's no surprise that online resources geared towards learning at home have been extremely valuable. That's why Lab Out Loud's exploration into science at home connects them with Ben Finio and Svenja Lohner, both senior staff scientists at Science Buddies. With an emphasis on providing kid-friendly, bite-sized STEM learning activities for students to do at home, Science Buddies also offers a robust array of resources like science news, interactive simulations, NGSS-aligned lesson plans, and the powerful Topic Selection Wizard - a personalized science interest quiz designed to help students find a project that fits their own interests. Listen to the podcast, then visit Science Buddies to find your next science activity, no matter where your classroom is located!   Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2021/04/episode-244-science-buddies/

Lab Out Loud's exploration into distance learning takes on new meaning this week, as they discover what's next from the Perseverance rover that recently landed on Mars. To guide them in the conversation, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler welcome Brandon Rodriguez to the show. A chemist by training, Brandon teaches high school chemistry and physics while working as an Education Specialist with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he provides resources and training for K-12 schools. Brandon joins Lab Out Loud to remind us of the impossible task of landing a rover on Mars, shares what we can expect to learn from the Perseverance mission, and provides a little advice for students interested in working for NASA and other STEM fields. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2021/03/episode-243-perseverance/

Igniting Science Curiosity Across Africa As the Lab Out Loud Podcast continues to explore how science education has adapted during the pandemic, a new science TV show out of Africa caught their eye. In part created to accommodate learning at home through broadcast television, N*Gen has grown into a Pan-African TV show that encourages science across borders and allows African children to see themselves as scientists. With a STEM focus, episodes include engaging animations, hands-on experiments, tips for healthy living and clips from teachers across the continent. To learn more about N*Gen and how it's made, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale welcome Irene Nyangoma (a teacher in Uganda, writer and main host), Joy Kiano (a teacher in Kenya and science writer), and Gosia Lukomska (producer) to the show. Listen now, then watch N*Gen on the Africa Channel or on YouTube! Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2021/03/episode-242-ngen/

This week, the Lab Out Loud podcast talks with Mallory Wills, a biology and earth science teacher at George Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In August 2020, Cedar Rapids and other parts of the Midwest were slammed by a derecho - an intense storm with straight line winds that damaged every school in the Cedar Rapids system. In the wake of the devastation, Mallory applied for a SSP (Science for Society and the Public) STEM Research Grant, hoping that the grant would provide much needed funding to help start a research club. Adapted for online learning, the award of $1000 provided take home STEM kits that helped Mallory provide hands-on learning opportunities in an online learning environment. Mallory joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to describe the damage inflicted by the derecho in her district, how she has been using the SSP award to help her students conduct research in an online learning environment, and to remind us of the resilience, unanticipated benefits and the hope that can shine through tragedy. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2021/02/episode-241-learning-science-through-tragedy

This week, the Lab Out Loud podcast talks with India Carlson, a botany and environmental horticulture teacher at Ballard High School in Seattle, Washington. In a typical year, India's students spend a significant portion of time working in the school garden and greenhouse. Faced with the unique challenges of learning science at home this year, India decided to clone a plant for every one of her students to use at home for learning, experimentation, and even finding joy. India joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about the logistics of sending plants home, the unexpected benefits of the program, and how this experience has prompted her students to appreciate more of the environment around them. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2021/02/episode-240-sending-plants-home/

Lab Out Loud's guest this week is Dr. Steffania Kapsetaki, a postdoctoral research fellow at Arizona State University at the Arizona Cancer & Evolution Center. Joining Lab Out Loud from Greece where she is working remotely during the pandemic, Dr. Kapsetaki is studying chimerism across the tree of life and its potential impact in triggering cancer. Representing a relatively new field of research in life science, chimerism occurs when organisms contain cells from other organisms. Dr. Kapsetaki joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about her research, how she is able to continue her work through the pandemic, and how discoveries in chimerism might impact our health and understanding of life science. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2021/01/episode-239-dr-steffania-kapsetaki/

This week, the Lab Out Loud podcast explores Meet The Lab, a new educational resource from PBS Wisconsin Education designed for middle school science classrooms. Similar to their #ScientistOutLoud series, Meet the Lab introduces students to real world issues, scientific practices and concepts, and also to the people that work together to research and solve problems using science. To guide them through this new resource, co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler are joined by Megan Monday, Executive Producer at PBS Wisconsin in the Education Department and Travis Tangen, Education and Outreach Manager at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF). Listen to the show to learn more about Meet the Lab, its focus on connecting students to real life researchers and why their work matters, and how the project can help students develop their own STEAM identities. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/?p=5111

The guest for the Lab Out Loud podcast this week is Dr. Rachel Hale. As a self-proclaimed invertebrate advocate, Rachel's personal interests in worms and other invertebrates have grown into a career as a marine biologist. Working for the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand, part of her work includes research voyages where Rachel is able to study the biodiversity of invertebrates living around the sediment at the seafloor. Dr. Hale joins co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about her research voyages and the challenges of conducting field research during the pandemic, describe some of her amazing invertebrate discoveries, and discuss the connection of her work to climate change research. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2020/12/episode-237-dr-rachel-hale/

To conclude their segment on video in science education, The Lab Out Loud podcast is joined this week by filmmakers Clayton Brown and Monica Long from 137 Films. This Chicago-based documentary production company promotes science through storytelling by exploring how its search for answers impacts our cultural, political, and personal lives. Directed by Clayton and Monica, We Believe in Dinosaurs follows the building of the Ark Encounter in Northern Kentucky to its opening day. By focusing on the human aspect of the story, the documentary allows the viewer to understand the challenge that mainstream scientists and teachers face as they try to educate America on the bedrock of the biological sciences: evolution. Clayton and Monica join co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about We Believe in Dinosaurs, what they learned about America's relationship with science while making it, and how the documentary can help science educators better understand the students coming into their classrooms. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2020/12/episode-236-we-believe-in-dinosaurs/