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In this episode, we discuss the aspect of science identity and how that influences a person’s engagement with science communication. References used: Baram-Tsabari, Ayelet, and Bruce V. Lewenstein. “Science Communication Training: What Are We Trying to Teach?” International Journal of Science Education, Part B 7, no. 3 (July 3, 2017): 285–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2017.1303756. Carlone, Heidi B., and Angela Johnson. “Understanding the Science Experiences of Successful Women of Color: Science Identity as an Analytic Lens.” Journal of Research in Science Teaching 44, no. 8 (2007): 1187–1218. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20237. Davies, Sarah Rachael, Megan Halpern, Maja Horst, David Kirby, and Bruce Lewenstein. “Science Stories as Culture: Experience, Identity, Narrative and Emotion in Public Communication of Science.” Journal of Science Communication 18, no. 05 (October 14, 2019). https://doi.org/10.22323/2.18050201. Seraj, Mina. “We Create, We Connect, We Respect, Therefore We Are: Intellectual, Social, and Cultural Value in Online Communities.” Journal of Interactive Marketing 26, no. 4 (November 1, 2012): 209–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2012.03.002. Tan, Edna, Angela Calabrese Barton, Hosun Kang, and Tara O’Neill. “Desiring a Career in STEM-Related Fields: How Middle School Girls Articulate and Negotiate Identities-in-Practice in Science: MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS’ NARRATED AND EMBODIED IDENTITIES-IN-PRACTICE.” Journal of Research in Science Teaching 50, no. 10 (December 2013): 1143–79. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21123. Music provided by CommercialMusic in Funk Groove

Key references for this episode are:  Brossard, Dominique, and Bruce Lewenstein. “A Critical Appraisal of Models of Public Understanding of Science: Using Practice to Inform Theory.” In Communicating Science: New Agendas in Communication, 11–39, 2010. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203867631. Kahan, Dan M., Asheley Landrum, Katie Carpenter, Laura Helft, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson. “Science Curiosity and Political Information Processing.” Political Psychology 38 (February 1, 2017): 179–99. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12396. Pew Research Center’s Journalism Project. “How Americans Get Science News and Information,” September 20, 2017. https://www.journalism.org/2017/09/20/science-news-and-information-today/. Music provided by CommercialMusic in Funk Groove

Music provided by CommercialMusic in Funk Groove References cited: Bubela, Tania, Matthew C Nisbet, Rick Borchelt, Fern Brunger, Cristine Critchley, Edna Einsiedel, Gail Geller, et al. “Science Communication Reconsidered.” Nature Biotechnology 27, no. 6 (June 2009): 514–18. https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0609-514. Olson, Randy. “Don’t Be Such a Poor Storyteller.” In Don’t Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style, edited by Randy Olson, 89–126. Washington, DC: Island Press/Center for Resource Economics, 2018. https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-918-0_4. Pew Research Center’s Journalism Project. “How Americans Get Science News and Information,” September 20, 2017. https://www.journalism.org/2017/09/20/science-news-and-information-today/. ROWAN, KATHERINE E. “A Contemporary Theory of Explanatory Writing.” Written Communication 5, no. 1 (January 1, 1988): 23–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088388005001002.

In this episode, we discuss how to engage the public with science, as well as challenges in terms of how scientists discuss science or research compared to how the public interprets or understands science.  References: And here is a great guide on how to report on scientific findings. https://www.scidev.net/global/journalism/script-practical-guide/how-to-report-scientific-findings-1x.html Christy L. Hoffman, Kaylee Stutz & Terrie Vasilopoulos (2018) An Examination of Adult Women’s Sleep Quality and Sleep Routines in Relation to Pet Ownership and Bedsharing, Anthrozoös, 31:6, 711-725, DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2018.1529354 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927936.2018.1529354 Link to the thread: https://twitter.com/KHayhoe/status/1284204177732841477 Link to the NYT article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/16/books/review/bjorn-lomborg-false-alarm-joseph-stiglitz.html?fbclid=IwAR2XPucy5MTBFG-AIJI9cASc-Ph7GeLkUpeQpYqiRE2YH8-4yuACtswCueY About the JAMA article https://abc7news.com/jama-masks-children-and-co2-pediatrics-face-mask-study/10866564/ Music provided by CommercialMusic in Funk Groove

In this episode we are joined by my friend Cameron Miller, a comedian out of Chicago, to chat about some of the main principles of science communication.  We reference the following literature: Baram-Tsabari, Ayelet, and Bruce V. Lewenstein. “Science Communication Training: What Are We Trying to Teach?” International Journal of Science Education, Part B 7, no. 3 (July 3, 2017): 285–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2017.1303756. Brownell, Sara E., Jordan V. Price, and Lawrence Steinman. “Science Communication to the General Public: Why We Need to Teach Undergraduate and Graduate Students This Skill as Part of Their Formal Scientific Training.” Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education 12, no. 1 (October 15, 2013): E6–10.

