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Spring 2015 Marin Science Seminar internship application period now open

Explore science & technology, meet scientists and medical professionals, gain experience for your resume and college applications, develop a portfolio! Our past interns are now studying at CalTech, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, Cal Poly SLO, Sonoma State, and CSU Chico. Check out our blog and Vimeo page for examples of past intern blogging and videography. More info. on our internship website.

Apply Online Today or email marinscienceseminar@gmail.com if you are interested in applying. Below is a comparison of the internships currently being offered. Deadline to apply is Friday, January 16th at 5 pm.

Marin Science Seminar Writing Marin Science Seminar Photography &/or Videography
Attend and assist at MSS sessions, 6 Wednesday evenings per semester, 7 – 9pm Attend and assist at MSS sessions, 6 Wednesday evenings per semester, 7 – 9pm
At Terra Linda High School, San Rafael, Room 207 At Terra Linda High School, San Rafael, Room 207
Submit 2 writing samples Submit 2 video samples or photography portfolio
Familiarity with basic blogging interfaces (e.g. Tumblr, Blogger, WordPress) Able to edit video using video editing software, manage Instagram & Vimeo accounts
Facebook account Facebook account
Training in blogging software provided Recording equipment and SC cards provided
JokeMSS interns attend and assist with a minimum of 6 science seminars per academic year (there are 12 per year) during which they meet the speakers and assist with various logistical duties. Sessions take place on Wednesday evenings at Terra Linda High School, Room 207, during the school year. Interns arrive evening of a session at 7 pm and are free to leave once breakdown is completed (between 8:30 and 9 pm). 
Interns also assist in researching and creating materials about event topics, creating and distributing outreach materials, social networking and online development of Marin Science Seminar’s mission to attract more students to the fields of science, technology and math. Other than attending MSS sessions, duties will depend on student interests and background. Training is provided for some intern tasks.
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NuSTAR: Bringing the High Energy Universe into Focus

by MSS Intern Isobel Wright, Tamalpais HS
NASA’s NuSTAR, the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, is the first device to use orbiting telescopes to target light with high energy X-rays. The high-energy X-rays can perceive objects with 100 times more sensitivity than other missions can, which results in 10 times better resolution. This allows it to explore the hottest and densest structures in the Universe.  NuSTAR was launched on June 13th, 2012. 

 During its first two-year mission, NuSTAR will outline certain areas of the sky to take a survey of collapsed stars and black holes by studying the sectors around the center of the Milky Way, and to map new materials in infant supernovae remnants so as to interpret how stars explode and how the elements are formed. Finally, it will explore particles from galaxies which contain extremely large black holes in order to understand “what powers relativistic jets”. The NuSTAR instrument is created from two aligned grazing telescopes with specialized optics and advanced detectors that have a more developed sensitivity to higher energy forces.

February 19th, 2014 – The first map of radioactivity in the remnant of a supernova.
The blue represents the high energy X-rays observed by NuSTAR. 
Black holes are some of the most unique objects in the universe. NuSTAR studies the X-ray light that is produced by the black hole as it gathers matter. NuSTAR has various programs observing both black holes in our own galaxy as well as supermassive black holes in remote galaxies. NuStar studies the supernovae explosions which create elements that make up our Earth. With the help of NuSTAR, we can better understand how these actions occur. 

NuSTAR also studies neutron stars, which are dense remnants of supernovae. It has several programs which analyze the physical make-up and creation of neutron stars. 

Finally, NuSTAR examines relativistic jets of radiation and fragments that move around the speed of light, making them some of the most intense sources of X-ray energy in the universe. 

This is an artist’s interpretation of NuSTAR in orbit

Join us Wednesday, November 12th 2014, to hear Dr. Lynn Cominsky of Sonoma State University discuss NuSTAR and other NASA projects currently being undertaken in SSU’s Astronomy and Physics Department. Join us and learn!

