By Rowan Obach, C2ST Intern, Loyola University

The month of November is Native American History Month. 

Native Americans have contributed to major discoveries and processes across the STEM field. In 2019, C2ST held a panel on the topic of Ethnobotany and Conservation Practices which revealed how much Native culture has impacted the ethics of this field. Ethnobotany is the study of plants from an ethnic perspective. Multiple research projects into indigenous ethnobotany practices have sprung up over the years. For example, the University of Kansas started an Ethnobotany Research Project with the Ute Tribe of Colorado to identify new types of native plants and to understand their uses. They found multiple native plants whose purposes varied between food for consumption, regeneration through seed dispersion, and resources for creating native products. 

Continue reading “NASA Celebrates Native American Heritage Month”

By Summer Seligmann, C2ST Intern, Loyola University

The polio vaccine, HPV vaccine, and in vitro fertilization may sound familiar to many, but do you know where each of these breakthroughs came from? Each one of these incredible medical advances was discovered with the help of a tissue sample taken from one woman: Henrietta Lacks.

Continue reading “HeLa Cells: The Immortal Cell Line”

By Rowan Obach, C2ST Intern, Loyola University

Sites for research in space are reaching astronomical levels, with some scientists proposing the idea of an international workstation on the moon. The man who proposed this idea, Dr. Karan Jani, is an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Vanderbilt University and is an well acclaimed astrophysicist in the field.

Continue reading “The Race to Space: Who’ll be the First to Conduct Research on the Moon?”

By Laura Tran, C2ST Intern, Rush University

Have you ever wondered why you organize your ducks in a row? It’s physics! 

Ducklings swimming behind their mother in ponds and lakes is a common sight. Similarly, when we often see birds flying in a V-shape formation¹, this is to conserve energy. Each bird flies slightly above the bird in front of them to reduce wind resistance. But what about ducklings?

Continue reading “Just Keep Swimming: The Physics of Ducks”

By Laura Tran, C2ST Intern, Rush University

From the moment we’re born, we have already begun the process of aging. As we grow and mature, so do our cognitive abilities. Our cognitive abilities are the ways that our brain works to remember, reason, think, and pay attention. In fact, many of these skills peak within the first few decades of life. However, some of these abilities gradually decline over time. You may find yourself having a harder time remembering a fact or learning a new skill as you get older. This is a natural part of life, but it is not always the case. We see a phenomenon in some individuals called “super-agers”¹. These super-agers are people who are in their 70’s or 80’s and have a remarkably good memory. So good that their memory rivals that of people in their 50’s or 60’s! But just what is the secret to living a long life without any diminishing cognitive abilities? 

Continue reading “Aging: The Race Against Time”

By Rowan Obach, C2ST Intern, Loyola University

Previously, C2ST published an article explaining unconscious bias. This bias can manifest itself in different ways, including in the representation of minorities in media and scientific research. The recent successes of Shang-Chi: Legend of the Ten Rings and Squid Game have shown the commercial and critical viability of Asian or Asian-American led productions, but there is an alternate side to that success. While these incredible shows have brought joy and success to many Asian Americans, only a year ago many Asian Americans were the targets of harassment due to the perceived, albeit unfounded, connections between Asian-Americans and the origin/transmission of the COVID-19.

Continue reading “Asian American Representation in STEM & Media: Why It Matters”