Science Cheerleader

My close friend Ame and I met the first day of college. An unlikely pairing we would realize years later: Ame, the non-partying, Jewish sorority sister; me, the blonde cheerleader who held a beer bong record (outpacing even the TKE frat boys). We’re almost grown up now and after 20 years together, we’re practically sisters. The most obvious difference between us is my affinity for–and Ame’s lack of interest in–science. 

On Monday, Ame’s world was turned upside-down. The unthinkable happened.  Her 7-year-old daughter, Morgan, was sent home from school because she felt tired and said her “heart hurt.” Within hours, she was diagnosed with cancer. As her parents kept a bedside vigil, Morgan’s white blood cell count climbed to 136,000. As sick as she felt, Morgan greeted me with her trademark “Hi, Dar!”  and never let her daddy out of her sight.

Yesterday, I sat with Morgan’s parents–Ame and Gene–and listened as the doctors at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia  explained what type of leukemia Morgan has and detailed treatment options. I could barely comprehend the complicated charts and data despite the gentle tone and soft words the doctors carefully chose. “How will I translate all this for Ame?” I thought to myself. My arrogant thoughts were interrupted when she said: “So, Morgan has a high risk type of PreB A.L.L. We’re relieved it’s not AML.  We’re looking at 2.5 years of treatment between induction and maintenance. I understand the possible side effects of the various medications. I’d prefer a Pic to a Port–heard a nurse talking about Pic….”

Ame personified what science literacy experts preach: “average” citizens can understand complex science information when the information is relevant and meaningful and the sources are trusted. 

I returned to Morgan’s hospital room where she’ll spend the next month or so. “Dar! Look at my sticker book!” Spirits were lifted. Hope prevailed. Mostly because of Morgan’s cheery smile but also due to the encouraging words from her doctors. Many, many children survive her form of leukemia.

Today, in addition to giving thanks to God for my family and friends, I’d like to give thanks for Morgan. And all who love her are grateful for the scientists and engineers who have devoted their careers to finding ways to keep Morgan in our lives for many years to come.  

Happy Thanksgiving.

Thank YOU. Now go change the world!

And the web site rose into the top 1/4 of 1% of most visited sites on the internet. 

In a post election letter to nearly 40,000 supporters of elevating science in the elections, Science Debate CEO Shawn Otto highlighted several pivotal successes and addressed the need for further action. I intended to sum them up and report on them here but it’s nearly impossible to improve upon Shawn’s letter.  Read his concise and compelling letter.

The only bit of new news I can add, not included in Shawn’s letter,  is this: Germany, the Netherlands and South Africa are taking the Science Debate international.

Want to help, literally, change the world? Then join us!

“Us” = The six founders of Science Debate 2008: Matthew Chapman, Austin Dacey, Sheril Kirshenbaum, Lawrence Krauss, Chris Mooney, and Shawn Lawrence Otto.  They were later joined by team members Darlene Cavalier and Erik Beeler.  Science Debate 2008’s database and email communication infrastructure is made possible with pro-bono support from The DataBank, which we gratefully acknowledge.

Karen Laverty of PBS affiliate WGBH dropped me a line about a brand new NOVA show premiering on Tuesday 11/25 on PBS.

“Ocean Animal Emergency”  shows ocean mammals being rescued from the wild, tagged (see left; photo credit: Doug Hamilton) and released or cared for by the vets and wildlife volunteers (citizen scientists!) from the world-renowned Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA.

The volunteer citizen scientists at the Center racked up 81,000 hours last year and saved the Center an estimated $800,000! After they’re trained, they handle everything from cleaning pens to preparing food, updating medical charts, administering antibiotics and taking blood samples. 

“Like canaries in the coal mine,” Karen explains,  ”the marine mammal populations are a barometer for the health of the world’s oceans.”  

Here’s a colorful radio piece I did on a related topic: the Shad (aka: Philadelphia’s fish). Shad move from the ocean to the river to spawn, then return to the ocean. Shad fishermen are often the first to learn about the conditions of rivers. When there’s no shad to be had, pollution is the primary suspect.

If you’re interested in learning how to monitor the water in your area (including the source of your drinking water), the EPA has a national directory of volunteer water monitoring programs. Check it out!

Here’s one of many. (Thanks for the leads James@procheerleaderblog.com who interviewed me a few months ago.) Summer Williams (believe it or not, that’s her real first name) is an aerospace engineer at NASA and former professional cheerleader.

Soon, you’ll find a “Hot Women in Science and Engineering” photo gallery here on Science Cheerleader. I aim to please. Nominations are encouraged. I hope this inspires more girls to take a second look at science and engineering as a career. I suspect it might turn more guys onto the fields, as well.

Hey kids! Have you caught the latest dance fever? The Funky Monkey? The Charlie Brown? The Adhesion and Endocytosis in Neuronal Migration? It’s all the rage!  

