The Sci'more Podcast
By Project Bridge
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The Sci'more PodcastMay 23, 2023
Ep20. Tick Season, Part 1: Tick safety and Lyme disease
Ticks: little bugs, with big appetites for your blood. They won’t bleed you dry, but it’s what they leave behind that hurts. For this two-part episode of the Sci’More Podcast, Phil and Chris interviewed three tick and tick-borne disease experts to get the scoop on tick safety, Lyme disease, and Alpha-gal syndrome, in which a tick bite can cause a red meat allergy.
Our guests this episode (part 1 and 2):
Nicole Foley: nf276@cornell.edu
Nicole Baumgarth: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/faculty/4363/nicole-baumgarth
Onyi Iweala: https://iwealalab.web.unc.edu/
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DISCLAIMER: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers’ own and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of affiliated institutions or employers. Official CDC health recommendations can be found below in “Links and Resources” that link to pages hosted within the <www.cdc.gov> domain.
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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at:, email us at scimore.podcast@gmail.com, or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast). You can also submit questions using our Google form:. Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes!
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Links and Resources
NEVBD (Tick resources for the Northeast US): https://www.neregionalvectorcenter.com/ticks
University of Rhode Island Tick Encounter: https://web.uri.edu/tickencounter/
University of Maryland Mail-In Tick Identification service: https://health.maryland.gov/phpa/OIDEOR/CZVBD/Pages/Tick-Identification.aspx
NYS Tick-Blitz: https://www.neregionalvectorcenter.com/new-york-state-tick-blitz.php
CDC on Tick-borne relapsing fever: https://www.cdc.gov/relapsing-fever/index.html
CDC on Lyme Disease: https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html
Todar’s Online Textbook of Bacteriology on Lyme disease: http://textbookofbacteriology.net/Lyme.html
CDC on Alpha-gal syndrome: https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/alpha-gal/index.html
— Credits
Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Editing: Philip Danziger
Intro & Outro: Philip Danziger
Interviewers: Philip Danziger and Christopher An
With help from other members of the Sci’more Podcast team!
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scimore/message
Ep19. Virology Series, Part 2: How the Pandemic Infected Our Society
Time for an episode on the coronavirus pandemic! Don’t worry, in this episode we’ll give the virology discussion a break and explore how the pandemic has disrupted our communities. More specifically, we’ll take a look at the housing and eviction crisis as well as changes in primary and secondary education. To do this, we interviewed Tori Tavormina, a public health and business student at Johns Hopkins University who spent some time investigating the housing and eviction crisis in Texas. Phil and Michael will then share some of the lessons they learned about how the pandemic affected housing and education. Learn more in this episode of the Sci’more Podcast!
If you have questions for Tori, you can reach her at her email: ttavorm1@jhmi.edu.
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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, email us at scimore.podcast@gmail.com, or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast). You can also submit questions using our Google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1iEG6sAkBBx9JFrBK2xyo5QKex13oBI1irP9jpMZaQWE/edit. Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes!
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Links and Resources
List of Baltimore Sun articles about the housing/eviction crisis in Baltimore and Maryland: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1R3CHtlwoKlnGjZgqRoecDK6eKghzL3TkumAjF5OIwaw/edit#gid=0
Article about vacant homes in Baltimore: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/baltimore-has-more-than-16000-vacant-houses-why-cant-the-homeless-move-in/2015/05/12/3fd6b068-f7ed-11e4-9030-b4732caefe81_story.html
CDC timeline of the pandemic: https://www.cdc.gov/museum/timeline/covid19.html
World Bank Blog on pandemic learning loss: https://blogs.worldbank.org/developmenttalk/learning-loss-covid-19-mass-casualty
The Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University: https://edopportunity.org/recovery
New York Times on California school district disparities: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/28/briefing/pandemic-learning-loss.html
Harvard Center for Education Policy Research on remote schooling: https://cepr.harvard.edu/files/cepr/files/5-4.pdf?m=1651690491
Associated Press on students who dropped out of school during the pandemic: https://apnews.com/article/covid-school-enrollment-missing-kids-homeschool-b6c9017f603c00466b9e9908c5f2183a
Resources that Tori shared with us
Map of tenant protections (by state/locality) from the National Low Income Housing Coalition: https://nlihc.org/tenant-protections
Federal rental assistance tracker from the National Low Income Housing Coalition: https://nlihc.org/era-dashboard
National map of eviction filing rates from the Eviction Lab at Princeton University: https://evictionlab.org/map/?m=modeled&c=p&b=efr&s=all&r=counties&y=2018&z=5.48&lat=40.26&lon=-78.33&lang=en
Federal resource detailing the moratoriums and CARES act: https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN11516
Health Care for the Homeless, a housing and health care advocacy group in Baltimore (you can volunteer!): https://www.hchmd.org/
Baltimore Safe Haven, LGBTQ advocacy group and wellness center in Baltimore (you can volunteer!): https://www.baltimoresafehaven.org/
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Credits
Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Editing: Michael Dryzer
Intro & Outro: Michael Dryzer
Interviewers: Philip Danziger and Michael Dryzer
Interviewees: Tori Tavormina
With help from other members of the Sci’more Podcast team!
