Urban Science Adventures! ©

Call for Submissions: Diversity in Science Carnival

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:28:00 +0000

Write your post or share a link to a previous post for the next edition of the Diversity in Science Carnival. This carnival celebrates the people of science and engineering and this month we celebrate pipeline programs that promote student and faculty diversity at our higher learning institutions.

STEM Diversity and Broad Impacts I: Highlights of successful, ambitious STEM diversity programs such as REUs, mentoring programs and scholarships for college under-graduates, graduate students, post-doctoral associates and early career scientists and engineers.

Submission Deadline: November 15th
Carnival Post date: November 20th
Hosted by: Yours truly at Urban Science Adventures! ©

Visit this link to submit to the November DiS Carnival.

Articles submitted will be apart of the ongoing discussion in preparation for an upcoming workshop at ScienceOnline2010 - Casting a wider net: Promoting gender and ethnic diversity in STEM – co-moderated by me (D.N.Lee) and Anne Jefferson.

Check it out and join the conversation.

Submit an article now.

H1N1 Vaccination Hysteria Part 3: Alternative remedies vs. Vaccination

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:49:00 +0000

This is the third post in a series about the science and societal impacts of the flu and flu vaccination. Specifically, I emphasize the importance of sound scientific literacy in understanding this important topic. Please read the first posts in the series if you missed them.
Part 1: Is the Swine Flu Vaccine Safe?
Part 2: Should I get the shot?

In today’s post, I’ll address some of the responses commonly heard in response to the vaccination recommendations:

"I'll just take vitamins and natural herbs and I'll be protected from the Swine Flu."

One of the greatest benefits in living in an industrialized nation is our access to well-researched medicines and treatment technologies. These advances in science and medicine have saved countless lives. However, we also have a wealth of knowledge about traditional and alternative remedies at our disposal. Alternative remedies can be useful; and they certainly have their place in your health regime. To this end it is important to understand the science behind these alternative remedies and how these remedies work in your body so that you can make well-informed decisions about your and your family's health.

Getting more Vitamin D
Particular to the Swine Flu, some people are recommending Vitamin D as a preventative to the disease. How does this work? Vitamin D is found in dairy and fish foods but our bodies are also able to manufacture Vitamin D if it sufficiently exposed to UV-B sun rays. Vitamin D is key for calcium and phosphorus uptake to keep your bones strong. Now there is some interesting research suggesting that Vitamin D might also be key in your immune response.

Vitamin D seems to be an important modulator in both your Primary and Secondary immune response. (See post 2 in the series where I define the immune response and immune cells) . A variant of the Vitamin D is apart of the molecular structure of some immune cells - like phages and B & T Memory cells. Without Vitamin D in the immune cells don't function to full capacity, have problem recognizing germs and don't attack and kill germs fast enough. The most compelling evidence shows that people who are deficient in Vitamin D are more likely to get sick from the flu, tuberculosis and suffer complications from Multiple sclerosis. This new research provides some very exciting news about how being adequately nourished is so important to maintaining good health.

What about eating organic foods?
Organic foods are delicious, and if you can afford to eat them then do. However, there is no evidence to suggest they are more or less healthy than traditionally raised and harvested foods. Eating fresher fruits, veggies, and whole grains is better for your general health than not eating fruits and veggies at all or eating processed foods. These foods provide vitamins and essential elements used by your immune cells to fight germs.

But I would like to make it clear, there is no evidence that Vitamin D or simply eating healthier foods alone are effective at preventative against any disease, including the Swine Flu. Simply, the results of the Vitamin D study and the benefits of eating organic foods reinforce the importance of a healthy, well-balanced diet. Eating well means getting all the nutrition you need to keep your body and your immune cells in tip-top shape.

Can't I just take care of myself in more natural/less invasive ways to avoid the Swine Flu?
The short answer is yes. Eating healthy, taking vitamins, getting some sunshine, exercise, a good night's sleep are perfect for keeping your body in its best condition to fight off any germ. Plus, nothing beats hand washing (but not with anti-bacterial soap) and sanitizing your home for killing germs and preventing exposure. And if you do get sick, then the routine regiment of rest, fluids, vitamins, seeing the doctor, and taking the prescribed medicine does the job. These are general precautions to any disease.