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California Droughts

by Isobel Wright, MSS Intern
Tamalpais High School

Having suffered three consecutive years with abnormally low rainfall averages, California faces its most severe drought in decades. In 2013, we received less rain than any year since California became a state in 1850. In fact, many Bay Area scientists have proven from tree-ring data, that on the current path, the upcoming rainfall season will be the driest since 1580. The effects of low water levels have left communities fighting over emergency water supplies, fires raging across the state, and whole species and industries are subsequently threatened.
Many reservoirs are only 30 percent full (like Folsom Lake, shown above). Retrieved from Huffington Post.

But we have had little rainfall before, so what makes this drought different? What makes this drought particularly cruel is the record-keeping heat experienced in the first half of 2014. This heat exacerbated an already devastating drought. The National Climatic Data Center released information revealing that California had its warmest January-June season since the recording began in 1895, with the temperature being 4.6 degrees Fahrenheit above average.

This graph shows the extremely low rain fall levels in 2014. Retrieved from Independent.com. 

It is thought that this intense heat is being caused by human created global warming and a persistent high pressure ridge above the West and the eastern Pacific Ocean. This ridge has prevented storms from reaching this region.

Information sources:

http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_24993601/california-drought-past-dry-periods-have-lasted-more
http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/09/02/california-megadrought/14446195/
http://ca.gov/drought/

Join us Wednesday, October 22nd, 2014 to learn more at “Pain for Cows and Pumpkins: Drought Impacts on Central Valley Agricultural Water Supply“ with Douglas Charlton PhD of Charlton International.  7:30 – 8:30 pm Terra Linda High School, San Rafael, Room 207. RSVP on Facebook here.

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Internship Oppotunities now Available

Marin Science Seminar offers student internships in Science Journalism (Writing) and Videography.  Computer Programming Education internships (using Scratch) are also available through Plumsite. All internship information for the 2014-2015 school year can be found at Marin Science Seminar’s Internship Page.

Deadline for application: Friday, September 12th, 2014.

Public school students may apply for the School to Career internship and Work Readiness Certificate program.  Contact your school’s College and Career Center for details.

Join us and Learn! :-}

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NASA in the Silicon Valley: An Introduction to the NASA Ames Research Center

by Claire Watry, Terra Linda HS

Located in the heart of the Silicon Valley, the NASA Ames Research Center is one of ten NASA field centers across the country. The Ames Research Center has been a leader in space research and development for over 60 years. It was established in December of 1939 as part of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and was absorbed into NASA in 1958. The Ames Research Center currently employees 2,500 people and contributes $1.3 billion annually to the U.S. economy. It is involved in a variety of fields and a multitude of areas of ingenuity, lists of which can be seen below.

Ames’ Key Goals are as followed:

Just out the video below for a more thorough overview of the Ames Research Center or check out the official NASA Ames Research Center YouTube channel 

The focus of the presentation will be on the Human Factors Area of Ames Ingenuity. The human factors area involves “advancing human-technology interaction for NASA missions.” The human factors research is currently conducted by over 150 researchers in more than 20 labs to improve safety, efficiency, and mission success. The rapid advancement of new technology requires humans to make competent, critical decisions in a complex, technological environment. Human factors studies the interaction between humans and engineering systems to ensure safe, effective, and cost-effective operations, maintenance, and training. Ames human factors encompasses a wide range of projects from simple visual perception and motor control to the more complex areas flight deck design and crew operational procedures. One of the featured examples involves placing human subjects in a centrifuge to simulate the vibration and enhanced g-forces experienced during launch and measured the subjects’ gaze stabilization reflexes, eye-movement reaction-time, accuracy, and precision, and hand-movement reaction-time, accuracy, and precision. Ames human factors includes research and development in the following areas:

  • Human-Machine Interaction improves NASA software through careful application of human computer interface methods.
  • Human Performance: develops new technologies, human performance models and evaluation tools to enhance human productivity and safety for both space and aviation environments.
  • Integration and Training: develops and evaluates methodologies to integrate human factors principles and improve aviation capacity, safety and training.
  • Intelligent Systems: conducts user-centered computational sciences research.
  • Aviation Systems: conducts research and development in air traffic management and high-fidelity flight simulation.                                              (From the NASA-Ames human factors website)
 A subject being prepared for an advanced controls and displays studies (left); a Human Computer Simulation Lab (right)

Join us this Wednesday, May 21 for this week’s Marin Science Seminar “This is Mission Control” with Jay Trimble of NASA-Ames in room 207 of Terra Linda High School in San Rafael.