Particularly at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The AAAS reps a group of 65,000+prestigious scientists. Note to self: post that interview you did with AAAS CEO Alan Leshner.

Sooooooo.Believe it or not, the AAAS is hosting a Dance Contest! The contest is open to anyone who has (or is pursuing) a Ph.D. in any scientific field regardless of whether you’ve remained in academia. NOTE: Deadline is strict in the AAAS meaning of the word: Submit entries “Not later than 23:00 EST 16 November 2008.”

If, like me, you’re three letters shy of earning your Ph.D., fear not. You can VOTE for your favorite by viewing the youtube clip. The winner of the most popular category is determined by the number of views. I hear there’s even talk of a world tour for the winners! Here’s something to whet your appetite:   

Terrie Miller is an amateur naturalist, citizen scientist, permaculturist and writer who lives in Northern Calfornia.  She’s the publisher of the Citizen Science Projects Weblog. (You can find more of her writing at Grinning Jaguar.)

She’s also our first guest blogger! We asked Terrie to tell us more about permaculture, a fascinating citizen scientist opportunity:

“Permaculture is a design practice and way of life that seeks to establish human settlements that work as natural systems. It combines growing and harvesting food, soil management, natural building, watershed management, forestry, animal systems, intentional community building and other skills, all towards living in a way that’s sustainable.”

You can read Terrie’s full Permaculture article here.

 

 

Terrie’s a big fan of this, and other, citizen science projects as cures to ”nature-deficit disorder” (our disconnect from nature):

“Like many of my hawk watching friends, I joined Hawk Watch not for the science, but for the love of hawks. We questioned our own data, and discussed how it was influenced by factors like weather, resident vs. migrating hawks, and different observers. I began to see how citizen science was connecting us to the practice of science, but also helping to connect us back to nature. My experience as a citizen scientist was having a positive impact on my mental and emotional health.”

So how do we get from hawks and citizen science to food and the sustainability of our future? Find out in Terrie’s thoughtful and enlightening article, here.  (Let us know if you decide to give permaculture a shot! And, if anyone in Philadelphia is interested in pursuing this with me, let’s talk.)

 

Yesterday, Google announced Google Flu Trends, which uses “aggregated search data in an effort to confront the challenge of influenza outbreaks.” (From the Google Flu Trends site):

“We’ve discovered that there is a close relationship between how many people search for flu-related topics and how many people actually have flu symptoms. Our estimates, based on up-to-date aggregated Google search data, may indicate flu activity up to two weeks ahead of traditional flu surveillance systems.”

It’s an important project but I wish it provided more opportunities for the public to participate in the scientific processes of observing, recording, and comparing data. Like the Great Influenza Experiment (a Citizen Science project) hopes to do. At least, I think that’s what it intends to do…not much information on their 2-page website.

A quick glance at today’s flu prediction map of the U.S. hints that folks in North Carolina and Tennessee might be eating more fruits and veggies than their bordering neighbors to the north and south.

Google’s Flu Trends can  accurately estimate current flu levels one to two weeks faster than published CDC reports.

Are we bearing witness to the transformation of “big government” in its traditional form to “personalized government” via web-enabled technologies? 

Before you answer, consider this: It’s not just the Flu Google is targeting: 
“Google.org’s Predict and Prevent initiative supports efforts to identify hotspots where new infectious diseases may emerge, detect new pathogens and outbreaks earlier, and respond quickly to prevent local threats from becoming global crises. The Google Flu Trends team worked closely with the Predict and Prevent team as the product was developed, and we continue to look for ways to use Google’s tools and products to predict and prevent infectious disease outbreaks and other emerging threats.”

Imagine a world with no shortage of water, food, medical care and energy.

The Next Big Future reports this can happen when Singularity is achieved as early as the year 2029!

Singularity refers to a point in time when artificial intelligence (computers) catch up to be as intelligent as humans, then quickly outpace us, drastically altering the course of mankind.

Last week, the Singularity Summit 2008 (”the premier dialog on the Singularity”) took place in San Jose, California. Futurists got together to share data as well as concerns. And there are plenty of concerns. From the event website:

While some regard the Singularity as a positive event and work to hasten its arrival, others view the Singularity as dangerous, undesirable, or unlikely. The most practical means for initiating the Singularity are debated, as are how, or whether, it can be influenced or avoided if dangerous.

“As scientists we should also be saying ‘What are we working on? A force for good or bad?’ And responsibly consider societal impacts,” said Peter Norvig, Google Director of Research and a Summit participant.

Summit presenter, James Miller, associate professor of economics at Smith College said the mere belief that Singularity will be achieved soon, may lead to more cryonics (freezing the body so it might me resuscitated in the future).  “As more people think that future could be a vastly different placed shaped by technological advances, they are more likely to spend what it takes to be a part of it.”

Yikes!

Find out what’s already in the works to make this mind-blowing vision a reality and weigh in on the HUGE societal impacts, like Science Cheerleader subscriber Bart did on his blog.