By Rowan Dunbar, C2ST Intern, University of Illinois Chicago

With roughly sixteen percent of the world’s population being disabled, the disabled community makes up the largest minority group in the world. This is why I was shocked when I heard a colleague of mine say that disability ‘just isn’t that interesting’. We both worked at an internship program that focused on health disparities, defined as poor health outcomes due to social factors like racism, homophobia, or transphobia which go on to negatively affect the health of minorities and many communities. Amongst these, the disabled folks are not just one of the most prominent, but also one of the most intersectional and dynamic. 

Continue reading “Engineering Justice: Centering Disabled Voices in STEMM”

By Elizabeth Carroll, C2ST Intern, Loyola University

From keeping your peanut butter smooth to making your shampoo foamy, palm oil plays a role in about half of the products you see on grocery store shelves. The already extensive demand for palm oil continues to rise as it has been explored as an alternative to fossil fuels in recent years. In order to match supply to this demand, the area of land used to grow oil palm trees has doubled to 74 million acres since 2007. This thriving industry appears to promise fortunes for the foreseeable future, but the palm oil story is far from a fairytale in the eyes of wildlife — particularly orangutans.

Continue reading “The Problem with Palm Oil: One Industry’s Role in the Decline of Orangutans”

By Zyara Morton, C2ST Intern, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Earth is a remarkable planet that hosts all kinds of life. From glistening oceans with marvelous sea creatures to steamy rainforests with diverse wildlife, there are always new ways of life and living being discovered. With all of these complexities, one might begin to wonder: How did life form on Earth? Scientists have worked endlessly to answer this question, through the creation of many different hypotheses. However, before diving into these proposed answers, let’s first go over what is needed for life to exist.