Chicago is growing smarter every day. Want to know how? “The Array of Things is a collaborative effort among leading scientists, universities, local government, and communities to collect real-time data on urban environment, infrastructure, and activity for research and public use.” Over one hundred nodes are installed throughout Chicago and more are being added all the time. Join the Array of Things project leader, Charlie Catlett, and Chicago’s Chief Information Officer, Danielle DuMerer, as they talk about the founding of the project and what they hope to achieve in the future. Learn what the Array of Things is, what information it collects, and how it will inform the future of our city.

The Illinois Bicentennial is an important marker for the history of Illinois citizens. A narrative that is often overlooked in history and science is that of Native Americans. To remedy this and enrich the Bicentennial celebration, C2ST, in partnership with the Trickster Gallery, Chicago City Markets and the Mitchell Museum, is hosting an Indigenous Science program. This program will be made up of a panel of qualified experts in ethnobotany, sustainability, and conservation. The panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience and an interactive exhibit with examples of medicinal plants and herbs from the Trickster Gallery’s garden collection.

Continue reading “Indigenous Science: Ethnobotany and Conservation Practices”

By Lauren M. Segal

Many question the integrity of science, but few understand how it works.

Dr. Naomi Oreskes, a professor of the History of Science at Harvard University, once said in her Ted Talk, “Why Should we Trust Scientists?”, that “at the end of the day, what science is—what scientific knowledge is, is the consensus of the scientific experts who through this process of organized scrutiny, collective scrutiny have judged the evidence and come to a conclusion about it either yea or nay.”

Continue reading “Food Evolution: Advancing the GMO Debate”

Bionic limbs, robotic walking therapy, and brain stimulation are just some of the tools used to treat patients. Recent developments in the treatment of injuries and physical impairments have led to some amazing rehabilitation options for patients. Learn about the future of physical medicine and rehabilitation with our panel of experts in prosthetics, spinal cord injury, and cognitive and communication disorders.

Amidst a brutally polarizing debate marked by passion, suspicion and confusion, FOOD EVOLUTION​, from Academy Award®-nominated director Scott Hamilton Kennedy (The Garden, Fame High, OT: Our Town), explores the controversy surrounding GMOs and food. Traveling from Hawaiian papaya groves to banana farms in Uganda to the cornfields of Iowa, the film, narrated by esteemed science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson​, wrestles with the emotions and the science driving one of the most heated arguments of our time. In the GMO debate, both pro- and anti- camps claim science is on their side. Who’s right?

By Katie Rice, Medill Reports Chicago

Originally Published: http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/chicago-embraces-indigenous-legacy-through-ethnobotany/

 

When Gina Roxas was about four years old, she was hospitalized with a diagnosis of pneumonia.

Heartbroken at being separated from her family, she ripped the IVs out of her arms, cried and refused to eat while in the hospital. Her condition deteriorated, and doctors had to restrain her.

One day, her father came to visit her and told doctors he’d see what he could do about his daughter’s illness.

“He grabbed me, wrapped me in a blanket and walked out the door,” Roxas said. “And he [carried me to] my great-grandmother’s (house) and gave me to her. And she healed me. She healed me with her prayers, with her teas and with her herbal rubs. It’s not scientifically proven that I was healed, but I’m still here, right?”

 

Continue reading “Illinois Embraces Indigenous Legacy Through Ethnobotany”