By Donnisa Edmonds, C2ST Intern, University of Chicago

Keith Johnson, Ph.D., Professor of Linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, studies how language and the brain interact. For the past few years, Dr. Johnson has been working with a research group at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) on phonetic neuroscience. I recently sat down with Dr. Johnson to discuss this topic.

Continue reading “Bridging Language and the Brain: An Interview with Keith Johnson, Ph.D.”

By Hayden Nelson, C2ST Intern, University of Chicago

At a long-term monitoring site at Tatoosh Island in northern Washington, researchers noticed an unexpected trend in their pH data. “We thought maybe it was a mistake,” recalls Dr. Cathy Pfister, an ecology and conservation scientist. “But after lots of checking and double-checking…it became really clear. Ocean pH was declining at our long-term study site.”

Continue reading “Under the Sea: The Invisible Changes to Ocean Life”

By Rowan Dunbar, C2ST Intern, University of Illinois Chicago

I remember sitting down a few years ago to write what was the most important essay of my life – my personal statement for college. With just 500 words, I recounted how my life experiences had led to my interest in biomedical engineering, particularly how engineering solutions have the potential to address barriers to quality healthcare for marginalized communities. However, throughout my time in college, I stumbled upon the fact that many treatments never reach the people who could benefit the most from it, and this is something many engineers do not expect or account for. That is why it stood out to me when I heard Dr. Joshua Leonard speak about access to treatment at Northwestern University this past summer. I decided to interview Dr. Leonard to dig deeper. Continue reading “Synthetic Biology as a Tool to Advance Human Health: An Interview with an Expert”

By Donnisa Edmonds, C2ST Intern, University of Chicago

In 2021, the FDA announced that they had approved Wegovy, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, as a treatment for chronic weight management. Since then, it feels like every pharmaceutical company has jumped at any opportunity to push their own GLP-1 drug for weight loss or weight management. In turn, use of these medications has skyrocketed. Recent reports suggest that as of 2022, 12% of adults in the United States have taken a GLP-1 agonist for weight loss at some point. 

These medications are widely viewed as a win for people struggling with weight loss. However, many are also concerned about their long-term physical and mental effects, particularly for people with eating disorders. 

To properly discuss these concerns, it’s important to first understand how GLP-1 drugs actually work.

Continue reading “GLP-1 Drugs and Eating Disorders: A Hidden Risk in the Weight Loss Revolution”

By Ella Heckman, C2ST Intern, Loyola University

Vaccines are tools of modern medicine used in keeping us safe and healthy from the spread of disease. The science of vaccination has come a long way in the last 200 years since the first vaccine, the smallpox vaccine, was developed in 1796. As science has developed, so too has the role of the public in deciding whether or not to get vaccinated against preventable diseases. This includes you, too! The amount of information available to us in making these decisions can be overwhelming, especially if we don’t understand the science. 

Continue reading “Vaccines: No Risk, No Reward”