MiniEp. What is Baltimore Brainfest?
“Brrraaaaiiiinnsssss!” No, that’s not a zombie looking for a snack; it’s the crowd at Brainfest! Brainfest is a free spring event put on by graduate students at Johns Hopkins University meant to make neuroscience cool, fun, and educational for everyone. To learn more about this event, we talked with Blake and Isis, neuroscience graduate students at JHU and the directors of this year’s Brainfest. If you want to know more about this event, then check out this episode!
Brainfest will take place on Saturday April 1 from 11 am - 3 pm at the Cherry Hill branch of the Enoch Pratt Library (606 Cherry Hill Rd, Baltimore, MD 21225). See you there!
If you’d like to know more about Brainfest, check out their website: https://www.brainfest.org.
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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, email us at scimore.podcast@gmail.com, or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast). You can also submit questions using our Google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1iEG6sAkBBx9JFrBK2xyo5QKex13oBI1irP9jpMZaQWE/edit. Remember, every question you submit increases your chances of winning the monthly prize! Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes!
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Links and Resources
Brain Awareness Week: https://www.brainawareness.org/
Project Bridge: http://www.projbridge.org/
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Credits
Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Editing: Michael Dryzer
Intro & Outro: Michael Dryzer and Steven Jerjian
Interviewers: Michael Dryzer and Steven Jerjian
Interviewees: Blake Creighton and Isis Wyche
With help from other members of the Sci’more Podcast team!
Ep 18. It's game time! Treating injuries in elite athletes
Valentine’s day coming up may have many of us weak at the knees. But elite athletes, like those set to play in Superbowl LVII, go through detailed training and conditioning schedules to strengthen joints like the knee, prepare for big games, and reduce the risk of injuries. If they do occur, how are sports injuries assessed and treated in high-level athletes? Why are we told to bend our knees when landing from a jump? And what else can athletes do to reduce the risk of injury?
Learn all about these topics and more from this episode’s guest, Dr. Andrew Cosgarea, an experienced orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and current head team physician of the Johns Hopkins Athletics Department.
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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, email us at scimore.podcast@gmail.com, or message us on social media (Facebook : @scimorepodcast, Instagram: @scimore_podcast, and Twitter: @ScimoreP). Every question you submit increases your chances of winning a monthly prize! And follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on our latest episodes!
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Links and resources:
Dr. Cosgarea’s Hopkins medicine profile, including his research work
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/profiles/details/andrew-cosgarea
5 tips for preventing sports-related injuries, by Dr. Andrew Cosgarea
Follow the latest news and progress of JHU Athletics:
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Credits
Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Editing: Varun Chokshi & Steven Jerjian
Host: Steven Jerjian
Guest: Dr. Andrew Cosgarea
With help from other members of the Sci’more Podcast Team!
Ep17. Virology Series, Part 1: The Flu and You
You hear about it every year: “It’s flu season! Be sure to get a flu vaccine!” But what exactly is the flu, how can it harm you, and why do we need to be vaccinated every single year? Learn the answers to these questions and more in the first episode of the Sci’more Podcast’s virology series! We interview Cami and Nico, microbiology PhD students researching the small (but mighty!) world of viruses like influenza, commonly known as the flu, and SARS-CoV-2, the culprit behind the coronavirus pandemic. This episode explores the history of influenza, how something so small can cause so much damage on a global scale, and what we can do to protect ourselves against it. Don’t miss this episode of the Sci’more Podcast!