However, public health officials are adding an extra precaution this season because of the Swine Flu and here is why.
1. The Swine Flu is widespread and pervasive. It's only late October - still 2 months away from the peak flu season - and cases are a popping up everywhere. This is very odd, most seasonal flus don't show up so early and spread so quickly.

2. The Swine Flu doesn't pick on the usual suspects. This strange diseases is dealing its worst hand to teens and young adults. Typically, these are the healthiest people in the population and always the group people worry the least about when every pandemics come around. But the reports all indicate that these people are getting sick more. Most diseases pick on the weak -from an immune system perspective, this means the elderly, the very young, and people who are chronically sick - like cancer, diabetes, asthma, and heart disease . Their immune system is either slow or still too new to respond to serious germ, so swine flu could really do some harm to such people.

That's why the doctors and public health officials recommend vaccination for the most at-risk groups: babies, toddlers, mommies (including pregnant women), the chronically ill, and young people (25 and younger). It seems the elderly have some immunity to swine flu due to previous exposure to the germ in the 1950s. But that still leaves a large number of people in the middle. If you are like me between the ages of 30-55, and in relative good health, you might not need the shot; and if you get the flu the odds are you will come through it just fine. However, you might want to get the vaccination to protect your family, especially if you spend time with anyone from one of the risk-prone groups listed above.

So, yes it is okay to wash your hands religiously, sanitize your home, school, and office space, cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and take vitamins. But I still encourage you to seriously consider the Seasonal and Swine Flu vaccination for your family.

References:
Vitamin D, Wikipedia
Swine Flu Hospitalizing Mostly Young People In The US, Medical News Today October 2009
Organic food is no healthier, study finds, Reuters July 2009
AP Photo/The Post and Courier, Alan Hawes
CDC 2009 H1N1 Flu US Situation Update, October 23, 2009

Wordless Wednesday: Contrasting Colors

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:50:00 +0000

Fall creates such beautiful contrasting color arrangements, especially when the leaves of a tree or bush are in transition.

H1N1 Vaccination Hysteria Part 2: Should I get the shot?

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:55:00 +0000

This is the second post in a series about the science and societal impacts of the flu and flu vaccination. Specifically, I emphasize the importance of sound scientific literacy in understanding this important topic. Please read the first post in the series if you missed it.
Is the Swine Flu Vaccine Safe?

Vaccines can be really scary and intimidating, so I completely understand if you're nervous; but your doctor, the news, and the public health departments advise you to get vaccinated. Today, I address the question on many people's minds:

Do I really need to get the Swine Flu Shot?

What I'm hearing from many people is "I’ll be fine. I don’t think I need the Swine Flu or Seasonal Flu vaccine." Perhaps. But think about this way: How can your body fight a disease-causing germ it has never come into contact with?

Your Immune System and Immune Response
Your best line of defense is to avoid contact with a germ. Stay away from sick people, wash hands, and keep germs from inside of your body - via mouth, nose, and eyes. If the flu virus does get inside it's going to do its best to get to a warm moist organ like your lungs and wreak havoc.

When germs get into your body, your Primary Immune Response gets to work. It is a non-discriminating attack system on anything foreign. There is an inflammation response or fever to kill the germs with heat. White blood cells attack and kill. Phages swallow germs whole. Neutrophils blow up germs.

(Inflammation Response)

(White Blood Cells)

(Phages)

(Neutrophils)

Next up is the Secondary Immune Response. It is a specific attack system that memorizes, hunts down, and attacks specific germs. Special Memory cells (B-cells and T-cells) are created that memorize signatures of every germ that you've have come into contact with and if it comes back into your body they go after the germ and destroys it. Vaccines are medicines derived from disease-causing germs that are intentionally introduced in your body to activate your immune response to create memory cells. Now, if or when you come into contact with the real live version of the germ, your immune system is ready and can fight it off. For some diseases like the flu and swine flu, catching the full-scale flu may cause you to get so sick that it may take a long time to recover or cause death.