~Claire Watry

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The Future of Medical Education: Death-Defying Robots

by Claire Watry, Terra Linda HS

This week the Marin Science Seminar introduces a unique presentation on medical education with Rich Fidler PhD MBA and Abi FitzGerald MSN RN of the VA Medical Center and their special guests – robots! These humanlike robots are utilized by medical practitioners at the Simulation Center at the VMCA in San Francisco to learn how to perform a variety of procedures and respond appropriately to different emergency scenarios. 

Rich Fidler is the Director of the Healthcare Simulation which places him in charge of all of the simulation research, education, training, and process evaluations that take place in the entire hospital, including emergency, critical care, surgery, and disaster preparedness. Fidler is also the Co-Director of the Fellowship Program in Advanced Clinical Simulation. Fidler explains this role in the following quote; “I am responsible for ensuring that our advanced fellows are receiving challenging experiences, quality didactic education in statistics, research design, thoughtful data analysis. I also ensure that they will be able to go out to conduct clinical simulations independently.” In order to obtain these job titles, Fidler has collected numerous degrees and gone through extensive medical training. 




Read the interview with Rich Fidler below and be sure to attend this weeks’s Marin Science Seminar. 

What degrees and training do you have, and how do they relate to each other?


PhD in Physiological Nursing from UCSF–allows me to apply knowledge and principles of physiology to understanding biomedical engineering solutions to clinical problems.

MS in Human Factors Engineering–allows me to understand human-technology interfacing, and allows me to more completely understand the reasons that people have problems operating medical equipment. 
Anesthesia Training–allows me the skill set for airway and physiologic patient monitoring and surgical perspective for a well-rounded clinical practice
Critical Care Training–allows me the experience to provide care for the sickest of hospitalized patients, applying physiology, chemistry, and pharmacology to improving patient conditions.
Primary Care Training–allows me the perspective to understand how diseases evolve over long periods of time, and also allows me to see how patients choose to participate in their healthcare
MBA–having a master’s of business administration allows me the knowledge to understand people operating in a system, particularly with skills related to managing people. Frequently, it is important for me to elicit a particular behavior from our staff, but this needs to be done respectfully so that the employees WANT to do a good job.

How did you become interested in the medical field? 

I developed a special interest in healthcare when my grandfather became ill with heart problems while I was young. As early as 8 years old, I would go to spend every evening with my grandfather to try to make him feel better by pushing the fluid out of his legs. From there, I got more interested in why his heart was failing and how I could make it better. I got more interested in cardiac resuscitation after my grandfather had a sudden cardiac death event and we saved him. Then my own father had a series of 3 cardiac arrests which he survived from high quality CPR and early defibrillation, but he eventually died with the fourth cardiac arrest. 



How did you become involved in the Simulation Center?


I have always liked teaching, and I think that learning with your hands is better than someone talking you to death. When I told my father about what I did with simulation, he said, ” You can’t make a living playing with dolls.” I guess I showed that you should do what you like to do, even if your parents don’t think it’s worthwhile. You have to make yourself, not your parents, happy with your career. The harder stunt is to figure out how to make lots of money doing what you love!


Example of a Simulation Center
What projects have you worked or are you currently working on in the Simulation Center?
Defibrillators.
Resuscitation.
Heart monitors.
Disaster evacuation from the hospital in the middle of surgery.
Should we unwire a jaw wired closed or do a cricothyrotomy to get oxygen to the patient?
What is the best way to open a chest for bleeding in the immediate post-open heart period?


What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Seeing people that did not know how to do something not only learn how to do it, but also gain a certain amount of confidence and mastery doing the new task. 


