By Lauren Chan, PhD, C2ST Intern, University of Chicago

As someone who is lucky enough to have multiple tiny humans in their life, I am always on high alert when it comes to baby products and their safety. In the second half of 2025, notifications about infant formula contaminations and recalls had me messaging families with infants to be sure they heard the news. Surprisingly, this is not the only instance of formula contamination in recent years. In fact, multiple issues with formulas led to the launch of Operation Stork Speed in March 2025. This program focuses on increasing the safety and supply of infant formulas in the United States, with a particular focus on testing for contaminations. But what got us to the point of needing a new program to provide safe formula for babies? Let’s talk about recent contaminations, formula shortages, and feeding practices that led to the development of Operation Stork Speed. 

Continue reading “Bugs and babies: Safety Concerns for Formula-Fed Infants”

By Stephanie Sorich, C2ST Correspondent

We’ve all woken up to remember a strange dream. Maybe you were performing a concert at Madison Square Garden, and then given an award by your third grade teacher— but wait, that wasn’t your third grade teacher, it was Jennifer Lopez. And that wasn’t Madison Square Garden, it was the break room at your first ever job. 

Continue reading “Science of Everything: Lucid Dreaming”

By Lindsey Ramirez, PhD, C2ST Correspondent

Electricity is essential to everyday life, yet, the process of how it works still baffles most of us. Dr. Brian Campbell Deem, full-time physics lecturer at Loyola University, explains how electricity starts with atoms.

Continue reading “The Science of Everything: Electricity”

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”