I'm a "dirt-ologist". I love studying the interface of human and environment interaction, often asking the rather rhetorical question: "Do we change the landscape, or does the landscape change us?"
I also captain the ISS Insanitekian, a startup adventure of a lifetime.
Anyone who knows me knows I’m an avid reader of just about anything sans romance. Give me a book, and I’m going to toss it on the perpetually changing stack of books to read. Giveaways of free books? My idea of heaven. That’s where I came across Tammy Witzens’ Have a Nice Trip (left, linked to …
The birds were once one of the largest population of seabirds seen along the Atlantic coast. Then, in the early 18th century, they rapidly disappeared. Dr. Scott Melvin, who discovered the crane’s breeding ground in 2000 and monitored the birds for a decade, never discovered their migratory route. This past year, professional ornithologist, Matthew Halley, noticed the …
Science communication is broken. The media doesn’t know how to read it well, the general public gets lost, and eyes glaze over at a prodigious rate. There is a widening gap between scientists and the general public. While this gap widens, the ridicule about why scientists are studying what they study increases. I had a …
Editor’s note: This post has been updated and broken links removed. Please see our policy on broken hyperlinks for more. In honour of “Jewel Day“, a quirky national holiday that is hidden among other random holidays in the US, I wanted to write about a material that Florence of Florence’s Jewel Shop uses in several …
For years, I spent the holidays in a state of listlessness. Without a car, I’m unable to find a way home to visit my family for Christmas, and all of my friends went home to theirs. I found my sanity and solution to the listlessness in giving science at a local hospital children’s ward.
Oktoberfest, a fun-fest held throughout the world, started as celebration to honour the Crown Prince, Ludwig, and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on the 12th of October in 1810. The marriage celebration was held out in the Weis’n fields that are just outside of the palace. There were days of merriment, but the part that mattered …
Racing pulse and sweaty palms ─ math tests can cause symptoms that are similar to a heart attack, but are in fact the signs of math anxiety. This form of angst is unlike other forms of anxiety; it has nothing to do with intelligence or working memory yet it has been defined as a negative …
The Neck Pain Handbook: Your Guide in Understanding and Treating Neck Pain by Grant Cooper My rating: 2 of 5 stars The Neck Pain Handbook is a very short and concise book detailing the causes of neck pain and possible ways to cure it. The authors stress proper posture before more agressive treatment, such as …
Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth by William Bryant Logan My rating: 2 of 5 stars From the standpoint of a budding soil scientist, but ever the naturalist, this book nearly bored me to tears. While it was a quick read, interesting in parts, it was also a series of non-connecting short stories about …
If a day doesn’t go by that you’re trying to get as much done as possible, yet still retain your sanity, then you’re probably still not in the business mind frame. You know the one where you have a giant list of things you want to do, a slightly smaller list of things you have …