Have you ever wondered why people seem to disagree on issues that seem to be supported by mounds of evidence from science? Have you been curious about why some people refuse to get vaccinated? Wonder why more people don't support funding to further advance our understanding of the world around us? These are questions we are going to answer this season on Down To Earth.    This coming season/year we will be covering science communication. Although there are a lot of podcasts out there on science or climate change, very few discuss the process of communicating about science, environment, and health. The first 8 episodes of this season will cover the basics of science communication and then we will dive into storytelling and stand-up comedy as a means for engaging wider audiences in science. Much of the content is based on my lectures from the courses I teach in science communication. I am joined by two Cornell undergraduate students, Briana and Daniel, who provide additional insights on the topics, examples from their own experiences, and raise great questions. My friend Cameron Miller will join us from time to time, to help add additional thoughts on the use of comedy and storytelling as an engagement tool. He is a stand-up comedian based in Chicago and has a degree in anthropology. Enjoy the new season and if you have questions you would like us to answer let us know!  

In this episode, we hear the spark story of Tilden Chao, originally from Ithaca abd currently a sophomore at Yale University, class of 2023. 

Welcome to the brand new format of DTE! We have moved away from the traditional interview format and instead are capturing the stories behind the people working towards sustainability and climate action. We want to share the motivations, or sparks, that drive the ongoing effort to address climate change, climate justice, food security, and more. In this episode, our new host, Anna Canny, a senior at Cornell University, shares guidance on storytelling. If you wish to share your story with us, you can follow our easy-to-use guide, along with tips from this episode, and submit your own recording to our secure Dropbox folder. We will let you know when it is on the air! Visit https://www.dearprofessor.org/podcast for more information. 

In this episode, Pam and Danielle chat over Zoom about the basics of geoengineering, with Dr. Natalie Mahowald, Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell University. We discuss what it is and how it can be used to help remove carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere. Although the techniques described in this episode are exciting in terms of the potential to reduce the impacts of climate change, each solution has its own positives and negatives. Listen to learn more about some of the exciting new technologies.  Music attributed to bensound.com

In this episode, Pam, Kate, and Danielle chat about the interesting development of Jeff Bezos' pledge to devote $10 billion dollars towards climate change research. We discuss not only some of the types of projects he could fund with that money, but also dive into how that money could have the most impact.  Music from this episode is attributed to: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/corporate-pop 

In this episode, we sit down with Bruce Monger, one of Cornell's most beloved professors to discuss what it is like to teach the biggest course taught on campus. The course is Introductory oceanography and is often hailed as a life-changing course. He has opened the eyes of many students about the challenges we face due to a changing climate. 

Ever wonder about the computer models used to predict future climate scenarios? In this episode, special guests, Colin Evans and Marc Alessi from Cornell's Emergent Climate Risk Lab explain climate model basics and give us some insights into the different scenarios often used to discuss what scientists think will happen in the future. They also bring up RCP 8.5 scenario, or the business-as-usual scenario often used to describe the worst possible outcomes and whether not it is something we should still be using when discussing climate change. Read more here: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00177-3

In the final installment of her ocean science series, Marta returns to Cornell to interview Professor Drew Harvell and one of her past students, Serina Moheed '20. Prof. Harvell recently published a book on marine disease titled Ocean Outbreak, and we discuss her research on marine epidemics and other related topics. Prof. Harvell and Serina worked together in last year's Cornell Ocean Research Apprenticeship for Lynch Scholars (CORALS), and Serina describes her experiences as a student marine researcher.

Cornell senior Kate Selley interviews Dr. Andrew Minchener, OBE, General Manager of the IEA Clean Coal Centre. He discussed the merits of improving the efficiency of coal as a way to bridge the renewables gap to a sustainable future. Listen on Wednesday as Down to Earth discusses the past, present, and future of coal in a changing climate.

