Learning what you need to know

The heart of being a scientist lies in experimental design and statistics.  If students can understand statistics and use that to design experiments in the classroom (in addition to learning how to observe nature), then America can have more scientists.

Connecting with Nature

I lay in bed unable to sleep.  Too excited by the conclusions I had made about learning science.  About how it all starts with observing nature, and then about learning how to study nature.  I started thinking about Winged Migration and feeling connected with nature through sitting and observing.  I sought the truth in that moment.  In knowing nature.  So often school is so detached from nature.  We are removed from it through the exercises, the books, the worksheets.  We put nature in a box.  We kill it instead of bringing it to life.  The way science is taught, we can't actually experience it.  I realized that I had been craving that feeling for so incredibly long.  Someone had told me once that I have a natural connection with nature.  I began focusing on that.  The emotion became so intensified and I felt so connected with the universe (it is weird, I felt something I've never felt before) - I felt as if I was communicating to some Gaia, some portal.  I felt like all the molecules in my body were interfacing with all of the other molecules around me in my physical space (my bed).  I didn't recognize myself as separate from the objects around me....I could only feel the bond energy between my elements and those of my elemental surroundings.  It was amazing.   It was very three dimensional and layered and colorful.  It was more intense than an orgasm, but not entirely in a physical way, in sort of a mental way.  It was like a mental and emotional orgasm (as opposed to a physical and emotional orgasm).

Making Biology Come To Life

Biology is the study of life.  Biology is the exploration of nature, of observing creatures interacting with their environment and understanding how organisms adapt, grow, and reproduce in those environments.  Biology is highly sensational, beautiful, engaging and amazing.  Those who study biology are biologists.

So, why then, are we not teaching students to be biologists in our biology classrooms?  Why are our classrooms filled with worksheets, powerpoints, diagrams, and books instead of more sensational interactive media?  If we want biologists, we need students to engage with the content.  The first component of scientific inquiry is observation.  Our students must practice observing first and developing into biologists.  All actions in a biology classroom must aspire to be biologist oriented.  We must aspire to go beyond "student" and go into "biologist - one who studies life."

Removing the Guesswork Out of Sustainable Sushi

Unagi, hamachi, ebi, sake, shiromaguro, ahi....What do these names mean? If you are salivating just reading this, you know these popular Japanese sushi terms for eel (fresh water), yellowtail, shrimp, salmon, albacore tuna, and yellowfin tuna, respectively. The American appetite for sushi abounds. But which of these choices are sustainable to consume and which should be avoided? Which restaurants serve sustainable sushi? If you're retrieving your Seafood WATCH mobile phone app (or your pocket guide), kudos to you.

Dragon Roll

Frequenting a sushi restaurant is an artful and unique dining experience. Ornate sushi boats, deft Itamaes (sushi chefs), hand-thrown cups of hot green tea and colorful and dazzling plates of sushi delight all senses. Great care is taken in the creation of each dish. Even the names of dishes are artfully crafted, i.e. the "Dragon," the "Spider," the "Rainbow" and "Alaska" and serve to ontologize their presentation.

It comes as no surprise then that a discerning eye for the sustainability of these incredible edibles oftentimes is veiled by a sense of guilty pleasure. And even if you muster the courage to ask your Itamae for the details of your maguro sashimi, your Itamae will often only be able to verify the species, cut, and grade of the fish.

Seawatch Logo, Yellowfin Tuna


While a quick glance at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium's Seafood WATCH sushi guide steers consumers clear of unagi and hamachi sushi, other items, namely tuna, can be very difficult to ascertain for sustainability. The complexity arises in the way items are listed on the menu. Menu offerings do not always specify type of fish and exclude how the fish was harvested. Notably, the five species of tuna used for sushi, aka maguro, (yellowfin, bigeye, bluefin, albacore, and skipjack) are each harvested in different parts of the world and vary greatly in the way their stocks are managed. Most threatened of them all is wild bluefin tuna, quintessentially referred to as toro - the belly of the fish. Bluefin stocks are over 90% depleted from 1950's levels and should be avoided entirely. And unfortunately, only higher-end sushi restaurants offer their customers 'sustainably' (controversial) farmed Kindai maguro. Albacore ("white tuna" or shiromaguro), if harvested properly, is a good alternative to bluefin. The best option includes albacore harvested from the U.S. or Canadian Pacific via troll or pole-and-lines, though albacore harvested from Hawaii using a longline is a good alternative.