If you have questions for Cami or Nico, you can reach them at their emails: cwouter1@jhmi.edu and nswanso2@jh.edu, respectively.
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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, email us at scimore.podcast@gmail.com, or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast). You can also submit questions using our Google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1iEG6sAkBBx9JFrBK2xyo5QKex13oBI1irP9jpMZaQWE/edit. Remember, every question you submit increases your chances of winning the monthly prize! Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes!
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Links and Resources
List of vaccine components: https://www.healthline.com/health/cold-flu/flu-shot-ingredients#ingredient
RadioLab episode: https://radiolab.org/episodes/great_vaccinator
Types of adjuvants used in vaccines: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/adjuvants.html
Article on vaccine immunity duration: https://www.science.org/content/article/how-long-do-vaccines-last-surprising-answers-may-help-protect-people-longer
Article on antibiotics and antibiotic resistance: https://www.drugs.com/article/antibiotics-and-viruses.html
Article on antiviral drugs: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/treatment/treatment.htm
Article on mask guidance and influenza: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/infectioncontrol/maskguidance.htm
CDC resource on influenza: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm
Flu by Gina Kolata: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/763331.Flu
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Credits
Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Editing: Michael Dryzer
Intro & Outro: Philip Danziger and Michael Dryzer
Interviewer: Philip Danziger and Michael Dryzer
Interviewees: Nico Swanson and Camille Wouters
With help from other members of the Sci’more Podcast team!
Ep16. Artificial Intelligence Series, Part 2: Your Friendly Neighborhood AI
Welcome back to our series on artificial intelligence (AI)! Last time, we learned about our interview, Dr. Monica Lopez-Gonzalez, an AI expert based at Johns Hopkins University. She shared with us her work involving AI and the myriad ways that AI has been integrating with society. In this episode, we continue the conversation by first learning where Maryland fits into the picture of AI. Then, we discuss concerns surrounding AI design, development, and deployment and proposed solutions for governing AI.
If you have questions for Dr. LG, you can reach her at her email: mlopezg1@jhu.edu.
(Please note: This episode was recorded towards the beginning of 2022, so some of the information within could be outdated.)
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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, email us at scimore.podcast@gmail.com, or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast). Follow our social media to stay up to date on the latest episodes!
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Links:
Partnership between the Army Research Lab and the University System of Maryland: https://www.csee.umbc.edu/2021/05/umbc-partners-with-umd-army-research-lab-to-advance-ai-and-autonomy-through-68m-collaboration/
Resources to help K-12 educators bring AI education to the classroom: https://ai4k12.org/
National Security Agency (NSA) internships: https://www.intelligencecareers.gov/NSA/nsastudents.html
National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) summer institutes for middle school teachers: https://www.nist.gov/iaao/academic-affairs-office/nist-summer-institute
Johns Hopkins University AI graduate program: https://ep.jhu.edu/programs/artificial-intelligence/
European Commission Artificial Intelligence Act: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_BRI(2021)698792
United States National Artificial Intelligence Initiative: https://www.ai.gov/
China's AI Strategy: https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/understanding-chinas-ai-strategy
US-EU AI talks: https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/trade-tech-talks-us-eu-open-pittsburgh-80307486
OECD AI principles: https://oecd.ai/en/ai-principles
Pan-Canadian AI strategy: https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/ai-strategy/en
European Parliament report on public protections regarding AI: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2020-0178_EN.html
Aequitas, an AI open-source bias audit toolkit developed by the University of Chicago: http://www.datasciencepublicpolicy.org/our-work/tools-guides/aequitas/
IBM AI open-source bias audit toolkit: https://developer.ibm.com/articles/the-ai-360-toolkit-ai-models-explained/
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Credits:
Music: 'Lucky Massive Dangerous' by Speck
Editing: Michael Dryzer
Intro & Outro: Michael Dryzer
Interviewer: Michael Dryzer
Interviewees: Monica Lopez-Gonzalez, PhD
With help from the other members of the Sci'more Podcast team!