What advice do you have for young people aspiring to have a career in the medical field? 

Do it! My grandfather said that I should either be an obstetrician or an undertaker, that way you can get people either coming or going! If you aspire to go into the healthcare field, explore your options. Becoming a physician or nurse is not your only option to make a meaningful contribution to healthcare. Medical research, especially with the human genome, is really exciting. If I were growing up now, I would probably be fascinated with that. Also, the roles of pharmacists and therapists are frequently overlooked as vital members of the healthcare team. The money should NOT be a factor in your decision. No job is worth getting up every day if you hate going. I love going to my job every single day.



Check out this very exciting presentation “Death-Defying Robots in Medical Education” with Rich Fidler PhD MBA and Abi FitzGerald MSN RN of the VA Medical Center on Wednesday, May 14 7:30 – 8:30 pm, Terra Linda High School, San Rafael, Room 207. 

Read an excellent article about Rich Fidler here 

~Claire Watry

Links:
http://scienceofcaring.ucsf.edu/acute-and-transitional-care/improving-cardiac-care-science-human-use
http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2011/01/8397/new-teaching-and-learning-center-transform-health-education-ucsf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZNa0vmdgSI


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Spreading Smiles Around the World

by Gillian Parker, Tamalpais HS
Dr. Maureen Valley

Maureen Valley is an orthodontic care provider at Valley Orthodontics in San Rafael, and she is Associate Professor and Director of the Postgraduate Orthodontic Clinic at the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry in San Francisco. You can read more about her career in orthodontics in the U.S. here.

She received her Doctorate in Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) and her Masters of Public Health from Harvard University, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology at University of California, Santa Barbara. In the Summer of 2013, Dr. Valley traveled to Kenya with her husband to take part in a Rotary International project to improve oral health in Kenya. Click here for more information about the Kenya Smiles Project.

She primarily worked with a tribe called the Maasai. One member of the Maasai tribe, Mr. Samson Saigilu, a public health official in Kenya, worked alongside Dr. Valley on the Kenya Smiles Project, and he will be presenting with Dr. Valley at the upcoming Marin Science Seminar.

Samson Saigilu
Read the following interview with Maureen Valley to find out more about her work in Kenya.

Why did you decide to go to Kenya?
In 2012, I went to Kenya for the first time with my family for safari.  I fell in love with the country and the Maasai people.  I wanted to return, but this time to help the people.

What exactly were you your activities in Kenya?
The most important impact we made was education.  We introduced the people to tooth brushing, as most all of them have never done this in their whole life.  Also, education on nutrition as modern foods have now entered their communities.  This in combination with no tooth brushing or dental care has been disastrous.

What are your favorite/least favorite parts of your job/working in Kenya?
My most favorite parts of working in Kenya: working with the beautiful Maasai people.  My least favorite parts of working in Kenya: being labeled by the color of my skin.  As it symbolized certain things.  It was a strange experience for me.

What would you have to say to aspiring dentists and orthodontists?
Some advice for aspiring dentists and orthodontist:  It is a great profession if you have the passion and willingness to help others, not only in your community, but also anywhere in the world.  Here is a quote from Samson, “The passion for a community free from preventable diseases can always drive someone anywhere in the world.”

To learn more, go to the Marin Science Seminar, “Spreading Smiles Worldwide: Oral Healthcare Outreach and Research among the Maasai in Kenya” and hear Dr. Valley and Mr. Saigilu talk about their work in Kenya on Wednesday, April 23, 7:30-8:30 pm at Terra Linda High School, San Rafael, Room 207.


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Public Health Challenges in Kenya

by Claire Watry, Terra Linda HS

As inhabitants of a developing nation, the people of Kenya face many obstacles in receiving basic healthcare. According to the Global Health Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, there are five main issues in delivering adequate healthcare in Kenya: infrastructure, lack of funding, access to care in rural areas, price and affordability of medicines, and politics. Statistics from the World Health Organization in 2006 showed that the top five causes of death in Kenya were HIV/AIDS followed by respiratory infections, diarrheal disease, tuberculosis, and malaria. While healthcare in Kenya has been steadily improving, there are still many challenges to overcome especially concerning healthcare access in rural areas. The video below shows the hardships people in rural areas of Kenya face in obtaining healthcare.

