“Frosty sunset” by dirk kirchner [www.unforgiven-art.de] is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0



Welcome to the final LSS episode of 2020!



Many of our listeners may be glad to say good bye to this difficult and trying year. However, Locally Sourced Science wishes to end the year on an optimistic note, by featuring clips of some of our favorite stories from the past year, and looking forward to communicating more great science stories in 2021.



Laurie Rubin (photo courtesy of L. Rubin)



Starting off the show, we recall Esther Racoosin’s interview in April of Laurie Rubin, a local educator who teaches students and the general public about how to observe, record and appreciate nature. With this interview, we also urge our listeners to get outside and enjoy the natural world in the coming year.



Link to Full show: https://locallysourcedscience.org/2020/04/28/lss-85-earth-day-edition/



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Dr. Ana Maria Porras (photo courtesy of Dr. Porras)



During the COVID-19 pandemic, we discovered that it is incredibly important to use social media to communicate new science developments. Also, scientists strove to stay in touch with the general public in order to encourage them to learn more about important scientific topics.



One science communicator who remains very active on social media is Dr. Ana Maria Porras, a postdoctoral fellow in the Cornell University Department of Biomedical Engineering. She works in the fields of tissue engineering and the human gut microbiome. Porras posts information about microbiology in both English and Spanish on her two Instagram accounts, #MicrobeMonday and #MicroMartes. Here, we presented a segment of Smaranda Sandu’s interview of Dr. Porras, that aired initially on Sandu’s podcast, Tidbits of Research (https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/tidbits-of-research/episode-2-ana-maria-porras-qKtrs8Z_CRd/)



Link to Full Show: https://locallysourcedscience.org/2020/08/18/lss-93-research-amid-covid-19/



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Dr. Avery August (photo courtesy of Dr. August)



The year 2020 was a watershed year of increased recognition of the #Black Lives Matter movement. People all around the world came out to protest the continuing mistreatment of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), calling for anti-racist reforms.



LSS began a series of interviews, highlighting the significant scientific contributions of BIPOC scientists. In July, LSS contributor Dr. Scarlett Lee interviewed Dr. Avery August, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at Cornell University. He is also the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor and Professor of Immunology in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. August talked about his current research, and his endeavor to increase the diversity of faculty at Cornell.



Link to Full Show: Back to Episodes