Project FishMap iPhone App

With all of this complexity, how do you find sushi bars that offer sustainably harvested fish? Enter Project FishMap, the latest addition to the Seafood WATCH iPhone app. Project FishMap, in the words of Humberto Kam is a "crowdsourced effort to help people find ocean-friendly seafood, no matter where they live." People can tag restaurants and markets across the United States when they find ocean-friendly seafood. With Project FishMap, now not only can you search mobilely for sustainable sushi bars near you, you can also easily contribute content to the growing database of sustainable seafood restaurants and markets.

Salmon Nigiri

If no sustainable sushi bars exist in your area, have no fear! Also new to Seafood WATCH sushi guide: recommended alternatives to items on the “Avoid” list, and highlights of “Super Green” seafood that is heart-healthy, low in contaminants, and caught or farmed in ways that are good for the oceans. Also, from their website you can explore new flavors, like arctic char (iwana) and geoduck(mirugai), from the "Green List" that you've never tried before. Before indulging in your next hedonistic sushi delight, consider informing yourself about the fish you will inevitably be allured by.

The Spotted Owl: a Flagship species Sailing a Sinking Ship

If you've been following the debate about the recovery plan for the spotted owl, a species whose population is declining by 4% per year, you've heard the outcry over potentially shooting the invasive barred owl in the name of the Endangered Species Act. The US population of the barred owl is so widespread, however, that attempts to cull this species to save the spotted owl from their rapid decline will most likely serve no purpose other than to anger environmentalists.

Here's an interesting thought: What if we don't shoot the barred owl? What if we wait for the US WFS to complete its ten year study of barred owl management? With the current rate of decline, that would mean that in 6 years, 40% fewer spotted owls would remain compared to 2008 levels. Though I am uncertain, the species might be extinct by then. The result of inaction? Environmentalists will be happy because barred owls were spared. But perhaps more riveting, is that loggers, so too, will be happy - as soon as the spotted owl goes extinct, so will the need to maintain the habitat conservation plan.

What happened to Evolutionary and Organismal Biology?

How come we are led to believe that the natural world is exciting and beautiful when we are kids?  Well, of course, we are taught this because nature is wonderous and teaches so much about sustainability, economics, living in a competitive environment, just to name a few.  Why have so many working adults lost that sense of wonder and appreciation of the world around them?  Even by the entrance of high school students are steered away from "old world" topics of organismal biology and evolutionary biology and into molecular and cellular biology. 

How come the scientific community, as George Bartholomew believed, is compartmentalizing biology?  We have torn apart nature into miniature topics like genetics, molecular biology, microbiology, synthetic biology...and in effect lost the whole picture of what biology is.  We biologists like the sexy and specialized topics of 'gene therapy' and 'synthetic biology' and have stopped looking around us at the wonderous marvels of the natural world.  

What compounds this problem is that people prize technology, business or highly skilled professions, ie doctors/lawyers for their money making potential.  High school students are in a FRENZY to get into college.  They want to go to the best college that will reward them with the highest paying job.  They know that working in a field of technology or business or some highly skilled profession, ie a doctor or lawyer will accomplish this.  Since evolution is not typically associated with technology and the promise of financial security, it becomes easily recognizable why our sense of wonder has all but been lost.

Our sense of wonder has been further impaired by the advent of the mobile device applications and advanced computer graphic programs by keeping us focused and addicted on a virtual reality.  Perfect example: toys - kids now have virtual pet tigers and robotic dogs - what are parents teaching?!  Why go outside and explore when you can have the world in front of you at a push of a button?

When a majority of biologists are so removed from the natural world, who is going to save the natural world?  In the age of communication, globalization and technology, examining the natural world seems like an archaic topic.  It appears through the public lens that the former is diametrically opposed from the later.  Consequently, nature has become abused through neglect.

 

People may argue that there is a large task force in effect to conserve our natural resources.  They are right - we are working on new technologies to reduce our fuel dependency, making products that have incorporated life cycle analyses, increasing public policy awareness of sustainability, practicing more efficient building practices and developing green chemistry...etc.

However, I believe that these changes towards sustainability require a concurrent momentum shift in behavior from the general public.  The general public, and not just children, need to continuously appreciate the beautiful designs of nature.  We need to never stop wondering about the natural world.  

