pandemic – Locally Sourced Science

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Email | RSS | More

Esther Racoosin speaks with Dr. Kelly Zamudio, Professor in the Cornell Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

Type of frog affected by a pathogenic fungus — A frog species that has been affected by the emergent pathogenic chytrid fungus.

Dr. Zamudio studies how emergent pathogenic chytrid (KIT-rid) fungi species are affecting amphibian populations in the Americas.

During the interview, Zamudio talks about how the principle of One Health is essential for both guiding the preservation of amphibian biodiversity around the world, as well as protecting human health.

Candice Limper speaks with Dr. Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann who is who is a New York State Integrated Pest Management program official.

Gangloff-Kaufmann talks about a new bug in town called the spotted lanternfly, which is an invasive plant hopper that is native to China and likely arrived in North America hidden on goods imported from Asia. While this is a beautiful bug with all its spots and colors, it is posing a problem for some businesspeople in the local area. The reason for this is because it is eating plants such as those in the vineyards and orchards, which is not so great for business.

Comment on this post

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Email | RSS | More

In today’s episode, we interview scientists about new areas of research and exploration that were initiated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Jennifer Surtees (photo courtesy of Dr. Surtees)

First off, Janani Hariharan interviews Dr. Jennifer Surtees, Associate Professor of Biochemistry at the University at Buffalo, and Co-Director of UB’s Genome, Environment and Microbiome Community of Excellence. Dr. Surtees recently sequenced dozens of SARS-CoV-2 isolates, obtained from the Erie County Department of Public Health.

During the interview, Surtees discusses how the SARS-CoV-2 RNA sequences reveal the geographical origins of the different viral isolates. You can hear about what SARS-CoV-2 genomes look like, how genomics can inform public health guidelines, and how to access a public database that contains information on SARS-CoV-2 strains from around the world.

To learn more about Dr. Surtees’ research, go to http://medicine.buffalo.edu/faculty/profile.html?ubit=jsurtees

Dr. Jason Guss (photo courtesy of Dr. Guss)

Later in the show, Esther Racoosin speaks with Dr. Jason Guss, a former graduate student of the Cornell Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering. Guss, together with fellow Cornell alum Dr. Apoorva Kiran, established Iterate Labs.

Iterate Labs initially developed wearable devices that could improve workplace ergonomic safety. Now the devices are being modified to provide location awareness to prevent spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus in manufacturing workplaces. They also facilitate contact tracing when and if a worker contracts the virus. To learn more, visit https://iteratelabs.co/.

Today’s show concludes with an overview of the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability new rapid-response grants that are funding a variety of COVID-19-related Cornell research projects. To learn more, visit https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2020/08/cornell-atkinson-awards-250k-covid-research-grants.

————-

Producer: Liz Mahood

Co-Producer: Esther Racoosin

Interview of Dr. Jennifer Surtees: Janani Harihanan

Interview of Dr. Jason Guss: Esther Racoosin

Overview of Cornell Atkinson Center COVID-19 grants: Candice Limper

Music: Joe Lewis; Blue Dot Sessions

Comment on this post

Posts tagged as “pandemic”

LSS 104: Frog diseases, one health, pandemics, invasive species

LSS 94: Research Inspired by the COVID-19 Pandemic