Ep15. Artificial Intelligence Series, Part 1: Welcome to AI 101
Is Hollywood right? Will the Terminator, Ultron, and HAL 9000 take over the world? These and other artificial intelligences (AIs) have sparked our imagination for centuries, but in the last fifty years our dreams have become reality. Join us for our two-part series on AI as we delve into its uses, implications, and governance with Dr. Monica Lopez-Gonzalez, an AI expert at Johns Hopkins University. In this episode, we learn about Dr. LG’s work, what makes AI artificial and intelligent, the current and future uses of AI in society, and how these uses might enrich or endanger our livelihoods. In part two, we take a deep dive into the AI-related events happening right here in Maryland as well as consider what governments and groups in the United States and around the world are doing to ensure that AI is safe, effective, and fair.
If you have questions for Dr. LG, you can reach her at her email: mlopezg1@jhu.edu.
(Please note: This episode was recorded towards the beginning of 2022, so some of the information within could be outdated.)
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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, email us at scimore.podcast@gmail.com, or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast). You can also submit questions using our Google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1iEG6sAkBBx9JFrBK2xyo5QKex13oBI1irP9jpMZaQWE/edit. Remember, every question you submit increases your chances of winning the monthly prize! Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes!
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Links
IBM Watson AI beats Jeopardy! champions: https://spectrum.ieee.org/ibm-watson-jeopardy-computer-shuts-down-humans
Google AlphaGo AI defeats Go grand champion: https://www.deepmind.com/research/highlighted-research/alphago
Dr. Alan Turing’s academic paper on whether machines can think: https://www.cs.colostate.edu/~howe/cs440/csroo/yr2015fa/more_assignments/turing.pdf
Academic papers on brain-machine interfaces (BMIs): https://www.nature.com/subjects/brain-machine-interface
National Science Foundation article about underrepresentation from minority groups in STEM fields: https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20212/participation-of-demographic-groups-in-stem
Algorithmic Justice League: https://www.ajl.org/
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Credits
Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Editing: Michael Dryzer
Intro & Outro: Michael Dryzer
Interviewer: Michael Dryzer
Interviewees: Monica Lopez-Gonzalez, PhD
With help from other members of the Sci’more Podcast team!
Ep14. The Art of Brewing
We discuss the science behind brewing beer with JHU alum Judy Neff, owner of the Checkerspot Brewing Company and David Hooper, lead brewer at the Diamondback Brewing Company. We’ll be touching on the step-by-step process of brewing beer, a day in the life of a brewer, and, how working in a brewery is surprisingly similar to working in a lab.
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Glossary
4:45 Lupulin: part of the hop plant containing hop acids and essential oils
5:05 alpha acids: hop acids in hop plant
5:25 isomerized: when alpha acids are heated up, they change form (ie. Isomerize) and become more bitter
9:05 metabolites: products of yeast activity
11:50 Scott Janish: Beer blogger and founder of Sapwood Cellers over in Columbia, MD
12:30 terpenes, polyphenols: Give rise to the aroma and flavor of hops
15:25 pH, lactic/citric/phosphoric acid: Acidic nature of the beer
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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, call us at 443-776-1282, or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast).Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episode releases!Links
diamondbackbeer.com
checkerspotbrewing.comUpcoming events:
10/26: 12th annual homebrew extravaganza at Checkerspot
(https://checkerspotbrewing.com/)
10/28: Howl at the Moon Party at Diamondback
(https://www.diamondbackbeer.com/events/howlatthemoon)
11/05: 2022 Baltimore Craft Beer Festival
(https://www.mdlottery.com/event/2022-baltimore-craft-beer-festival/)
11/12: Patterson Park Brew Fest 2022
(https://rove.me/to/baltimore/patterson-park-brewfest)
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Credits
Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck; ‘Such Things’ by Noisesoul
Editing: Yun-Fei Liu
Intro & Outro: Chris Seong Yeol An and Niki Gooya
Interviewers: Chris Seong Yeol An and Niki Gooya
Interviewees: Judy Neff with the Checkerspot Brewing Company and David Hooper at the Diamondback Brewing Company
With help from other members of the Sci’more podcast team!
Ep13. Is shutting the trash incinerators a no-brainer?