Why certain people are recommended for vaccinations
Babies & Young Children. Your immune system is a little less than perfect when you are young. Your body is a blank slate. Babies have only primary defenders and no secondary defenders - unless they are breast fed. Breast milk provides some of mom's defense cells but they provide only temporary assistance. As kids become exposed to germs - getting sick all of the time - they are actually building their Memory Cell army. Vaccinations help out in the same way, but without getting sick.

Older people. As you age, your defenders aren't as swift and handy as they use to be. Especially if you have health problems, your Memory Cells might need a help remember who the germs are. Vaccinations help maintain your Memory Cell army is its best possible condition.
These two groups are the most vulnerable becoming sick, especially from life-threatening diseases.

Moms and caretakers. As I hinted to above, mom can pass on some immune help to her baby in breast milk. But more importantly when mom gets the vaccine, she's protecting herself from getting the flu, and a healthy mama can't pass the flu onto baby and toddlers. The same thing for other adults who take care of young kids, older people or sick people.

Actually, between the ages of 17 and 22, you are at your peak immune response defense. Things decline after 22, but if you're healthy, eat right, and do all of the preventative things recommended by doctors, you're actually in pretty good shape to fight off non-lethal germs. This doesn't mean you may never get sick, but you should be fine. Typically, young adults and adults are not usually highly recommended for Flu shots - unless they are caretakers.

However, Swine Flu is breaking all of the rules - it's a Young Person's Disease. Otherwise healthy people 25 and younger are getting ill from this disease, being hospitalized at higher rates and dying from it. Frankly, that concerns me about this virus and that's why people 30 and younger are being recommended for vaccination. Moreover, both the seasonal and H1N1 (Swine) flu are already widespread and we are still 2-3 months from the peak Flu season. For these two reasons I think vaccination is worth serious consideration.

Deciding what to do
It's important to assess your risk for catching the flu. Right now, with the flu hitting early, I think it's a good chance many people will come into contact with.
You also need to assess your own and your family's health. Could you handle catching the swine flu? Could you handle the other things that come with it, like pneumonia and dehydration.
Finally, you must weight the side-effects of getting the shot to getting to flu. First and foremost, the vaccine is safe. Second, you will not get the flu from the flu shot, though many people believe they do. What usually happens is a immune response to the
weakened germ or a cold you were harboring to the shot.

But my take home point is that vaccines offer a way for your body to confront a serious disease without actually having to risk dying or becoming seriously ill. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide, but it's important to note that vaccines are only made and manufactured for very risky, life-threatening highly communicable diseases, not the less-threatening ones.

References:
2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccine Questions & Answers, CDC
Flu Vaccine Fact Sheet, CDC
Experts say H1N1 vaccine is safe and time-tested
Flu Shot reactions
Why did I get sick after I had the flu shot?
Flu Symptoms including a zip-code tracker

H1N1 Vaccination Hysteria Part 1: Is the Swine Flu Vaccine Safe?

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:19:00 +0000

Over the next few posts I’ll discuss the importance of sound scientific literacy in understanding the science and societal impacts of the flu and flu vaccination. Many people are rightly concerned about their health and the health of their family. Yet, we get so many messages that warn us to beware of vaccines or of the science behind them as if there are battalions of faceless sinister people in lab coats who want to do harm to the general public. It is this latter sentiment, of fear and mistrust, especially among people from minority communities, that I want to address. Though there are accounts from history that have abused helpless and oppressed peoples, it is important to know that today science is a transparent process consisting of many diverse peoples. Everyone is watching – other scientists, the community, independent professional overseers, and government regulators. And everyone is participating – people of color, people of pallor, people from wealthy nations and poor nations, people with children, parents, pets, and concern for the environment. “Scientist” is not a universal term to describe uncaring, reckless persons without regard for others.