For the fourth oceans episode, Marta sat down with three physical oceanographers at WHOI this summer to discuss ocean circulation. Dr. Mike Spall and Dr. Chris Piecuch explain large-scale circulation and its importance in climate, and grad student Mara Freilich discusses her research on vertical motion of seawater and its relevance for ecosystems.

For the third oceans episode, Marta sat down with Dr. Hauke Kite-Powell from WHOI, Melissa Baldino from Duke, Sally Dowd from Berkeley, and Maddie Schumm from UT Austin to discuss marine policy and marine resource management and the research that goes into it. Listen in to learn about ecosystem services, economic models for fisheries, ecosystem models for aquaculture, and animal behavior in a noisy ocean.

Marta discusses rising sea levels with experts from  Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Colorado College. Listen in as we dive deeper into the complexities of ocean science and sea-level rise. 

This week, Marta introduces a podcast series on ocean science topics. Last summer, she worked as a research intern at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), and she took advantage of her time there by interviewing experts in ocean science/climate change hot topics like coral bleaching, sea-level rise, and marine resource policy. The first oceans episode is on coral bleaching and ocean acidification, with guests Dr. Anne Cohen from WHOI and Ellen Park from Cornell University.

In this episode, Danielle chats with local playwright and Cornell Assistant Professor, Aoise Stratford. Aoise describes the motivation and works behind an upcoming public reading of the multimedia exhibit entitled Virtual Landscapes. She and recurring guest Professor Toby Ault have crafted a multimedia experience demonstrating climate change. The workshop will be held Thursday, October 24 at 4:30 pm at the Swchartz Performing Arts Center, Film Forum. This public reading aims to test the material and gather input from community members. 

In this episode, Profesor Toby Ault describes what the climate was like 354 million years ago, during the carboniferous period. Find out how this important time period led to the industrial revolution and is contributing to the current changes we are seeing in the climate today. 

In this episode, Dr. Danielle Eiseman from the Department of Communication at Cornell University sits down with visiting graduate student Gustav Hansson. Gustav is studying sustainability within organizations. He has extensive experience not only starting his own companies but also working on sustainability strategies for companies. He describes his work and what it's like to study sustainability here in the US, compared to Sweden. 

Pam Wildstein 8:24 PM This week, Pam and special guest Juliet push through the cold that’s been going around campus to bring you an in-depth analysis of the HBO TV series Game of Thrones. Did anyone ask for this? No! Did Pam make it anyway? Yes! Turns out a show about dragons and sword fights has a lot more to do with climate change than you would initially think. No background knowledge necessary, but massive spoilers for Season 8.  Notes:Full version of The Doctor’s War Speech (because it’s a really good): https://youtu.be/BJP9o4BEziI Just Write’s GOT episode: https://youtu.be/habt4hbvJHg Lindsey Ellis GOT episode: https://youtu.be/hys_m3BPTS8 (not PG) Wisecrack GOT episode: https://youtu.be/_6C23dVddv4 (not mentioned in the video, but a good analysis)

We sat down with Dr. Brian Forist and PhD candidate, Kostas Stavrianakis, from Indiana University's Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism Studies. Learn about their incredible research.

Two Cornell graduate students from the Emergent Climate Risk Lab were selected to attend the CNN Climate Change Town Hall in New York city. They had submitted questions for the candidates and both had the opportunity to ask the candidates questions during the event. You can watch the clips below.  The DTE team sat down with Colin Evans and Marc Alessi to hear about the experience and their thoughts on the plans proposed by the candidates.  https://youtu.be/LeP94XGOV0Q Colin comes on at 23:53.  https://youtu.be/alCiQoEVJsg Marc comes on at 7:00

This is another part of the lecture series for EAS 1101 Climate and Energy. In this episode we discuss the Faint Young Sun paradox, which discusses the working theories on how our planet was able to support life and the beginnings of the greenhouse gas effect. 

This episode is part of an additional series within DTE that supplements Cornell course EAS 1101 Climate and Energy. This episode discusses Carl Sagan's famous description of the earth, as a pale blue dot. 

In this episode, Pam, Marta, Danielle, and our newest team member Kate, discuss a recent seminar we attended on Resilient Landscapes. The speaker, Massimo Sargolini, is a Professor of Urban Planning at the School of Architecture and Design, UNICAM-University of Camerino in Italy. He investigates the relationship between Urban landscape and quality of life. We pulled in aspects of his talk in this episode, while we discussed some of the wider philosophy around his approach to studying community resilience. The examples he used in his talk were of the string of earthquakes that hit central Italy in 2016. He also describes the risk of volcanic eruptions in highly populated places. He is hopeful that their approach to understanding how people interact with nature and vice versa, can help transform existing communities into ones that are better able to withstand increasing risks to natural disasters. 