On this episode of the Sci’more podcast, we discuss the current developments regarding the function of the trash incinerators in the city and how high levels of air pollution can affect our health. We delve into the push to close trash incinerators in the city with a local environmental justice advocate, Mr. Dante Swinton. The organization Mr. Swinton works for, Clean Air Baltimore Coalition, played an instrumental role in passing the Baltimore Clean Air Act in 2019. He details the events that came after the overturning of the act and the next steps. We also hear from public health researcher Dr. Hao Yang Tan, about the negative impacts of dangerous levels of air pollution on our ‘brain’ health. Both experts highlight various ways we can tackle air pollution in the city in terms of policy and advocacy in the long term, and health safety in the short term.
We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, call us at 443-776-1282, or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast).
Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episode releases!
Links
Baltimore clean air act: https://www.cleanairbmore.org/cleanairact/
Clean Air Baltimore coalition: https://www.cleanairbmore.org/
Effect of high air pollution on mental health: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2109310118
News articles regarding the trash incinerators in the city
News regarding the court ruling that overturned the Baltimore clean air act: https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/environment/bs-md-clean-air-act-ruling-20200327-qjqvgegdrzbqdoecrca4a4jjka-story.html
Recent updates to the trash incinerators: https://www.wbaltv.com/article/baltimore-wheelabrator-upgrade-to-lower-emissions/39398045#
Relevant SciMore podcast episodes
Ep12. Seasonal allergies: Are they worse living in a city? https://anchor.fm/scimore/episodes/Ep12--Seasonal-allergies-Are-they-worse-living-in-a-city-e1j5gcr
Ep9. How can better public transit inspire a healthier future for Baltimore? https://anchor.fm/scimore/episodes/Ep9--How-can-better-public-transit-inspire-a-healthier-future-for-Baltimore-e1ddnp7
Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Produced and Edited by: Varun Chokshi
Executive Producers: Micheal Xie and Steven Jerjian
With help from: Christopher An and Michael Dryzer
Ep12. Seasonal allergies: Are they worse living in a city?
Join us as we discuss allergies, asthma, and city living with the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital Baltimore Breathmobile Medical Director, Dr. Mary Bollinger, and former Clinical Director of the Allergy Clinical Practice at Johns Hopkins, allergist and immunologist Dr. Jody Tversky. We’ll be touching on what allergies are, how living in the city can impact your allergies and asthma, and answering some questions from the community about why your allergies might be especially bad this spring.---
We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, call us at 443-776-1282, or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast).Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episode releases!Links
Breathmobile: umms.org/childrens/health-services/pediatric-pulmonology-allergy-sleep/breathmobile
Allergies: www.aaaai.org/conditions-treatments/allergies
Allergy capitals: www.aafa.org/allergy-capitals/
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Credits
Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Editing: Yun-Fei Liu and Natalie Rutkowski
Intro & Outro: Natalie Rutkowski
Interviewer: Natalie Rutkowski
Interviewees: Mary Bollinger, DO and Jody Tversky, MD
With help from other members of the Sci’more podcast team!
Ep11. Why is medicine so expensive? (A collaboration with the Hopkins Biotech Podcast)
The pricing of drugs and medicines- from the Tylenol we pick up at the pharmacy to the special prescriptions we receive from our doctors- is something that affects all of us. In this special cross-release episode, we teamed up with our friends from the Hopkins Biotech Podcast (HBP) to learn a little more about why drugs cost what they do and how government, insurance companies, and society bargain for these prices. In this exclusive cross-release episode, we'll hear from Dr. Peter Kolchinsky, a scientist and biotech investor who sheds some insight into this important question. Some of the terms Dr. Kolchinsky introduces may be unfamiliar- check out the detailed show notes here for some helpful resources and links to his website and book, "The Great American Drug Deal."
For more biotech and career focused content like this, check out the Hopkins Biotech Podcast at https://www.hopkinsbiotechpodcast.com/, or on their social media channels (Instagram: hopkinsbiotechpodcast, LinkedIn: Hopkins Biotech Podcast, Twitter: @HopkinsBioPod) and on your favorite streaming platforms)
As always, if you have a science question you want answered or ideas for a future episode, contact us at our email (scimore.podcast@gmail.com), voicemail (443-776-1282), or social media accounts!
