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

We share the earth with a wide array of diverse animals, insects, and plants. Within our day-to-day life, however, we might only come across a few of the many species residing on this planet. One type of small and abundant creature we see a lot of is the ant! Ants are incredibly diverse, and with such a wide variety in behavior, I began to wonder more about these little critters. Luckily, I had the incredible opportunity to interview Dr. Andrew Suarez, an Assistant Professor of Entomology, or the study of insects, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Suarez specializes in ant ecology and behavior. So put your worker hat on, and follow me into the ant hill, as we learn more about Dr. Suarez, and these tiny creatures.

Continue reading “Into the Ant Hill: An Interview with Entomologist Dr. Suarez”

By Rowan Dunbar, C2ST Intern, University of Illinois Chicago

When I first moved to Chicago for college, I quickly realized the city’s love for outdoor recreation. Water plays a key part in how many Chicagoans spend their free time, from the Chicago Riverwalk to the beaches of Lake Michigan. However, I struggled to understand why my friends would want to walk the shoreline – much less swim in an unchlorinated body of water. I knew that Chicago’s drinking water comes from Lake Michigan and that Chicago has ‘good water,’ which means it is generally clean or safe, so why did this free body of water intimidate me so much? That is when I realized that the river I grew up by – its bank covered in broken glass, bottle caps, and cigarette butts – is home to one of America’s most polluted waterways – and is the only endangered river in Illinois: the Ohio River.   

Continue reading “From The Ohio River To The Great Lakes: Exploring The Health of Waterways”

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

After a long winter full of sharp winds and freezing temperatures, the first warm and sunny day is often welcomed with open arms. Perhaps you feel more optimistic about the future, or perhaps more productive than you were in winter. Animals also become more active in spring – whether that be bears waking up from hibernation or birds migrating from one region to another. For many people, it may seem as if spring is the season to ‘get things done’, as opposed to winter or fall. However, why might many people feel less productive in winter or fall? Why do we as humans experience such mood fluctuations depending on the season?

Continue reading “Why the Changing Seasons Might Make You ‘SAD’”

By Elizabeth Carroll, C2ST Intern, Loyola University

Upon the long-awaited onset of spring, a thawing Midwest greets millions of migratory birds as they return for the northern hemisphere’s warm season. The soft calls of songbirds and the less pleasant honks of Canada Geese replace our alarm clocks as a reminder of the warm weather to come. But a bird’s migration is no small task, even for the toughest and most resilient species. Traveling from wintering grounds to breeding grounds can be a several thousand mile journey teeming with a wide variety of predators, perilous weather, and unpredictable resource availability. Threats of climate change throughout their migration routes amplify birds’ vulnerability to these dangers.

Continue reading “Migratory Birds Feel the Heat”

By Rowan Dunbar, C2ST Intern, University of Illinois Chicago

In part one, Engineering Justice: Centering Disabled Voices in STEMM, we learned more about how STEMM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) need to incorporate disabled folks to create more innovative science. To dive deeper into the issues currently faced by disabled folks in the workforce and academia, I spoke with Timotheus “T.J.” Gordon, Jr., an autistic researcher and disability advocate. He has done work surrounding intersectionality within the disabled community, specifically neurodiversity and the black community, sexuality and disability, and self-advocacy.

By Rowan Dunbar, C2ST Intern, University of Illinois Chicago

Maybe you’ve heard, “The body remembers what the mind does not.” This phrase and its spin-offs are used to refer to the body’s physical response to certain stimuli due to trauma, even when someone may not fully remember their traumatic experience. This is an evolutionary response that humans have historically needed for survival. After all, recognizing a threat and knowing how to react are key to the survival of any living creature. However, the mind also doesn’t like to hold onto memories of pain because dwelling on them for too long can lead to unnecessary stress. Epigenetics is how your behaviors or environment can cause changes in how your genes work. The process of epigenetics is also affected by traumatic memories, so in that way, our DNA reflects, records, or ‘remembers’ our lived experience. 

Continue reading ““Epigenetics: The Tale of Your Childhood Memories” By Your DNA”