Affordable Health Care Still a Dream for Rural Kenya

Access to clean water is one of the biggest health issues in Kenya, especially in rural areas. In rural areas only 54% of people used improved water sources compared to the 83% of people in urban areas who used improved water sources in the year 2011 (UNICEF). In rural areas, the water sources are often shared by livestock and contaminated by feces from the livestock, making the water unsafe to drink. 

A short-term solution to unsafe drinking water is the LifeStraw water filter. The LifeStraw water filter allows an individual to drink directly from a water source or bottle just as a person would normally drink through a straw. The waterborne bacteria and other contaminants found in the water can cause severe diarrhea, which is the third leading cause of death in Kenya. LifeStraw prevents these deaths by effectively removing 99.99999% of bacteria and 99.9% of protozoa from the water. 

Kenya is reliant on outside donors and organizations in order to receive adequate and affordable health services. The LifeStraw Carbon for Water campaign put on by ClimateCare is one of these many organizations. This project distributed 877,505 LifeStraw Family filters to households in Kenya’s Western Province which supply safe drinking water directly to 4.5 million people. The video here explains the project and its success in depth. 

Another organization called BedNets for Children distributes bed nets to prevent children and their families from contracting malaria from mosquitos. A statistic from the organization’s website states that a child in Africa dies every 60 seconds from malaria. Bed nets have been shown to be very effective in preventing malaria especially for young children under two years of age. The World Health Organization has reported a 33% reduction in malaria deaths in sub-Saharan Africa since 2000. 



The First Lady of Kenya Margaret Kenyatta recently announced a “Beyond Zero Campaign” to improve maternal and child health outcomes by combating HIV/AIDS. According to the website, “fifteen women die every day due to pregnancy related complications in Kenya and 20% of all deaths among mothers in the country are AIDS-related.” The campaign has five key elements: “(i) Accelerating HIV programs, (ii) Influencing investment in high impact activities to promote maternal and child health and HIV control, (iii) Mobilizing men as clients, partners and agents of change, (iv) Involving communities to address barriers to accessing HIV, maternal and child health services and (v) Providing leadership, accountability and recognition to accelerate the attainment of HIV, maternal and child health targets.” The goal of the project is to eliminate preventable deaths in children and mothers. 


This week’s MSS speaker Maureen Valley DMD MPH participates in two organizations that teach the importance of oral hygiene in Kenya, Kenya Smiles and the Loitikotok Oral Health and Nutrition Project. Through these organizations, Valley distributes toothbrushes and toothpaste, collects research about dental hygiene, and educates children and other community members about oral health. 
The objectives of Kenya Smiles
Loitikotok Oral Health and Nutrition Project


To learn about oral healthcare outreach in Kenya, attend the Marin Science Seminar presentation “Spreading Smiles Worldwide: Oral Healthcare Outreach and Research among the Maasai in Kenya” with Maureen Valley DMD MPH and Samson Saigilu on Wednesday April 23, 2014, 7:30 – 8:30 pm, Terra Linda High School, San Rafael, Room 207. 



Information Sources:
World Health Organization http://www.who.int/countries/ken/en/

ClimateCare http://climatecare.org/our-projects/lifestraw-carbon-for-water/
UnAIDS http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/featurestories/2014/january/20140130beyondzerocampaign/
Kenya Smiles http://www.kenyasmiles.org/
Valley Orthodontics http://www.valleyorthodontics.net/#!about4/csaq

Image Sources:
http://www.blackmountainsurvival.com/catalog/lifestraw/

Video Source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ansnQOfz2Y

~ Claire Watry


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Do Fetuses Experience Pain?

by Gillian Parker, Tamalpais HS 

Controversy over abortion laws has led to many other discussions surrounding the development of the fetus. When does a fetus begin to feel pain? When does it gain consciousness? What are its cognitive abilities in the womb? This essay will attempt to answer these questions.