In today’s post, I’ll address the concerns most people express:

“The H1N1 (Swine) Flu vaccine was made too fast and it can’t possibly be safe to administer.”

Selecting which flu viruses will go into the vaccine

The flu season coincides with the cold period, for us in the Northern Hemisphere, that’s means November – May, the worst is January-April. We spend more time indoors and in closer proximity to each other – the perfect social situation to share diseases.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO), along with our own Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tracks the worldwide prevalence of every kind of flu all year round. In February, WHO makes recommendations to Public Health Agencies of nations in the Northern Hemisphere. They say

“Hey, virus X, Y, Z are really causing some trouble in the world. Here are some strains of the virus. I suggest y’all get to cracking and making some vaccine.”

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gets in on the discussion and they actually decide which strains will be developed and get word (and virus) out to contracted vaccine makers to get the ball rolling. Some manufacturers may already be cooking up early batches, in January, of virus if they have the strain with their fingers crossed that those strains will be selected by the FDA. If so, then they have a jump start.

How long does it take to manufacture seasonal influenza vaccine?

Directly from the CDC website:

“It takes at least six months to produce large quantities of influenza vaccine. For vaccine to be delivered in time for vaccination to begin in October and November (prior to the start of the flu season), manufacturers may begin to grow one or more of the virus strains in January based on their best guess as to what strains are most likely to be included in the vaccine.”

To make the vaccine, the first thing that must be done is to make copies of it – millions of them – which happens in chicken eggs. Next, scientists remove the viruses, purify them – taking away the parts that will make you deathly ill but keeping enough of the virus’ signature elements to mount an immune response in your body. (I’ll discuss the immune system and immune response tomorrow). Stuff the vaccine in syringes or tubes and send them off to the places they are needed.

Companies were well under way making seasonal flu vaccine - to be distributed early August through October - when the first death from the swine flu was confirmed in the US in April 2009. The alarms were raised, and public health officials starting saying out loud, “We might want to be ready for this one. It’s the big, bad virus on the block for the Southern Hemisphere Flu season.” By all accounts, the US acquired the seed stock of the virus this spring, in April/May 2009 and production began immediately. Presumably, they’ve been working overtime to get it done with promises then to supply vaccine in October – which is now, a little shy of the 6 month period reported by CDC.

Vaccine Safety
The Swine Flu Vaccine is made and tested the exact same way our seasonal flu vaccine is made. In fact, had WHO made the recommendation and the FDA had access to a reference strain of the virus, it would have been included in the routine seasonal flu shot. There wouldn’t be a distinction between the varieties. In fact, H1N1 is also the name of the seasonal flu virus in the routine flu shot. They are related viruses, but vaccination against the routine version does not automatically protect you from the swine version. So, in my opinion the Swine Flu Vaccine and the Season Flu vaccine are safe.

Interestingly, many people’s conflict about taking the swine flu vaccine may not materialize. You may come into contact with the virus before vaccine is available. Already, the 2009 H1N1 Virus (Swine flu) is widespread across the US – and this is NOT, repeat, NOT the height of the official flu season for our region. That means people are getting it and dealing with it the old-fashioned way: rest, liquid, volunteer quarantine, and medical intervention ASAP.

The brown means widespread coverage of the Flu. Click on image to enlarge.

Moreover, to address the concerns of people who might think that there are boxes of ill-prepared vaccine out there because of the rush job, you can sit down for a moment. The most recent reports indicate that Swine Flu vaccination production is way behind and falling short of the numbers promised by manufacturers. From a scientific literacy point of view, this means that the process is working. There is no rush or by-passing of the approved methods for getting medicine out to people. Yes, I think it would be great to have more, but this all we have for now.

Isn't the real threat the Flu?

Among the general public there seems to be more concern for the vaccine than the strain of the flu itself. From a historical perspective, the flu has been a very important character shaping world events. The widespread use of vaccines has really quieted the flu in recent times. And like the saying, “those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it”.