Show notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oKR_MXpNpX2ZHLLseDuSLExRMvZOzNs-aGjo16gFvO8/edit?usp=sharing
Introducing the Sci'more Podcast
Welcome to the Sci’more Podcast! We are a group of early-career scientists based at Johns Hopkins University. As members of Project Bridge, a student-run science communication group serving the Baltimore community, we enjoy sharing the fascinating stories of science happening right here in Baltimore and Maryland! Are our beloved Chesapeake Bay blue crabs invading the waterways of the world? What’s the history of the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 dashboard? Listen to the Sci’more Podcast to find out! You can catch our episodes on our website or most major streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcast, and more. Have a science question or story to share? You can submit your questions by following this link, sending us an email at scimore.podcast@gmail.com, or leaving a voicemail at (443) 776-1282. We are also available on Facebook (@scimorepodcast), Instagram (@scimore_podcast), Reddit (scimore_podcast), and Twitter (@ScimoreP). Join us on the Sci’more Podcast today—we couldn’t B’more excited to have you!
Ep10. Protecting Birdland from the Light
Join us as we discuss light pollution in Baltimore and its effects on birds, bugs, and even you with Lights Out Baltimore and Dr. Clint Francis from the California Polytechnic State University. We’ll be touching on what light pollution in Baltimore looks like and how it impacts our local wildlife, namely the birds that migrate through the mid-Atlantic each year. Then, we’ll learn more about how light pollution is studied by researchers and gain more insight on the human health aspect of it before wrapping up with simple and easy ways you can help cut down on light pollution.
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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, call us at 443-776-1282, or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast), or Facebook (@scimorepodcast).
Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episode releases!
Links
http://www.lightsoutbaltimore.org/
https://francisecologylab.wixsite.com/francislab
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Credits
Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Editing: Yun-Fei Liu
Intro & Outro: Chris Seong Yeol An and Niki Gooya
Interviewers: Chris Seong Yeol An and Niki Gooya
Interviewees: Lindsay Jacks and Clint Francis
With help from other members of the Sci’more podcast team!
Ep9. How can better public transit inspire a healthier future for Baltimore?
On this episode of the Sci’more podcast, Dr. Megan Latshaw, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Samuel Jordan, president of the Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition, join us to share their thoughts on how a data-driven approach could bring a more equitable future to public transit in Baltimore. We discuss the current state of the transit system, its roots in Baltimore’s segregated history, and steering away from car culture. We also delve into the potential benefits of better transit on social mobility, the economy, and environmental and public health, how research and data can help guide where and how investments should be made, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on transit.
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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, call us at 443-776-1282, or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast).
Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episode releases!
Links
Transit equity and environmental health report involving Johns Hopkins and BTEC (article contains link to report pdf): bit.ly/baltimoretransitequity
Ways to get involved
https://www.moretransitequity.com/take-action/
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/more-equitable-transit-in-md
BTEC, the Red Line Light Rail project
https://www.moretransitequity.com/
Racial segregation in Baltimore, and redlining
https://blogs.library.jhu.edu/2017/09/the-baltimore-redlining-map-ranking-neighborhoods/
Fund for Educational Excellence Report on inadequate transit as a barrier to education (“Not in Service”) - https://ffee.org/not-in-service/
APTA report on public transit and COVID: https://www.apta.com/research-technical-resources/research-reports/public-transit-and-covid-19-pandemic-global-research-and-best-practices/
Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Host: Steven Jerjian
Intro, Outro, & Editing: Varun Chokshi, Steven Jerjian
With help from: Michael Xie, Emily Han, Yun-Fei Liu, Camille Jaime
Ep8. The Science of Sound
Happy holidays, B'more! We bring you another deep dive with an episode on sound and a very important sense for the members of our audience-- hearing. A Ph.D. candidate at Johns Hopkins shares her experiences with investigating the mysteries of sound waves and why we should be thankful this holiday season for our cochleas! (Please note: The interviewee discusses the controversial use of animals in scientific research, and thus has asked to remain anonymous. Please submit any questions or concerns to the Sci'more Podcast.)
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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions!
Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, call us at 443-776-1282, or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast), or Facebook (@scimorepodcast).
Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episode releases!
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Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Editing: Yun-Fei Liu
Intro & Outro: Michael Dryzer
Interviewers: Michael Dryzer
With help from other members of the Sci'more Podcast team!
MiniEp. How clean is the water flowing into the Chesapeake Bay?
