Category: Scientist Spotlight

1. The most interesting part of the resources for me was noticing how climate change impacts cultures worldwide. We often look at climate effects such as rising sea levels and higher yearly temperatures and think that we have it terrible, yet choose not to do anything about it. I believe that seeing how climate change is affecting countries in Africa puts everything in perspective. It also makes sense how there is a massive push against climate change in African countries, since they are receiving the worse end of the problem.
2. While scientific knowledge may apply to the majority of the real world, but
   Indigenous Knowledge can apply to locations centered around a certain culture. In the TED Talk, Oumarou tells a story about a scientist who was brought to her home to look into climate change effects. When Oumarou predicts that it will rain long before any scientific signs, the scientist doubts her and decides not to pack his items. Eventually, the rain started, just as Oumarou had predicted. Just like scientists make observations in their environment to conduct experiments, indigenous cultures make observations in their home to predict when natural occurrences will reappear.
3. Oumarou shows that scientists are those who recognize the contribution that they can make to worldwide knowledge. She knows that Indigenous Knowledge can really help advance scientific discoveries, so she is doing whatever she can to make sure it gets recognition.
4. I would like to know how many concepts Indigenous Knowledge can apply to. Does Indigenous Knowledge go past natural and animal patterns? Can we predict astronomical occurrences, or biological occurrences using Indigenous Knowledge. I am curious as to how interconnected Indigenous Knowledge and scientific knowledge can become.

1. What was most interesting to you in reviewing these resources?
   Dr. Johnson’s TED Talk dived into the idea of performing climate actions in ways that you enjoy. It was interesting to me how there are so many pathways to go through in order to help avoid climate change. Many people assume that helping with climate change involves working with nature or fossil fuel emissions, which may not interest everyone. Fortunately, there are several other works that factor into climate action, such as energy storage and transportation, which people could get involved in to help make a change.
2. What did you learn from these resources about ocean conservation?
   I learned that ocean conservation is not as simple as just regulating where the trash is sent. There are a lot of policies already set in place by world governments that would have to be changed by everyone to have a lasting positive effect on the planet. On top of that, there are industries that would have to change what they do to contribute to this, such as the trash or recycling industries. Trying to implement these rules could change politics and economies across the world forever.
3. What new questions do you have after reviewing these resources?
   One question I have is how can people start working on climate change right now? If someone was truly dedicated to making a change in the world and trying to restore our planet, where could they go to start? Which organizations work directly against climate change and how could you get into these organizations? These are all questions that people who are serious about climate change would want to know so they do not waste any of their time in the process.
4. What do these resources tell you about the types of people that do science?
   These resources show me that the types of people that do science are those who have an interest in the inner workings of our universe and a skill that could help discover more about our universe as well. Dr. Johnson shows that not everyone who works on climate change has to have ecology or environmentalist skills. Not everyone who contributes to science needs to have every set of scientific knowledge on their topic, they could contribute with math skills, or even communication skills.

I think that many people view their interpersonal relationships as “one of a kind” or “unique to humanity”. Even I was a firm believer in the idea that many aspects of human interactions were not shared by other animals besides primates. However, Dr. Lee’s research has shown that these patterns, such as having more than one partner, are common among bird species as well. These resources also make me think about other human interactions that may be shared among different animals. For example, I once read a research article about other species of animals displaying homosexual tendencies, which shows that they may not be as different than us as we would like to think. My only questions now are “How do other species of animals compare to humans and birds?” and “What other tendencies do we actually share with other animals?”.

Dr. Danielle Lee also explores the idea of hip hop being a good way to educate students on natural occurrences. As a young scientist, she was able to draw connections between her research and the music that she enjoyed listening to. This concept makes me think differently about what it means to be a scientist. While a scientist usually derives their passion for research from a curiosity about the world, these curiosities do not have to revolve around academic topics. As
seen in the TED Talk, many scientists are able to connect their personal life with scientific discoveries in order to make sense of them. Not only does this allow scientists to draw true inspiration from their home lives, but it also allows them to share their findings in a way that can connect with people who have a similar personal life to them.

1) What was most interesting to you in reviewing these resources?

The first thing that caught my attention was how early scientists on human and animal evolution did not see a relationship between UV exposure and skin pigmentation. In Dr. Jablonski’s TED Talk, she mentions how Darwin had initially argued that the local climate did not have an impact on the skin color of the people of that region. This is a concept that, especially after seeing the spread of UV exposure across the entire planet, seems like common sense. It feels only natural that a person’s skin pigmentation would be drastically impacted by their exposure to sunlight.

2) What did you learn from these resources about the evolution of skin color?

One thing I learned is that, even now, skin color can darken or lighten based on the part of the world in which you live in. I would have thought that our skin color is mostly constant nowadays, but now it seems clear that skin color is constantly changing as humans relocate across the globe. For example, if you are naturally pale, but you decide to move to a country closer to the equator, your skin will darken over time, darkening the skin color of your future children as a result.

3) What do these resources tell you about the types of people that do science?

I have learned that many scientists in our society are molded by early childhood
experiences. Dr. Nina Jablonski had originally shown a fascination for fossils and animal history, but this changed after she started watching documentaries on human biology on National Geographics. This formed an even greater interest in human evolution that ended up shaping her entire career.

4) What new questions do you have after learning about Dr. Jablonski’s research and how human skin color evolved?

I am curious how UV exposure affects future generations. Children with parents of two different ethnicities often display a skin pigmentation that is a mix of both parents. However, if skin color is a result of our skin producing more or less melanin, how does that affect our DNA to the point where our kids end up displaying a mixed skin color?