I hope not to re-live the lessons of Flu epidemics of the past. Perhaps our society’s less-than-impressed attitude with vaccines is because unlike our grandparents and parents before them, we don’t know what it is like to lose scores of relatives and neighbors from communicable diseases like they did. We don’t know what it’s like for school to be dismissed or factories closed for a disease only to find that when they re-open many of our classmates or work mates are forever gone. People use to drop like flies from the flu other flu-like illnesses e.g., Spanish flu, Hong Kong flu, Asian flu, yellow fever, and malaria. The 1918 Influenza Pandemic killed more people than World War I. No, we don’t realize how deadly the flu can be and how so many lives can be affected by a disease we think of as just a bad version of the cold. The fact is the success of vaccination in preventing severe epidemics is also its failure in helping people to remember why vaccinations are so important.

References:
Selecting the Viruses in the Seasonal Influenza (Flu) Vaccine
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, updated August 1, 2009

More information about Swine Flu and Seasonal Flu vaccination production:
How Fast Could a Swine Flu Vaccine Be Produced? TIME, April 2009
Companies starting work on H1N1 vaccine- CDC Reuters, May 2009
Swine flu: why does it take so long to make a vaccine? Effect Measure Public Health Scienceblog, May 2009
Swine Flu Vaccine production way behind schedule Healthcare Digital October 22, 2009

More information about Influenza and its impact:
The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 M. Billings, Stanford University
Swine influenza, seasonality, and the northern hemisphere Virology Blog, April 2009
Influenza Pandemics of the 20th Century E.D. Kilbourne, New York Medical College

In tomorrow’s post I’ll address another concern: “I’ll be fine. I don’t think I need the Swine Flu or Seasonal Flu vaccine.”

Wordless Wednesday: Beautiful Decay

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:01:00 +0000

an artichoke flower
purple coneflowers

unknown flower

These are pictures I had taken while in the Netherlands in August. I was attracted to the crisp brown dying stalks and petals with hints of life and color against the tall strong stalks and green foliage. I was actually quite proud of my little Samsung S760 and my developing eye.

I was inspired to share these pictures of decaying flowers by two of my fellow nature photogbloggers - Lisa's Dead but still lovely pictures of a rose and Ratty's The Sad Part of Nature post about a dead garters snake.

Death and decay are a part of natural cycle. I have a host of pictures of dead wildlfe - plants, bugs, birds, and mammals. In time I will share these pictures with you - but they won't be nearly as beautiful as this. I'm giving you an early warning.

Carnivals: It's a celebration of science!

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:17:00 +0000

Carnivals are like online Zines, you know, those independent creative publications you created in high school or college. Carnivals are a collection of blog articles about a topic. Like a magazine, there is a publication date – some are published quarterly, monthly, or weekly ; an editor – which usually rotates among interested parties; and a theme.

I participate in a few Carnivals (see my bottom side bar). It helps me share my work with larger audiences. It’s also a great way for non-bloggers to get into blogs and see how informative and entertaining they could be. So if you new to reading blogs or not sure what it’s all about, that’s fine. Carnivals may be just the right for you. Check out great posts on interesting topics – all in one place for you to read at your leisure.

Here are some great carnivals in which I have submitted posts my Urban Science Adventures! © posts.

Book Review Blog Carnival #26: A collection of book review blog posts. Check out the books bloggers are reading, including the children’s books about nature and animals I recommend.

Scientia Pro Publica 13: Nobel Prize Edition: A collection of blog posts about science, nature, and medicine for the masses. It’s a perfect way to get your dose of science without all of the headaches of heavy language.

Festival of the Trees #40, the benefits of trees:A collection of blog posts all about trees – in words and pictures.

Diversity in Science Carnival #3: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: This carnival is my personal project. Here is my related blog post on George Melendez Wright. It is a collection of blog posts that introduce and discuss issues (the celebrations and the obstacles) of diversifying Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines. It was born out of a similar discussion at the ScienceOnline09 (Science Blogging) Conference.

