Science Fare

Lydia Pecker, M.D., is a pediatric hematologist and director of research and advocacy at the Sickle Cell Center for Adults at Johns Hopkins University. She previously served as the founding director of the Center's Young Adult Clinic, which was built to support young people transitioning from pediatric to adult care systems. She received her undergraduate degree in Africana studies from Brown University, earned her M.D. at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and received a Master's degree in Health Sciences from the Bloomberg School of Public Health. In this episode, Lydia talks about her path to becoming a physician working with sickle cell patients, tells us what sickle cell disease is and what it's like for patients, and talks about the treatment landscape, including a need for more sickle cell healthcare providers and more blood donation to support transfusions, a key part of sickle cell treatment. Resources mentioned in the episode:National Geographic article on sickle cell gene therapy (PDF from author Linda Marsa's webpage)National Alliance of Sickle Cell CentersAmerican Red Cross Blood Services

In this mini episode, Dr. Lydia Pecker explains the complexity in real-life sickle cell inheritance patterns. Tune in next week for the full-length interview.

Dr. Shauna Henley is a Family and Consumer Sciences Educator with the University of Maryland Extension working in Northern Maryland. She delivers programs that center on nutrition, food safety, and physical activity. She holds a Ph.D. in Biology with a concentration in Human Nutrition from Drexel University, a M.S. in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Vermont, and a B.S. in Biology from Muhlenberg College.In this episode, Shauna talks about her path into food science and safety, common misconceptions about food safety, the Don't Wash Your Chicken campaign, canning, and the important legislation in the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). She also gives advice to students interested in food science and safety. Resources mentioned in the episode:Don't Wash Your Chicken Germ Vision 14-Second Animation Buzzfeed Home Economics Trivia Quiz Produce Trainer Food Safety ToolkitNational Center for Home Food Preservation

In this mini episode, Dr. Shauna Henley tells us about the importance of pH in canning food. Tune in next week for the full-length interview.

Welcome to the Science Fare podcast! On the Science Fare podcast, I bring you conversations with scientists doing fascinating, cutting-edge work on all kinds of interesting phenomena, ranging from physics to chemistry to biology and even the nature of science itself. In the conversation, I help draw connections between the scientist's research and part of the high school science curriculum. In Season 5, new episodes come out every Wednesday, featuring a mini episode that focuses on the high school science connection and then the following week, the full-length interview. Please subscribe and leave a review -- it helps others find the podcast!

Science teacher extraordinaire Carla Guarraia,who teaches at The Park School of Baltimore and is also the chair of the Upper School Science Department, tells us about her path to pursuing science and then science teaching, the way she integrates research into her teaching, and gives advice to students interested in pursuing science. Resources mentioned in this episode:Carla’s Park School faculty page The Shape of Wonder by Alan Lightman book The Plastics Paradox by Chris DeArmitt book Precious Plastics Manor Mill Science Friday podcast episode about plastics contamination Please click below to fill out the survey for this episode:Science Fare Podcast Feedback FormScience Fare Podcast website Highlights of the episode:*Opening quote by Carla on appreciating that learning should feel hard[0:01];*Susan introduces Park School of Baltimore science teacher and upper school department chair Carla Guarraia and they thank Manor Mill for letting them record in the space [1:08];  *Carla talks about her path to studying science and becoming a science teacher [3:43];*What Carla joins most about her job as a high school science teacher [18:30];*How Carla integrates research into her teaching with a focus on two classes — plastics and integrative medicine [22:05];*Deeper dive into Carla’s work on the International Student-led Arctic Monitoring and Research (ISAMR) program [35:33];*Carla’s advice for high school students interested in science [47:48]

In this mini episode, we hear from science teacher extraordinaire Carla Guarraia who teaches at The Park School of Baltimore and is also the chair of the Upper School Science Department. Carla tells us about an innovative plastics class she teaches that challenges students’ views on plastics and gets them involved in research on plastics. Tune in next week for the full-length interview and the last episode of Season 4! Please click below to fill out the survey for this episode:Science Fare Podcast Feedback FormScience Fare Podcast website 

Astrobiologist Sean Jordan (Dublin City University) talks about his path to becoming a scientist studying the origins of life, some of big questions scientists grapple with when looking for chemical and biological signs of early life, and his advice for students interested in astrobiology.Find Sean at The Protosigns Lab and on instagram at @originssean and @protosigns Listeners, please click below to fill out the survey for this episode:Science Fare Podcast Feedback FormScience Fare Podcast website Highlights of the episode:*Opening quote by Sean about the transition from chemistry to biology and the origins of life [0:01];*Susan introduces astrobiologist Sean Jordan and guest host Sierra Revels who is an intern for the Science Fare podcast [0:52];  *Sean tells us how he decided to become a scientist and what turned him onto astrobiology and describes the magic of piecing together the origins of an environment [2:12];*The case for deep sea vents as a place where life originated [7:08];*When exactly did life originate? [11:15]; *Sean’s lab’s work on lipids and insights on the first cell membranes [15:20];*How early cell membranes may have formed and how that is different from the cell membranes students are learning about in biology [18:31];*What is the connection between understanding early, simple cells on Earth and detecting life on other planets? [21:41];*The “leopard spot” patterns found by the Mars Perseverance Rover and what they could mean [28:23];*Listener question on how nebulae relate to the creation of the Earth [32:20];*Sean’s take on the panspermia hypothesis [33:30]; *A new hypothesis Sean is working on - let’s search for signs of the emergence of life in the solar system, not just signs of life . . . is life emerging somewhere right now and if so, what would that even look like? [40:23];*Sean’s advice to high school students interested in this field [42:33]

In this mini episode, astrobiologist Sean Jordan (Dublin City University) talks about his lab’s work on lipids and the origins of cell membranes. While the earliest cell membranes, aka protocell membranes, were quite different from the cell membranes of today, they also share some important biochemical similarities. Please click below to fill out the survey for this episode:Science Fare Podcast Feedback FormScience Fare Podcast website