This is the repository for all things C2ST. You can learn with videos of our past events, read articles concerning cutting-edge research and development in Chicago and elsewhere that will change our lives, check out C2ST in the news, and more! Use the Filter Media options below to browse C2ST’s content and discover something new!
We graciously thank The Brinson Foundation for their generous sponsorship of the C2ST Science Communication Internship in 2021-2024. As a result, an incredibly talented group of diverse STEM undergraduate and graduate scholars at area colleges and universities researched and developed over 125 blogs.* Enjoy-If you like, please share!
*As of 7.1.25
By Stephanie Sorich, C2ST Correspondent
We’ve all woken up to remember a strange dream. Maybe you were performing a concert at Madison Square Garden, and then given an award by your third grade teacher— but wait, that wasn’t your third grade teacher, it was Jennifer Lopez. And that wasn’t Madison Square Garden, it was the break room at your first ever job.
By Lindsey Ramirez, PhD, C2ST Correspondent
Electricity is essential to everyday life, yet, the process of how it works still baffles most of us. Dr. Brian Campbell Deem, full-time physics lecturer at Loyola University, explains how electricity starts with atoms.
By Donnisa Edmonds, C2ST Intern, University of Chicago
Keith Johnson, Ph.D., Professor of Linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, studies how language and the brain interact. For the past few years, Dr. Johnson has been working with a research group at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) on phonetic neuroscience. I recently sat down with Dr. Johnson to discuss this topic.
Continue reading “Bridging Language and the Brain: An Interview with Keith Johnson, Ph.D.”
By Hayden Nelson, C2ST Intern, University of Chicago
At a long-term monitoring site at Tatoosh Island in northern Washington, researchers noticed an unexpected trend in their pH data. “We thought maybe it was a mistake,” recalls Dr. Cathy Pfister, an ecology and conservation scientist. “But after lots of checking and double-checking…it became really clear. Ocean pH was declining at our long-term study site.”
Continue reading “Under the Sea: The Invisible Changes to Ocean Life”
By Rowan Dunbar, C2ST Intern, University of Illinois Chicago
I remember sitting down a few years ago to write what was the most important essay of my life – my personal statement for college. With just 500 words, I recounted how my life experiences had led to my interest in biomedical engineering, particularly how engineering solutions have the potential to address barriers to quality healthcare for marginalized communities. However, throughout my time in college, I stumbled upon the fact that many treatments never reach the people who could benefit the most from it, and this is something many engineers do not expect or account for. That is why it stood out to me when I heard Dr. Joshua Leonard speak about access to treatment at Northwestern University this past summer. I decided to interview Dr. Leonard to dig deeper. Continue reading “Synthetic Biology as a Tool to Advance Human Health: An Interview with an Expert”
By Donnisa Edmonds, C2ST Intern, University of Chicago
In 2021, the FDA announced that they had approved Wegovy, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, as a treatment for chronic weight management. Since then, it feels like every pharmaceutical company has jumped at any opportunity to push their own GLP-1 drug for weight loss or weight management. In turn, use of these medications has skyrocketed. Recent reports suggest that as of 2022, 12% of adults in the United States have taken a GLP-1 agonist for weight loss at some point.
These medications are widely viewed as a win for people struggling with weight loss. However, many are also concerned about their long-term physical and mental effects, particularly for people with eating disorders.
To properly discuss these concerns, it’s important to first understand how GLP-1 drugs actually work.
Continue reading “GLP-1 Drugs and Eating Disorders: A Hidden Risk in the Weight Loss Revolution”