The upcoming editions of the carnival will discuss Broader Impact programs in STEM in preparation of a follow-up panel on Diversity in Science at ScienceOnline 2010 in Research Triangle, North Carolina. The discussion session is titled “Casting a wider net: Promoting gender and ethnic diversity in STEM” moderated by me and Anne Jefferson.

This is an official call for submissions for the upcoming carnivals and an initiation to the discussion to be held in January.

November DiS Carnival: STEM Diversity and Broad Impacts I: Highlights of successful, ambitious STEM diversity programs such as REUs, mentoring programs and scholarships for college under-graduates, graduate students, post-doctoral associates and early career scientists and engineers.
Submission Deadline: November 15th
Carnival Post date: November 20th
Hosted by: Yours truly at Urban Science Adventures! ©

December DiS Carnival: STEM Broader Impacts II: Highlights of successful, ambitious and inspiring diversity programs for youth and general audiences such as after-school programs, summer institutes, and citizen science programs sponsored by museums and universities.
Submission Deadline: December 15th
Carnival Post date: December 20th
Hosted by: (insert your blog here)

Stay tuned for more carnival announcements, but we’re already looking forward to February – Black History Month, and March – Women’s History Month and accepting carnival hosts for those editions, too.

Wordless Wednesday: Me & the Field Mice

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:36:00 +0000

Checking my bag. I caught something.

A prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster (my study animal).

Palpating the vole to see if she is pregnant. Depending on how far along she is, I'll have to release her back in the field.

A Deer Mouse, Peromyscus (not my study animal).

Releasing the mouse back to the field. Click on picture to enlarge.

I caught a Least weasel, Mustela nivalis, too. Definitely NOT my study animal. They prey on other two guys above. After hissing at me, and baring scary teeth, he released himself back into the field. LOL!

Don't let the size or cuteness fool you. This is the world's smallest carnivore, and all Mustelid.

More pictures of my field site here and here.

If only writing the dissertation were as much fun as this part. But I've got 7,766 words for Chapter 2 and I have prelimanary results for Chapters 3 & 4. Writing continues.

George Melendez Wright- Father of Natural Resource Management with the National Parks Service

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:18:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago,while watching the PBS special by Ken Burns, America's Best Idea, I learned about the history of the National Park Service including the political challenges facing the lands,monuments, and people involved with perseving these special places for all Americans. I also learned about George Melendez Wright.

George Melendez Wright was the son of a ship captain from San Franciso and El Salvadoran mother. As a youth he enjoyed the northern California outdoors. He earned degrees in Forestry and Zoology from the University of California - Berkeley. It seems only right that he would work for the National Parks Service as a naturalist at Yosemite Park.

However, Mr. Wright, with his scientific background did more than blaze park trails - he blazed a new direction for the Park Service. In 1930, with the help of two colleagues he documented all of the plants and animals in the park. The effort took four years, and he funded much of the work out of his own pockets. Visitors were coming in droves, which is a good thing. But Wright also recognized that the amount and degree of human interaction and impact on this wild place could not be good for the local wildlife. It wasn't. Many species were becoming acclimated to people and would come in very close contact. At the time it was perfectly fine to touch animals, feed bears, systematically kill predators and encroach on wild habitats.

He helped forge new the policies that benefited preserving the wildlife for future generations and protect people from their own curiosity. This formative work led to recommendations that were published in 1932 as Fauna of the National Parks of the United States, a Preliminary Survey of Faunal Relations in National Parks. Eventually, all other parks would conduct and publish a survey of the local fauna and flora. While completing a related work along the US-Mexico border he was killed in an automobile acccident. He was 31 years old.

His legacy continues today. The tradition of environmental stewardship has birthed the works of natural resource managers, scientists, and volunteers on national parks areas. Learn more about George Wright and his leagacy at these links:

George Melendez Wright Biography on the PBS National Parks Website.

George Melendez Wright Biology at the National Park Service Website.

The George Wright Society

This post is my submission to the Diversity in Science Carnival #3: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month hosted at Drug Monkey's page.

