Episode 270 | Montani Semper Docere
You can't stop a mountain from teaching!
00:00:00 - This episode Ryan is joined by returning guest Daphne Pringle and first-time guest Dr. Jen Gallagher, a listener who wrote in to let us know about some of the positive changes that have happened at WVU's Department of Biology. We spend the first segment talking about Jen's research using yeast and genomics to study drug and pesticide resistance. One of her students has a paper coming out in PLoS One soon, so stay tuned!
Edited to add: The paper is now out! Click the title below to read it or get the PDF.
00:25:08 - While we wait for the new paper to drop, why not enjoy a drink? Jen keeps it local with a Halleck Pale Ale from Chestnut Brew Works, a brewery that eventually hopes to make a beer with all West Virginian ingredients. Daphne keeps things Old Fashioned, literally, using the Yippee Ki-Yay blend from High West Distillery. Ryan rounds things out with Revival Sorghum Whiskey from Charleston (South Carolina), mostly so he can finish off the bottle and play a nice song in the transition to the next segment...
00:33:38 - Since Jen first wrote in to tell us about teaching biology at WVU, we spend the second segment talking about teaching. We discuss how her courses are structured to maximize student engagement (and engagement with Wikipedia) by focusing on sometimes horrifying genetic diseases as a teaching tool. We also discuss her efforts to engage the people of WV in her citizen science initiative "I Ask Why", which helps the community better understand the microbes living all around them. For updates, you can follow Jen on twitter @yeastychic.
01:13:54 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like yeast, you can find them anywhere and they're hard to kill. Ryan starts off with a big THANK YOU to Patron Erich E. This means Erich gets a thesis, and his is: Teaching Outcomes of Yeast-inebriated Individuals Upon Exposure To -omics Data. Daphne wants to keep talking about evolution, so her contribution today is an old Facebook message from Andy S., who works construction but wants to talk about dinosaurs. Specifically, why weren't there any quadrupedal carnivorous dinosaurs? Discussion ensues, including some talk about a paper from earlier this year that has shaken the dinosaur family tree at its base. Be sure to follow Daphne on Twitter (@drpingleetal), and if you need more podcasts to listen, why not hear Ryan talk about his journey to becoming a paleontologist on HumaNature Episode 23 - Between a Rock and a Holy Place.
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Music for this week's show:
Rise To Me - The Decemberists
It Ain't Me - Kygo & Selena Gomez
Understanding - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
Image credit: St. Lawrence University