Pam describes a recent energy conference she attended and explains how our grid system works, how it could be better and plans for New York State solar. 

In this episode, Pam and I are joined by a visiting high school student, Jenna. Jenna has been with us the past four weeks interning with the Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions. She helped develop this episode and asked a lot of insightful questions about building community resilience to climate change, a topic she has become increasingly interested in. 

In this episode Danielle chats with Dr. Toby Ault about her trip to the United Nations headquarters in Bonn, where she attended the meeting of the Subsidiary Bodies of the UNFCCC. Since Toby has never attended one of these large climate change conferences he had many questions about what goes on at these meetings and how it influences global policy. 

In this episode Pam, Danielle and Professor Toby Ault discuss the answers to some complex climate questions brought up by some visiting high school students. There were a few questions on the relationship between climate change, El Nino and wind circulations. There was also a question about the potential of an ice age. Since neither Pam nor Danielle are experts in atmospheric physics, Professor Toby Ault explained the complex relationship between these systems and where the science currently stands on it. We also throw in some entertaining pop culture references. 

The game continues! Listen as Marta, Pam and Gerry compete to create the best policy for reducing carbon emissions.  Note: Pam tripped over her words when talking about PPA's. PPA stands for a power purchase agreement.

In this episode Pam, Marta and Gerry compete to see who can come up with the best policy for mitigating green house gas emissions. This episode is divided into two parts. Listen next week for part 2. 

This episode is the first in a new series with Professor Toby Ault. It serves as supplemental course materials for EAS 1101 Climate and Energy, as well as Communication 4860. Danielle and Toby discuss how climate change issues are portrayed in the media and how to identify evidence cited in mainstream media articles. 

Pam, Marta and Gerry answer your top questions about climate change, science and impacts.

This episode is a doozy! Pam, Danielle and special guest Colin Evans from the Cornell Emergent Climate Risk Lab (ECRL) sat down to unpack the arguments presented in a report on fossil fuels from the Non-governmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC). The NIPCC argues against the evidence presented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), organized by the United Nations. The NIPCC is a partner of the Heartland Institute. We analyze the arguments laid out in the report and assess the validity of those arguments and discuss the evidence that either supports or refutes the report. There is a lot of information in this episode, but we hope it helps inform the public on the different ways scientific information is presented and misrepresented. If you wish to read the summary report for policy makers you may do so here: http://climatechangereconsidered.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Summary-for-Policymakers-Final.pdf  The figure we discuss from the CDC can be found at the bottom of this page: https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/effects/default.htm

In this episode, Dr. Danielle Eiseman chats with Cyprian Kaziba, a visiting Humphrey Fellow from Uganda. Cyprian describes the challenges small-holder farmers face in Uganda, specifically, in the Buvuma Islands located in Lake Victoria. He also describes three projects he is currently developing to help farmers in Uganda. 

Despite audio trouble, Pam and Marta prevailed to bring you this update on recent climate news. Join them for the main points on this week's UN biodiversity report, an exciting new development in the way energy grids are regulated, news on fossil fuel divesting among universities, and a debriefing on offshore drilling in the U.S. and Australia.