It is still unclear when human babies/fetuses begin to feel pain. The first step to feeling pain is to develop the necessary neuroanatomy. Evidence suggests that the necessary anatomical developments are in place at as early as 26 weeks gestation. When a fetus of approximately 26 weeks is exposed to noxious stimuli, it will respond to them, although minimally (Derbyshire, 2006). There are studies which claim to record evidence of fetal expressions of pain and/or distress. In one particular study, 8 female and 7 male fetuses were scanned with a 4-D ultrasound four times during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, or 24 to 36 weeks gestation. The study specifically focused on expressions of pain or distress. Researchers concluded that as the fetus matured, so too did its visible responses to stimuli. However, the fetuses were not provoked in any way, and these responses did not reflect the fetuses’ emotional or cognitive state (Reissland, 2013).
Although fetuses technically have the anatomy to experience pain around 26 weeks gestation, it is unclear whether or not they actually experience pain as we know it, because of their minimal level of consciousness. Pain is defined as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage” by the International Association for the Study of Pain. In spite of its anatomy, it is thought that fetuses do not experience true pain, because they are not conscious of it, and have no experience or memory to base their pain on. The fetus is actually provided natural sedatives from the placenta just as it receives nutrients from it. The fetus is asleep for the duration of gestation. It is suspended in a warm, cushioned environment and it does not know anything but this. It is unlikely that it would be able to experience true pain, as it is unconscious and has no basis for comparison. Essentially, the fetus has not yet learned how to experience pain, or identify itself as an individual (Koch, 2009). 
In conclusion, it is unclear exactly when the fetus reaches a conscious perception of pain. Though the fetus develops the anatomy to respond to pain during the latter part of pregnancy, and can even make facial expressions of pain and/or distress, there is no correlation with the fetus’s actual comfort level. The placental sedation of the fetus means that it has no memory or “experiences” and therefore is unable to experience pain in the conscious way that adults and children understand. Further research may someday uncover more information on this complex and controversial question.

3-D/4-D Ultrasound of Fetus from Fetal Expression Photo Gallery
See more 4-D Ultrasounds at http://www.fetalexpressions.ca/gallery.php
Pain/Distress Fetal Expression from Facial Expression Study
Read the study of fetal expression of pain and distress at http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0065530.

For more information on birthing babies, attend the Marin Science Seminar on Wednesday, March 26 at Terra Linda High School with Sheri Matteo, RN, CNM of Prima Medical Foundation, Marin General Hospital. Find out more at http://www.marinscienceseminar.com/print/midwifery2014.pdf.  

Sources:

Christof Koch. (2009, August 1). When Does Consciousness Arise in Human Babies?. Retrieved March 16 from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/when-does-consciousness-arise/?page=1


Fetal Expressions. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2014 from http://www.fetalexpressions.ca/gallery.php

Hugo Lagercrantz and Jean-Pierre Changeux.(2009). The Emergence of Human Consciousness: From Fetal to Neonatal Life. Retrieved March 16, 2014 from http://www.nature.com/pr/journal/v65/n3/full/pr200950a.html#bib16

Nadja Reissland, Brian Francis, James Mason. (2013, June 5). Can Healthy Fetuses Show Facial Expressions of “Pain” or “Distress”?. Retrieved March 16, 2014 from http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0065530
Stuart W G Derbyshire. (2006, April 15). Can Fetuses Feel Pain?. Retrieved March 16, 2014 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1440624/
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The Fascination Behind Ants

by Claire Watry, Terra Linda HS

Did you know that ants are capable of carrying 50 times their body weight in their mouth? Or that ants are the original farmers? Or even that the total biomass of all of the ants on the planet is roughly equivalent to the biomass of all of the people on Earth? These are three of the many reasons why ants are so fascinating. The small insect that most of us view a pest is actually a intriguing specimen and worth the time and effort to research. 