Wordless Wednesday: Autumn & Agriculture

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 05:05:00 +0000

Autumn is harvest time and perfect time for us all to reflect on the importance of agriculture, especially us city-dwellers. Though the city has a lot of exciting amenities, we still depend on agriculture for our food needs; and agriculture is still a mostly rural activity. However, there are some great efforts to shift some food production to urban areas; and I am in support of that.

In the meantime, enjoy my autumn & agriculture adventures.

From the Best of Missouri Markets at the Missouri Botanical Garden

Pumpkins for decorating.
cute baby calves.

B&B - the Animal Science Club for college students. Yes, I was member of my college chapter many moons, ago. Go Aggies!

Standing next to a Guernsey Dairy cow.

Read more about my Farm-tastic adventures at the Best of Missouri Market here.

**************

Mrs. Boyd's Garden

her cabbage

her cucumbers - which we ate.
*************

My mom's bounty. Moving to Racine from Memphis was great for my mom's gardening efforts. For years, the squirrels ate everything. Now she has a pretty good harvest.

Red and purple Chili peppers. These can be eaten fresh or dried.

Yellow, red, and green tomatoes.

Snap beans and green tomatoes. Yes, we had fried green tomatoes - my mom makes the best.

This post is also apart of Thematic Photograph 69: Transtion. Autumn and Harvest are our season transition time.

Book Review: Sparrows

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:15:00 +0000

Title: Sparrows

Authors: Hans Post, Kees Heij

Illustrator: Irene Goede

Publisher: Lemniscaat, a derivative of Boyds Mills Press

This book details the natural history and seasonl life cycle of the House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, in its native home – Europe. These little brown birds live in the countryside, in backyards, near fields, meadows, and woodlands in Great Britian, Europe, and now North America. The delightful illustrations show house sparrows at courtship, building nests, lay eggs, raising young, finding food and avoiding predators. All of these wondrous events take place right under our noses; that’s because House Sparrows have become so close to humans. Anywhere people are, they are, too. This is a great read along book for early readers. The accompanying illustrations enhance comprehension of the written material.

This book is ideal for pre-school - 3rd grad readers.

In fact, these LBJs (little brown jobs - a common nick-name for commonly seen little brown birds) are now more common here in the United States and Canada than they are in their native land.

Sparrows can be spotted in parking lots, near restaurant & grocery store dumsters, and sidewalk cafes. They have built a good livelihood eating crumbs and other light discarded food items. They are also often spotted near shrubs and bushes like the one above. Learn more about House Sparrows at my previous post: Urban Wildlife Watch: House Sparrows.

While I was in Europe I didn’t notice many and I was unable to get a shot of one. In fact, some of my science friends in Europe say the species is in trouble. We certainly have enough here to send them some to re-establish the species in their native land. Birds I saw in Europe but failed to photograph included Jackdaws and Magpies. Interestingly, the birds I was able to photograph were species that now call the Americas home - Pesky birds. So much for me trying to share something new with you all.

Jackdaws. image credit: Dragon Ridge - pest control website

Magpie. image credit - wikimedia

National Parks - America's Best Idea

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:08:00 +0000

Tonight, Sunday, September 27, the first show in documentary series the National Parks - America's Best Idea airs at 8 pm EST/PST 7pm CST on PBS stations in the United States.

I'm quite excited about the documentary. It is a fabulous way to learn about our nation's natural resource heritage and to inspire awe in each of us. I also hope it encourages us all to appreciate these wonderful beautiful places and visit National Parks, as well as other public heritage lands like State Parks, National Forests and other heritage lands.

The series will air six episodes nightly (7pm CST) until October 9th. Full episodes are available on the PBS National Parks website.

This documentary also promises to be a celebration of diversity, too. It series captures the stories of the people who created, protected, and lived on/near these precious lands. Many of these stories have been lost to our collective memories. Yet thanks to people like Burns, as well as National Park supporters like Audrey & Frank Peterman founders of the Breaking the Color Barrier in the Great American Outdoors Conference, and James Mills an outdoor enthusiast and blogger, can once again know these stories and [re]discover our heritage. Be sure to check out Mills NPR/PRI To the Best of Our Knowledge interview with Burns and his interview about the important part the Buffalo Soliders played in American History and National Parks like Yosemite, Yellow Stone, and Sequoia.