This week on the Sci'more podcast, Harbor Waterkeeper Alice Volpitta from Blue Water Baltimore joins us to talk about recent water quality concerns with the rivers that are flowing into the Chesapeake Bay, specifically at the Patapsco and Back River Wastewater Treatment Plants. We talk about how they came to discover this worrisome issue, what this means for the future of Chesapeake Bay, and what we can all do to help keep the Baltimore Harbor waters clean of pollution.
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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions!
Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, call us at 443-776-1282, or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast).
Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episode releases!
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Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Editing: Yun-Fei Liu
Intro & Outro: Varun Chokshi
Interviewers: Chris Seong Yeol An
And with the help from other members of the Sci'more Podcast team!
Ep7. A new spin on baseball: the science behind breaking balls
2021 is truly an exciting year for baseball! With incredible players such as Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr., and so many more, everyone's attention is on baseball right now. With the playoffs coming up so soon, there is going to be a big battle between the pitchers and the hitters. Hitters swinging their bats at a breaking ball curving, dropping, and deceiving the hitters - and strike out!
Have you ever wondered how pitchers can throw these breaking balls? This week on the Sci'more podcast, Professor of Physics Dr. John Eric Goff joins us to talk about the science behind baseball. We talk about how pitchers can throw crazy pitchers, what affects the number of home runs at different stadiums, and how science can and have helped baseball.
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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions!
Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, call us at 443-776-1282, or messages us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast).
Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episode releases!
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Useful information:
Dr. Goff's recent work on the Wall Street Journal (about Simone Biles)
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Music: "Lucky Massive Dangerous" by Speck
Editing: Yun-Fei Liu
Intro & Outro: Michael Dryzer
Interviewer: Chris Seong Yeol An
With help from: Emily Han, Sebastian Markert, Michael Xie, and Ashton Omdahl
Ep6. Why do we love our gardens here in Baltimore?
During the pandemic, many of us find ourselves spending more time outdoors in nature. Baltimore City is home to many beautiful and unique gardens, and one of the community favorites is Sherwood Gardens. In this episode, we chatted with Baltimore’s local historian and garden enthusiast, Ann Giroux, about tulips, urban green spaces, the social life of trees and more.
We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, call us at 443-776-1282, or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast).
Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episode releases!
Useful links:
Ann’s website http://anngiroux.com/
‘The Social Life of Forests’ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/06/podcasts/the-daily/tree-communication-suzanne-simard.html
10 Glamorous Gardens in Baltimore
https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/maryland/baltimore/10-glamorous-gardens-in-baltimore-md/
Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Host and Editing: Emily Han
Produced by: Emily Han, Yun-Fei Liu, Ashton Omdahl
With help from: Christopher An, Michael Dryzer, Michael Xie, Sebastian Markert
Ep5. Now it's crab time!
The crab season is here! If you are a Baltimore resident, you might have enjoyed dozens of our famous blue crabs, perhaps dozens of dozens every year. If you are new to Baltimore, you must have been encouraged to try them. Blue crabs are indeed tasty, but other than their nice savor, what do we know about them? This week on Sci'more podcast, crab biologist Shaun Miller from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (Twitter: @MarylandDNR) and Maryland fishery scientist Dr. Allison Colden from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (Twitter: @chesapeakebay) shares with us fun facts about blue crabs, what we can do to preserve them (so that, well, we can enjoy them with our children and grandchildren), and a concerning tale of a lone blue crab recently found in Ireland.
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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions!
Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, call us at 443-776-1282, or messages us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast).
Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episode releases!
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Useful information:
The website of Chesapeake Bay Foundation
The website of Maryland Department of Natural Resources
An interesting word for trivia night: bilateral gynandromorph
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Music: "Lucky Massive Dangerous" by Speck
Editing: Yun-Fei Liu
Intro & Outro: Yun-Fei Liu
Interviewers: Sebastian Markert and Michael Xie
With help from: Chris Seong Yeol An, Michael Dryzer, Emily Han, and Ashton Omdahl
Ep4. Cicadas: it's what's for dinner
If you’ve been anywhere outside around Baltimore over the past few weeks, you’ve probably seen or heard the summer cicadas. This year is special for cicadas, as the Brood X of periodical cicadas have emerged en mass in some regions of the eastern United States after 17 years of underground living. In this episode, we discuss why the cicadas are emerging now and what they are doing. Food policy expert Dr. Jess Fanzo (twitter: @jessfanzo) shares with us why some people even try cooking up and eating these insects and why our food choices matter (and even how you might cook up some cicadas yourself)!