If you missed our live stream panel discussion on climate change, its impacts and solutions, you can catch up now! We brought together several academics from Cornell to provide their unique perspective on climate change. This includes: Professor Natalie Mahowald: Dr. Mahowald is a Professor of Engineering and Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. She is an American Geophysical Union Fellow, recipient of the American Meteorological Society Henry G. Houghton Award, and was one of the Lead Authors of the 2018 Global Warming of 1.5 Degrees IPCC Special Report.  Her research focuses on understanding global and regional scale atmospheric transport of biogeochemically important species such as desert dust. She is also interested in how humans are perturbing the natural environment, especially through biochemical feedback.  Professor Mike Hoffmann: Dr. Mike Hoffmann is the executive director of the Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions, which was created to help raise the profile of the challenges posed by a rapidly warming climate and to help those who grow our food adapt to changing conditions as well as reduce their carbon footprint. He has also published climate change articles in the popular press - The Hill, Fortune, and USA Today and is writing a book- Our Changing Menu: What Climate Change Means to the Foods You Love and Need. Dr. Hoffman has also given a TEDx Talk titled “Climate Change: It’s Time to Raise Our Voices.”  Professor Karen Pinkus: Dr. Karen Pinkus is a Professor of Romance Studies and Comparative Literature and the author of numerous books and articles on literature, film, and in the past decade, on the relation of the humanities to climate change. Her 2016 book Fuel. A Speculative Dictionary brings together literature, science, and philosophy to undo the dream that “future fuels,” inserted into existing social and technological structures, will save us from disruption. She is currently completing a new book, Down There. The subsurface in the Time of Climate Change, that reads literary narratives from the nineteenth century -- the dawn of the fossil fuel era --- to think about issues such as extraction or non-extraction and carbon sequestration. Dr. Christopher Dunn: Dr. Christopher Dunn is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Horticulture, the Elizabeth Newman Wilds Direction of Cornell Botanic Gardens, and a Faculty Fellow of the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future. He is a botanist and conservation ecologist who has considerable experience studying the relationships between peoples and place, and human impacts on the landscape. Dr. Dunn serves on the boards of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature-U.S., the Center for Plant Conservation, and Terralingua and is the chair of the IUCN National Committee for the US. He is also the North American Councillor for the International Association of Botanic Gardens. 

Marta and Pam discuss youth climate movements. This episode is packed with an interview with one of Danielle's close friends back in Scotland and conversations with young activists here at Cornell and abroad. 

In this episode Pam and Danielle discuss the Green New Deal, including what is actually written in the plan, what it means and the need to use this political McGuffin to move the conversation forward on climate action at the national level. 

In this episode Dr. Danielle Eiseman discusses recent field work she did in the Dominican Republic with colleagues from the Cornell Emergent Climate Risk Lad and the University of Arizona Laboratory of Tree Ring Research. You will here clips from the field describing the process of taking tree cores, what the cores are used for and how to study past climate from tree rings. In the second part of this episode Danielle chats with Dr. Dimitris Herrera about their field work and why this type of work is useful.

In this episode Danielle sits down with her former classmate, Chef and Creative Culinary Director Andres Padilla. Danielle sat down with Andres at Leña Brava, one of Rick Bayless' restaurants ins Chicago. The interview will be incorporated in the book Danielle is co-authoring with CICSS Executive Director Michael Hoffmann and the ever talented Carrie Koplinka-Loehr.  Andres was able to share his experiences with climate change, how it effects specific items on the menu such as the Chicago-favorite ramps which come into season in the spring, as well as morels and unagi. 

In this episode Pam sits down with our new team member, Gerry from Penn State to discuss the economic impacts of climate change. Gerry will be joining us regularly.

Julie and Marta took part in the Cornell University Wind Symphony service-learning tour to Haiti and the Dominican Republic last month, starting in Port-au-Prince, traveling up to Jacmel, and eventually making our way over the border to the DR. We were there to collaborate with Port-au-Prince’s Holy Trinity Music School Orchestra, the national orchestra of Haiti. The partnership between Holy Trinity and Cornell is an ongoing project organized by our conductor, James Spinazzola, and the Holy Trinity Orchestra conductor, Father David Cesar. We saw this as the perfect opportunity to learn a bit about climate change and environmental issues in Haiti, and as you’ll see, it also turned into a chance to make a few interviews on the topic. This podcast is split into two parts; first, a discussion of environmental, governmental, and international policy issues facing Haiti, and second, a more general discussion of approaches to human rights, dignity and the environment. Our journey through Haiti was an extraordinary opportunity to learn about the country and its people. We hope our podcast inspires you to learn more about Haiti, both in the context of environmental issues and otherwise. We are so grateful for the chance to make music with our talented friends at the Holy Trinity Music School and to interview all the wonderful people featured on this podcast. Marta and Julie

With the new year we have done some re-organizing and will be providing weekly climate change news briefs. We will still be publishing longer format interviews, however those episodes take much longer to produce. We hope you enjoy these updates and as always, feel free to join the conversation via Twitter. 

In this episode Danielle chatted with Dr. Elliot Swartz from the Good Food Institute.  Elliot is a former neuroscientist currently working as the academic research advisor for GFI. His experience in stem cell research and cell culture allows him to work closely with universities and research organizations to seeking alternative methods for producing meat. Listen to learn more about his work and the Good Food Institute.