Skype A Scientist Live

​Jaida Elcock is a graduate student at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on elasmobranch ecology and conservation. She is particularly interested in the movement ecology of migratory elasmobranchs, as this information is still unknown for many species. Jaida received her B.S. in Biology with University Honors from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. She has been recognized as an American Elasmobranch Society Young Professional Recruitment Fund Scholar and an Honorable Mention for the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Jaida is a science communicator through social media and enjoys doing outreach with any age group.

Nichole Broderick is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Johns Hopkins University. Her research focuses on impacts of the microbiome on animal health. Nichole’s teaching portfolio includes Tiny Earth, a microbiology-based authentic research course in which students search the soil and other environments for antibiotic-producing microbes. Through her role as the Director of Science and Training for Tiny Earth, she has helped train over 200 college and high school instructors to implement this course.Broderick received her PhD from University of Wisconsin-Madison and was a postdoctoral fellow at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland. She has won several awards including a Human Frontiers Long-term Postdoctoral Fellow, the 2020 Faculty Mentor Award from the University of Connecticut McNair & LSAMP Scholars Programs, and the 2021 American Society for Microbiology Award for Education.

Michael Baym is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard University. His research is centered around the problem of antibiotic resistance, at the intersection of experimental, theoretical and computational techniques. His work ranges from understanding the basic mechanisms of evolution to the development of algorithms for computation on massive biological datasets. Baym received his PhD in Mathematics from MIT and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School in Systems Biology. He has won several awards including a Packard Fellowship, a Pew Biomedical Scholarship, and a Sloan Research Fellowship. He is also a part-time inventor, holding over four dozen issued US patents.

I grew up in New Philadelphia, OH and have always been interested in animals. I participated in 4-H equine projects and milked cows at local dairy farms in high school, but did not decide I wanted to pursue veterinary medicine until I was in college at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. There I earned a BA in Molecular Biology and minor in Environmental Studies. I went to veterinary school at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and have worked for the 5 years since serving the dairy, beef, equine, sheep, goat, and camelid patients and clients of Western NY state with the Perry Veterinary Clinic.

Watch her session here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83167298401 Abby Lewis is an ecologist who studies the effects of human activities on freshwater lakes. Her research has taken her everywhere from Southern California to Iceland, where she has studied how Los Angeles night lighting changes water quality in unseen ways and how invisible nutrient pollution affects Icelandic flies. Now, at Virginia Tech, Abby is working to help reservoir managers provide safe drinking water while also maintaining healthy lake ecosystems. The key to both of these goals? Invisible gasses in the water at the bottom of the lake.  Twitter: @lewis_lakes

Caitlin Cunningham is a PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Studies at Dalhousie University. Her research looks at how cities can be better designed to support wildlife and meet biodiversity conservation goals. She is especially interested in how small spaces, like lawns and roadside verges can be used as wildlife habitat in the city. In her spare time, she is on a mission to find the best climbing tree in Halifax and the best recipe for peanut butter baked goods.

Wieteke Holthuijzen is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at Northern Illinois University, where she studies the ecological impacts of introduced house mice on Midway through a collaborative research effort with Island Conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Previously, Wieteke served as the Invasive Plant Control Specialist on Midway, helping to restore the atoll to a bustling seabird colony. She is intrigued by the nexus of nature and human presence and seeks to study and contribute to the conservation of imperiled species. In her spare time, she enjoys playing the cello, ukulele, banjo, and electric bass, and competing in roller derby with her local league (The Barbed Wire Betties).

An internationally renowned archaeologist with more than thirty seasons of excavation experience, Prof. Eric H. Cline has conducted fieldwork from Greece and Crete to Egypt, Israel, and Jordan. Drawing on his forthcoming book, Digging Deeper, Cline will answer questions that archaeologists are most frequently asked: How do you know where to dig? How are excavations actually done? How do you know how old something is? This session will be filled with insights and practical advice about how archaeology really works. The webinar will begin with a short introduction and then will be opened up to the audience for a live Q&A session with Prof. Cline.​ Dr. Eric H. Cline is Professor of Classics and Anthropology, former Chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and current Director of the Capitol Archaeological Institute at The George Washington University (GWU), in Washington DC. He is an active field archaeologist, with more than 30 seasons of excavation and survey exp

An archaeologist's daily life is quite different than the images portrayed in popular movies and media. However, there is still plenty of discovery, adventure, and personality. Blogging has offered archaeologists the opportunity to communicate both their work and their lives in a personalized and ongoing way that departs from printed books and documentaries. This session explores the speakers' experience in blogging archaeology for the past 5 years and how this medium has impacted her archaeological research, as well as other facets of her life.  Smiti Nathan is an archaeologist specializing in interdisciplinary approaches to food and resource decision-making strategies of ancient societies around the Indian Ocean region. Currently, she works on archaeological projects in Oman and Ethiopia. She received her PhD in the Department of Anthropology at New York University and is an Assistant Director of Life Design at the Johns Hopkins University. Over the past 5 years, she has documented her work a

