Live from the 2019 National Science Writers Conference

The Symbiotic Podcast

This special live episode was recorded at SciWri 2019 - a national conference for science journalists hosted by Penn State in 2019. The panel featured a panel of ground-breaking Penn State researchers sharing their trials, tribulations, and hard-won best practices for trans-disciplinary life sciences research. The taping includes a live Q&A with the audience.
Relevant Links:

• National Association of Science Writers
• The Geomicrobiologist Searching for the Origins of Life
• Could squid protein be an eco-friendly answer to our plastic problem?
• Trailblazers: Sally Mackenzie’s Vision for the Future of Plants
• Researchers receive $10.2 million to study new malaria-prevention method

Guests:

• Jennifer Macalady – Combining geosciences and microbiology, Macalady explores life in deep caves, investigating the ecological rules that govern microbial behavior and evolution, and asking how can modern Earth microorganisms teach us about the biogeochemistry of the early Earth and signatures of life on other planets.
• Melik Demirel – Working at the convergence of materials and life sciences, Demirel focuses on self-healing, biodegradable synthetic alternatives to plastics. His research involves emerging manufacturing processes for materials, tissues, and devices; multiscale and multi-physics modeling, computational analysis; bio-nanoscience, and engineering.
• Sally Mackenzie – Through ground-breaking discoveries in epigenetics and plant plasticity, Makenzie’s work promises to enhance crop resiliency over the coming decades, in the face of global climate change. Her research integrates molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, epigenomics, computational biology, and phylogenetic approaches.
• Matthew Thomas – Engaging a wide range of scientific disciplines, Thomas is exploring the viability of an innovative new malaria-prevention technology for potential deployment across the developing world. His research combines entomology, evolutionary ecology, vector biology, biotechnology, agricultural sciences, mathematics, economics, and social sciences.