Thus, making nature appear important and revelant is of utmost urgency in order for the public to reawaken its natural curiosity for the outdoors, the natural world, and the beautiful wonders that lie hidden for our discovery.  Finding effective portals to reach out to audiences of all ages and approaching education from fresh angles are the challenges educators face.  No matter how it's done, we must be inspiring and engaging with our voice of nature's wisdom.

TED: Ideas Worth Spreading

I watched several TED talks today and wanted to  summarize my notes for Rof1.   I was first introduced to TED talks, by the way, by Biomimicry Institute's funding director, Diana Lee.  She was the one that told me about Janine Benyus's talk about biomimicry.  

The three talks all fell within my favorite TED theme: "Animals that Amaze." One speaker was a filmographer with a love for cephlapods, another was a chef with a love for sustainable seafood, and another was a biologist with a curiosity about dragonflies.  All talks were informative and inspiring and caught my attention because of possible career paths that I have considered at one point.

Talk1

Event: TED Talks, April 2010  

Series: Mission Blue Voyage

Speaker: Mike deGruy, Filmographer

Topic: "Hooked by an octopus"

Abstract: Mike DeGruy tells his journey becoming a world renowned underwater filmographer. His love for cephlapods began at age six as he was observing an octopus.  An assignment during his PhD studies to film a collection expedition got him hooked into filmography.  Being a filmmaker is rewarding for him as a scientist, he says, as he is really able to study these animals in their natural environments.

Significance:  Filming cephlapods increased deGruy's appreciation and love for nature and he hopes to raise awareness through his videos for people to act locally to bring about global environmental changes.

Overall Reaction of talk: deGruy is a wonderful storyteller.  He is truely awed by nature and he wants to share that wonder with others.  His love of cephlapods led him to become a filmmaker and has become very successful filming for the BBC, National Geographic, Nature, as well as owning his own film production company.  I had never considered filmography before I heard his talk, but being able to really watch animals in their natural environments is intruiging.  Being able to showcase this beauty to viewers would be fantastic.

Photo taken from TED Talk website.

Talk2

Event: TED Talks, Mar 2010 

Series: TED2010, Long Beach, CA

Speaker: Dan Barber, Sustainable Chef

Topic: "How I Fell in Love with a Fish"

Abstract: Dan explored a sustainable fish farm in Spain which does not use feed, measures success based on the health of its predators, and purifies the water which it is supplied.  The consequence is a sustainable system and delicious fish.

Significance:  He stressed that we need a revolution in the way we raise farmed food.  We need to switch our mentality from trying to feed more people for cheaper, to that of making healthy, delicious tasting food that is sustainable for our environment.

Overall Reaction of talk:  I was inspired by Dan's exploration of this topic and spread the word about his talk.

Talk3

Event: TED Talks, Dec 2009

Series: TEDIndia2009

Speaker: Charles Anderson

Topic: Charles Anderson discovers the insect world's greatest migrant.  

Abstract:  Anderson described how he discovered the globe skimmer dragonfly migrations from India to South East Africa using the intermonsoon winds.  He explained that they breed in temperate pools during the monsoon rains.  The monsoon rains are heavy from Jun through Oct in India and heavy from Oct to Apr in SE Africa.  Thus, the dragonflies migrate in search of rain in which to breed (breed in areas where there is greatest convergence).  

Significance:  Globe skimmers have the longest insect migration - 16km w/in four generations (dble that of monarch butterflies).  This migration impacts the birds which prey upon these dragonflies - these birds must migrate the same distance using the same winds in search for food.

Overall Reaction of talk:  Dr. Anderson made me curious about other long distance migrators.  Here is an excerpt from The Independent: 

The longest aerial migrations are still those of birds. The Arctic tern travels every winter from Britain to the Southern Ocean and sometimes even reaches Australia – a round trip of more than 22,000 miles. The longest single non-stop journey is believed to be that of the bar-tailed godwit, a wading bird, which has been shown to fly 8,000 miles across the Pacific from Alaska to New Zealand in a continuous uninterrupted flight lasting eight days. When the godwits arrive and land on the coast near Christchurch, the Christchurch cathedral bells are rung.

ALAMY

References:

Buncombe, A. "From India to Mozambique, the insect world's greatest migrant."  The Independent (July 21, 2009).