We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions!
Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, call us at 443-776-1282, or messages us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast).
Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episode releases!
Useful links:
Dr. Fanzo on WMAR Baltimore: https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/why-eating-cicadas-is-good-for-you-and-good-for-the-environment
A free cicada cookbook: http://www.tullabs.com/cicadaworld/cicadarecipes.pdf
Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Editing: Yun-Fei Liu
Intro: Chris Seong Yeol An
Interviewers: Ashton Omdahl and Yun-Fei Liu
Outro: Chris Seong Yeol An
With help from: Michael Dryzer, Emily Han, Sebastian Markert, and Michael Xie
Ep3. Why should I care about plastic waste?? Earth Day Special Ep. With the National Aquarium in Baltimore
Have you walked out to a nearby lake, river, or the harbor and saw garbage floating on the water? Have you ever seen plastic water bottles and plastic bags on the ground at a nearby park? Why should we care about plastic waste? Should we worry about using plastic bags when we get a takeout from our favourite restaurant, or when we go to a grocery store? In this special Earth Day episode of the Sci'more Podcast, we speak with Laura Bankey, Vice President of Conservation Programs at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
If you ever been to the National Aquarium here in Baltimore and ever wondered what they do (other than house beautiful animals of course), also come and check out this episode!
We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions!
Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore or call 443-776-1282.
Follow us on Twitter or Facebook @projbridge
Useful links:
Laura's Profile: https://aqua.org/about/our-people/laura-bankey
National Aquarium Conservations: https://aqua.org/support/conservation
City Nature Challenge: https://citynaturechallenge.org/ join at the end of April!
Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Editing: Yun-Fei Liu
Intro: Chris Seong Yeol An
Interviewers: Chris Seong Yeol An
Outro: Chris Seong Yeol An
With help from: Michael Dryzer, Emily Han, Ashton Omdahl, Sebastian Markert, and Michael Xie
Ep2. Mapping Our Past, Present, and Future With the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Dashboard
From the early stages of the pandemic, the world has looked to the COVID-19 dashboard produced by Johns Hopkins University as a guide for tracking the spread of the novel coronavirus. Maps have always been important to epidemiology and the containment of contagious disease, but the JHU dashboard has been lauded for its accessibility and accuracy, with Time Magazine naming it as one of the best inventions of 2020. But, where does the data presented by the dashboard come from? How can we trust it? And how might we build from it to track, and hopefully mitigate, the spread of future pathogens? In this episode of the Sci'more Podcast, we discuss the answers to these questions and more with Dr. Amesh Adalja, an expert in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions!
Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore or call 443-776-1282.
Follow us on Twitter or Facebook @projbridge
Useful links:
Dr. Adalja's Twitter: @AmeshAA
Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists: https://www.cste.org/
Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Editing: Yun-Fei Liu
Intro: Sebastian Markert
Interviewers: Michael Dryzer and Emily Han
Outro: Michael Dryzer
With help from: Christopher An, Ashton Omdahl, and Michael Xie
Ep1. How Safe are the COVID-19 Vaccines?
The whole world is watching closely right now as the vaccines are being distributed. The end of the pandemic is finally in sight. However, there might still be some doubts in your mind. How safe is the vaccine? Is it rushed? How does it even work? We spoke with Dr. Kawsar Talaat, who is a doctor herself and has worked over 10 years at the forefront of vaccine safety research, and we asked all the questions you’ve been pondering.
We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions!
Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore or call 443-776-1282
Follow us on Twitter or Facebook @projbridge
Useful links:
Up-to-date CDC info on the mRNA vaccine: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html “What the Vaccine’s Side Effects Feel Like”: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/12/what-expect-when-you-get-covid-19-vaccine/617428/ If you’re interested in participating in a vaccine trial: https://www.coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org/ A really great Ologies podcast episode about the COVID-19 vaccines: https://www.alieward.com/ologies/vaccineinfodemiologyMusic: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck
Editing: Yun-Fei Liu
Intro: Ashton Omdahl
Interviewer: Sebastian Markert
Outro: Emily Han
With help from: Christopher An, Michael Dryzer, Michael Xie