This webinar presents evidence for the late Roman/early Byzantine leprosy epidemic that affected Thebes, and probably a much wider area of Greece. It  also will look at individuals who were buried in two mass graves, suggesting that they died in a catastrophic event, such as an epidemic disease. The Justinianic plague, known to be the first wave of bubonic plague to sweep through Europe, was ravaging the Mediterranean world during the centuries this cemetery was in use.  We anticipate that DNA analysis will identify the disease that killed the individuals in these mass graves, but we know already that many of them also were suffering from leprosy when they died. Maria Liston received a BA and MA in Classics a BA and PhD in Anthropology from the University of Tennessee.  She is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Waterloo, ON, and a 2020-2021 Honorary Research Associate in the Malcom H. Wiener Laboratory of Archaeological Sciences at the American School of Classical Stud

What can Roman toilets teach us about daily life in ancient Rome? What does the archaeology of these structures reveal about Roman hygiene, public sanitation, customs related to purity or cleanliness? In a talk that investigates and illustrates some key examples of public and private Roman toilets from Rome, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Ostia, we take a trip down into the black holes of ancient space for some answers. Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow has done archaeological fieldwork in Italy at Herculaneum, Pompeii, Ostia, and Rome, and in Jordan, Tunisia, and survey work or archaeological study in Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, and Turkey.  She works especially on Roman daily life, including urban infrastructure, plumbing and hydraulics, baths and bathing practices, and toilets and sanitation. At Brandeis University, she is Kevy and Hortense Kaiserman Endowed Chair in the Humanities, Professor of Classical Studies, and Head of the Division of the Humanities. She was the 2016 winner of the Archae

Dr. Murty Studies the influence of neuromodulatory systems on both memory and memory-guided decisions using human neuroimaging.

Dr. Sarah Ward studies behavioral and pharmacological effects of the cannabinoid, serotonin, and opioid receptor systems on neuropathic pain and neuroprotection, learning and memory, and addiction.

Dr. Russ Buono is a science educator and researcher in molecular biology and the genetics of the human brain and disease states.

​Janelle Shane's AI humor blog, AIweirdness.com, looks at the strange side of artificial intelligence. She has been featured on the main TED stage, in the New York Times, The Atlantic, WIRED, Popular Science, All Things Considered, Science Friday, and Marketplace. Her book, "You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How AI Works, Thinks, and Why It’s Making the World a Weirder Place" uses cartoons and humorous pop-culture experiments to look inside the minds of the algorithms that run our world, making artificial intelligence and machine learning both accessible and entertaining. Shane is also a research scientist at an optics R&D company, where she has worked on projects including a holographic laser tweezers module for the space station, and a virtual reality arena for mantis shrimp.

Chelsea Connor is a herpetologist focusing on anoles at university in Texas. She's studying the interactions between an invasive species, Anolis cristatellus (Crested anole), and an endemic species, Anolis oculatus (Eyed anole), on the Commonwealth of Dominica where she's from. Chelsea is also a science communicator who loves sharing fun facts about anoles on her Twitter page with #DidYouAnole.

Melissa Molho is a Ph.D. candidate in the Plant Pathology Department at the University of Kentucky where she studies virus-host interactions in plants. She likes doing outreach activities and advocating for diversity and inclusion in science. Melissa is originally from Mexico City and she loves learning about different cultures. She also enjoys reading suspense books and historical novels.

Dr. Wei Wei is a plant pathologist at the United States Department of Agriculture. She obtained her PhD in Microbiology from Oregon State University. Her research focuses on understanding the interactions between bacterial pathogens and their plant hosts to help improve plant disease control and prevention strategies. When she is not working in the lab, Wei enjoys painting, cooking, and traveling.

Chelsea Newbold is a master’s student at Oregon State University where they study the effects of fungicide resistance on the growth and development of grape powdery mildew. Chelsea is visually impaired, from a low-income background, and a member of the LGBTQ+ community giving them a unique perspective on plant science and the world of plant health. Chelsea is a passionate activist for the rights of marginalized communities and a proud union member who currently sits on the executive council of their graduate student union. Chelsea has experience in a broad range of scientific fields including high school research in the catalytic chemistry of solar panels, undergraduate research in the study of root rot pathogen detection in avocado and blueberry, and now in their position as a graduate student. They hope to continue their education through to a Phd, eventually work in agricultural extension and to empower other queer and first-generation students to pursue a career in plant pathology.

Peter Soroye is a PhD Student in Biology at the University of Ottawa studying the impacts of climate change and habitat loss on pollinators. Peter's research focuses on pollinators like bumblebees and butterflies, but he's interested in finding solutions to help wildlife more broadly. When not doing research, Peter enjoys camping, hiking, playing basketball, and listening to rap/hip-hop.