Marin Science Seminar returns in 2014 with a presentation titled “Ants: The Invisible Majority” with Dr. Brian Fisher. Dr. Fisher is a modern day explorer who journeys through remote tropic areas in search of ants. His research utilizes ants as a tool to discover and preserve plant and animal diversity in these places. Dr. Fisher has discovered over 1000 new species of ants including the jumping ants and Dracula ants. He has appeared in a number of BBC, Discover Channel, and National Geographic films and has been profiled in Newsweek and Discover magazine. When he is not working in the field with ants, Dr. Fisher lives in a tree house with the banana slugs. He is currently Chairman of Entomology at the California Academy of Sciences and adjunct professor of biology at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University. In the video below, Dr. Fisher details why he believes ants are so cool.

                                     


The following interview shows his experiences with ants and his passion for his research.


How did you decide to become entomologist? 


I actually thought I was going to be a botanist, but after a trip to Panama as a sophomore at the University of Iowa, I was struck by the ants’ diversity, abundance, and ecological role. Its not just their diversity that is fascinating. After all beetles are diverse – there are 40,000 leaf beetles – but they all just eat leaves. Ants, on the other hand, have evolved  the most diverse and surprising ways of making a living from growing fungus to tending to aphids. Also, because ants are social, there is a whole other dimension that is fascinating that is not even possible with solitary insects. After working on plants a bit that year in Panama and I dropped the “pl” and just worked on “ants”.
Why did you choose to study ants specifically?

I remember I changed the day I discovered an orchid in the canopy in Panama.  This orchid had a specialized home for ants to live and produced nectar for the ants to eat. This was the first orchid to have such a relationship with ants. After researching the ants on this orchid, and learning how their trash pile in the orchid bulb helped feed the orchid, I was hooked on ants.  

Where has your research taken you?
I have worked mostly in the tropics, especially South America, Africa, and Madagascar.  Ants are much more diverse in the tropics. Antarctica, the only continent named after ants, actually doesn’t have any ants.  

Dr. Fisher collecting ants in Madagascar. 

What is the most difficult aspect of your work? 

To be a field-based explorer and a scientist requires you to juggle a lot – from fund raising and government permits to extreme field conditions to sitting endlessly looking through a microscope.  

What is one of the most surprising or exciting thing you have discovered about ants? 
In Madagascar, I have discovered over 800 new species of ants, including Dracula ants. These “primitive” ants feed off the blood of their own larvae. Why are we so interested in discovering life on Mars when right here on Earth, we know so little. We are also probably the last generation that will have a chance to explore much of this diversity before it goes extinct.  


Dracula Ant
Dr. Fisher’s Ant Collection


What information can people learn from ants?

Ants are social and, like humans, face many of the same problems such as communication, group problem solving, food transfer etc. By studying ants, we are learning how ants, after 150 million years of evolution, have solved these shared problems.  Some of these studies on group intelligence and neural networks are already making an impact in the field of artificial intelligence.  
How do people react when you tell them about your work?
After I give a lecture, where I detail the wonder of the secret lives of ants, the first question I get is always, “How can I kill the ants in my kitchen?” My response?  I tell them to leave some cookie crumbs on the counter and watch the ants. It is a rare treat to watch these wonders right in your own home.     


Be sure to check out the rest of the 10 Fascinating Facts About Ants here. 

Still not convinced that ants are fascinating? For countless reasons why, come to the Marin Science Seminar presentation “Ants: The Invisible Majority” with Dr. Brian Fisher Ph.D. of the California Academy of Sciences, January 22, 2014, 7:30 – 8:30 pm, Terra Linda High School, San Rafael, Room 207

See the flyer here

For more information, videos, and pictures about Dr. Fisher check out his page on the California Academy of Sciences website or his ant web site. 

~Claire Watry

Image credits:

http://www.petridish.org/projects/new-species-of-ants-in-madagascar

Video credits:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEWdhksSM6I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsEED8A7Itc

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