Skype a Scientist Live

I grew up in New Philadelphia, OH and have always been interested in animals. I participated in 4-H equine projects and milked cows at local dairy farms in high school, but did not decide I wanted to pursue veterinary medicine until I was in college at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. There I earned a BA in Molecular Biology and minor in Environmental Studies. I went to veterinary school at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and have worked for the 5 years since serving the dairy, beef, equine, sheep, goat, and camelid patients and clients of Western NY state with the Perry Veterinary Clinic.

Caitlin Cunningham is a PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Studies at Dalhousie University. Her research looks at how cities can be better designed to support wildlife and meet biodiversity conservation goals. She is especially interested in how small spaces, like lawns and roadside verges can be used as wildlife habitat in the city. In her spare time, she is on a mission to find the best climbing tree in Halifax and the best recipe for peanut butter baked goods.

An internationally renowned archaeologist with more than thirty seasons of excavation experience, Prof. Eric H. Cline has conducted fieldwork from Greece and Crete to Egypt, Israel, and Jordan. Drawing on his forthcoming book, Digging Deeper, Cline will answer questions that archaeologists are most frequently asked: How do you know where to dig? How are excavations actually done? How do you know how old something is? This session will be filled with insights and practical advice about how archaeology really works. The webinar will begin with a short introduction and then will be opened up to the audience for a live Q&A session with Prof. Cline.​ Dr. Eric H. Cline is Professor of Classics and Anthropology, former Chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and current Director of the Capitol Archaeological Institute at The George Washington University (GWU), in Washington DC. He is an active field archaeologist, with more than 30 seasons of excavation and survey experience in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Cyprus, Greece, Crete, and the United States. He is a former co-director at Megiddo (biblical Armageddon), where he dug from 1994 through 2014, and is currently co-directing the excavations at Tel Kabri in northern Israel, site of a 4,000-year-old Canaanite palace, where they have discovered the remains of the oldest and largest wine cellar so far known from the ancient Near East.

This webinar presents evidence for the late Roman/early Byzantine leprosy epidemic that affected Thebes, and probably a much wider area of Greece. It  also will look at individuals who were buried in two mass graves, suggesting that they died in a catastrophic event, such as an epidemic disease. The Justinianic plague, known to be the first wave of bubonic plague to sweep through Europe, was ravaging the Mediterranean world during the centuries this cemetery was in use.  We anticipate that DNA analysis will identify the disease that killed the individuals in these mass graves, but we know already that many of them also were suffering from leprosy when they died. Maria Liston received a BA and MA in Classics a BA and PhD in Anthropology from the University of Tennessee.  She is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Waterloo, ON, and a 2020-2021 Honorary Research Associate in the Malcom H. Wiener Laboratory of Archaeological Sciences at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens.  She is a skeletal biologist and archaeologist, focusing on the excavation and analysis of human remains and their mortuary contexts. She co-authored The Agora Bone Well (2018), a study of a well containing 449 infant and fetal skeletons, probably deposited by midwives working in Hellenistic Athens.  She is currently documenting skeletons from an early Christian cemetery found in in the Sanctuary of Apollo in Thebes. This cemetery was associated with an early hospice or hospital; many of the individuals buried there suffered from leprosy, and two mass graves suggest there were victims of the Plague of Justinian, and she will be talking about this project in the webinar.

Dr. Murty Studies the influence of neuromodulatory systems on both memory and memory-guided decisions using human neuroimaging.

Dr. Russ Buono is a science educator and researcher in molecular biology and the genetics of the human brain and disease states.

Chelsea Connor is a herpetologist focusing on anoles at university in Texas. She's studying the interactions between an invasive species, Anolis cristatellus (Crested anole), and an endemic species, Anolis oculatus (Eyed anole), on the Commonwealth of Dominica where she's from. Chelsea is also a science communicator who loves sharing fun facts about anoles on her Twitter page with #DidYouAnole.

Dr. Wei Wei is a plant pathologist at the United States Department of Agriculture. She obtained her PhD in Microbiology from Oregon State University. Her research focuses on understanding the interactions between bacterial pathogens and their plant hosts to help improve plant disease control and prevention strategies. When she is not working in the lab, Wei enjoys painting, cooking, and traveling.

Peter Soroye is a PhD Student in Biology at the University of Ottawa studying the impacts of climate change and habitat loss on pollinators. Peter's research focuses on pollinators like bumblebees and butterflies, but he's interested in finding solutions to help wildlife more broadly. When not doing research, Peter enjoys camping, hiking, playing basketball, and listening to rap/hip-hop.

Dr Chris Baker is an ecologist who uses DNA sequencing to work out how species interact. His current research uses DNA from blood-feeding leeches to measure animal biodiversity in the Ailao Mountains of China’s Yunnan Province. His previous research took him to the savannas of Kenya where he worked on termites that grow fungus for food, and ants that protect trees from elephants and giraffe. Website: bakerccm.github.io Twitter: @bakerccm

Dr. Rob O’Malley is an evolutionary anthropologist and primate behavioral ecologist who works for the American Association for the Advancement of Science in the Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) program (www.aaas.org/DoSER). The program fosters constructive science engagement between scientific and religious communities, recognizing that these often overlap. He will share some background and best practices for scientists, educators, and others, drawing on DoSER’s recent and ongoing projects.  He also hopes to learn about others’ perspectives and experiences related to this area of science engagement.

Aarin A Williams, MS, LCGC Licensed Certified Genetic Counselor MS Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling, Stanford University. BS Biology, Howard University. Aarin currently practices prenatal, cancer and general genetics at Kaiser Permanente Southern California. Loydie A. Jerome-Majewska, PhD Ph.D. Columbia University, Post-doc: Sloan Kettering Institute, Associate Professor at McGill University, Depts of Pediatrics, Human Genetics and Anatomy and Cell Biology. Dr. Jerome-Majewska studies the genetic and molecular basis of abnormal organ development in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and spliceosomopathies.

Tykee James moved to DC and joined the National Audubon Society as Government Affairs Coordinator in December of 2018. His background is highlighted with experience as an environmental educator, community organizer, and environmental policy advisor in his hometown, Philly. Tykee is a birder and his passion for the hobby stems from his experience seeing how environmental health reflects community health.  wildlifeobservernetwork.com Twitter: @Tykee_James Instagram: @TykeeJames