SMoCS 2013 projects

The 2013 SMoCS (Science and Management of Contaminated Sites) classes are now complete.  The final projects were quite impressive.  They included a modeling project of PCB accumulation in mussels, a lab based experiment investigating the relationship between odor and toxicity in groundwater samples, a documentary on MTCA (Model Toxics Cleanup Act) and public participation, a documentary on a cleanup in Washington State, and a comic book on MTCA.

The links to the two documentaries are here:

MTCA and Public Participation

The Skykomish Cleanup

And here is the comic book:
The People Take a Stand Against Contaminon!

Let me know what you think - especially the comic book.  We're interested in how this format works as a way to communicate complex scientific and regulatory information.  Thanks!

 

New Wikipedia articles from Aquatic Toxicology class

The 2013 class projects in Aquatic Toxicology resulted in new contributions to Wikipedia, including:

Fish Acute Toxicity Syndrome (FATS)

Modes of Toxic Action

Pre-spawn mortality in Coho salmon

Tissue Residue

Toxicodynamics

Biosensor with your iPhone

My first thought was that it is indeed a Brave New World when I read about this new app and attachment that can turn an iPhone into a spectrophotometer.  That thought was quickly replaced by how cool this will be for Citizen Scientists, for me in the classroom, and for really tough field conditions (like my work in Peru last summer where I would have loved to use this).

Work by female scientists gets judged more harshly

Disturbing.  Another challenge women in scientific careers face.  I am just reading this summary of the actual study, but it seems to be well designed.  

http://www.health24.com/Lifestyle/Woman/News/Work-by-female-scientists-gets-judged-more-harshly-20130422

Pacific Northwest SETAC

Last month, a group of SMoCS and my lab research students went to Spokane for the regional SETAC conference.   It is always a nice experience to see a scientific conference for the first time through the eyes of students.  They start to understand what scientific professionals do, what this world is like...  This year was no exception.

There was a mining tour of the Coeur D'Alene valley on Thursday (I had to miss it because of teaching obligations, which I was SO bummed about), but the students were excited about what they had seen (they had made an agreement not to tell me how cool it was, knowing I would be disappointed that I missed it, but they were bubbling over with excitement and within 5 minutes of my arrival had already spilled the beans).  One of the students wrote a summary of the trip, which will be in the Spring/Summer 2013 regional newsletter. 

The lab research students did a great job with an oral presentation and 2 poster presentations.  One of the undergraduate students won "Best Undergraduate Poster" for her work on lichens as bioindicators of air pollution near train tracks.  (This student also just won an Outstanding poster award at the WWU Scholar's Week poster fair!). 

"Did I mention Americans are heavily armed? Do my Second Amendment rights outweigh someone else’s LNT mythology?"

I have a new favorite blog.  Dr. James Conca, who we visited last week in Richland, is a scientist who is able to take a complicated issue like nuclear power and nuclear waste, which also has complicated regulatory and policy components and an added layer of public fear and mistrust, and distill it down into the important components.

He has compelling arguments for why the linear no threshold (LNT - something my ESCI 333 students should know about) is an inaccurate and overly burdensome approach to limiting risk from radioactive materials.  The implications sometimes of being overly protective can be beneficial, but in the case of radioactive materials, the fear can be more damaging.  Complicated issues, for sure, but important ones for all of us to understand...

Hanford Take 2

We had 13 students in the Tri-Cities last week for a tour of Hanford and meetings with professionals who work in Richland on nuclear issues.  The tour was hosted by the Department of Energy and was so much fun.  I've been 3 times now and learn so much every time I go.

For many of the students, the highlights were Reactor B (soon to be a National Park) and the pump and treat system (where they pump contaminated groundwater out of the ground, treat it and pump it back into the ground).  All of this was a direct application of what the students have been learning in class (!).

The second day was, in some ways, even more interesting.  Dr. James Conca was gracious enough to meet us for breakfast and an early morning lecture.  We learned about nuclear waste and what the options are for disposing of it.  This included discussions of the Vitrification plant being built at Hanford, Yucca Mountain (no longer an option) and WIPP.  We also met with Anna King (NPR!).  She gave great advice to students on how journalists and scientists can best interact with each other.

We are fortunate to have so many people willing to help with the learning experience.  Thanks!