Blogs to Follow

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Science Fiction Prototyping

  Preface      I took a class this fall semester titled “Wildlife & Society.” Through research papers we explored different parts of the world and looked at human-wildlife conflict. We looked at the debates around wolf reintroduction in parts the U.S., impacts of agriculture/fuel collection on Pandas in China, the impact of bushmeat in different parts of the world, and much more. One of the big takeaways from this class was that often times marginalized or poverty-stricken people end up bearing the brunt of conservation policies and that there can be unintended feedbacks in terms of how people view wildlife as a result.      Our final project of the class was to write a science fiction short story based around the idea put forth by ecologist E.O. Wilson that half of the earth should be set aside for the protection of biodiversity. Some big questions around Wilson’s idea are: What does “Half-Earth” look like? Who does it affect? How is it enforced? ...
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BOOK TALK: Secrets of Snakes

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With weather warming up and snakes beginning to move about, I thought I would take the time to write what will be my first book review. The book is Secrets of Snakes: The science beyond the myths  by David Steen. This is Steen’s debut book, but not even close to his first publication. Since 2004, Steen has had his name attached to 63 peer reviewed Journal Articles , 35 peer reviewed notes and reviews, and contributed to three book chapters. These academic papers should not intimidate anyone into thinking his book will be dry. Steen has had an active role in science communication through blogging and social media, especially via his twitter account where he has been identifying snakes for people, so he is no stranger to dispensing information in an easy to digest way. Because of all the reasons above,  Secrets of Snakes is exactly what science communication should look like. Secrets of Snakes by David A. Steen From the start, Steen’s dedication to the people want...
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‘Big Night’ Bust

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You don’t know exactly when the ‘Big Night’ is going to be, but it seems you can get a good idea a few days before it might happen. It’s supposed to be a night in March, potentially April, when the temperature is relatively warm, the humidity is high, and its raining. Last year, from what I gathered, there wasn’t a ‘Big Night’ or if there was, I definitely missed it and I didn’t hear about it. If you are wondering what the ‘Big Night’ is, that’s understandable, I didn’t know there was a name for it until last summer. It’s when the perfect conditions of weather I described above drives Salamanders to their breeding ponds. This is usually the best time to see many of the Mole Salamanders (Family Ambystoma) that spend much of their time underground and out of view.  I was determined to get the right day this year and with the warm weather we had been having I was getting ready for it to be any night. I normally check the forecast pretty frequently, but knowing that the ’Big Night’ ...
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