I have visited:
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site - Little Rock, Arkansas
Hot Springs National Park - Hot Springs, Arkansas
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (& Gateway Arch) - St. Louis, Missouri
Ozark National Scenic Riverways - Float trip near St. James, Missouri
Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site - St. Louis, Missouri
Great Smoky Mountains National Park - I'vedriven through it along Interstate 40 in Tennessee and North Carolina

waiting in line to enter Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park and inside the Museum (under the Arch)

________________________

Now, it's your turn.
This land is you land, this land is my land....A meme of sorts....
I'm calling out my blog friends to join in the fun.
The Oyster's Garter

The Joy Trip Project http://joytripproject.org/
Outdoor Afro
Everyday Adventurer
Nature Blog Network Blog

How many National Parks have you visited?
Visit the site National Park Service map see which parks you may have visited or parks near you that you can visit soon.

Tell me in the comments and share on your blog (if you have one).

National Public Lands Day & Environmental Education

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:05:00 +0000

Tomorrow, September 26, 2009 is 16th Annual celebration of National Public Lands Day. Public lands are all of those lands that belong to the public such as parks, forests, grasslands, scenic by-ways and waterways. These public lands include state parks, nature reserves, national forests and parks and other public monuments. Each of these public lands have 5 things in common
1. They are owned by everyone and no one. Each citizen has a stake in its health but no one person can claim it for his or her own.
2. They are managed by our civil servants, such as local, state or federal employees
3. They are home to many wild creatures including threatened and endangered plant, animal, and bug species.
4. We are all responsible, individually and collectively for taking care of this land and its wildlife by not littering or removing necessary items from it.
5. These are special places that should be around for generations of ALL Americans and visitors to enjoy.

National Public Lands day is celebrated in nearly every community with a large public service event. The event keeps the promise of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the "tree army" that worked from 1933-1942 to preserve and protect America's natural heritage.
This annual event:

Educates Americans about critical environmental and natural resources issues and the need for shared stewardship of these valued, irreplaceable lands;

Builds partnerships between the public sector and the local community based upon mutual interests in the enhancement and restoration of America's public lands;

Improves public lands for outdoor recreation, with volunteers assisting land managers in hands-on work.

This year's theme is Water and Public Lands...and it's not too late to Get Involved. Events are happening this weekend and throughout the autumn months. Visit the link discover what's happening in your town. (And be sure to check out the video featuring Alan Spears of the National Parks Conservation Association who is attending the Breaking Color Barriers in the Great American Outdoors conference in Atlanta, Georgia this week).

Then Sunday evening be sure to tune into PBS' debut of Ken Burns Film The National Parks: America's Best Idea

___________________________

Now, it's your turn. Highlight your own Urban Science Adventure while participating in a National Public Lands Day activity. It's a perfect way to earn community service credit, high school and college students who are encouraged to do so or earn badges for scouts. It is also presents an opporuntity earn extra credit for your life science and environmental science classes.

Enter the NPLD Photo and Video Contest 2009 or the Robert Bateman Get to Know Contest. It is a contest to encourage young people, ages 18 and younger to get venture outdoors and get o know their wild neighbors. Sound familiar?

Use these opportunites to win prizes and have your work published - which is a great way to beef up college and scholarship applictions.

Write me and tell me all about your Urban Science Adventures! ©. Share pictures, too.

Additional online sources:
Association of Partners for Public Lands: Engaging the public in caring for our nation's natural and cultural resources

Land Trust Alliance: Together, conserving the places you love

Wordless Wednesday: Fields of Flowers (Travelog Europe)

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:03:00 +0000

Photos of cultivars from Europe. Cultivars are a variety of a plants and flowers developed from a natural species and maintained under cultivation.

Purple cone flowers. Leek, the Netherlands

Black-eyed Susans (a yellow cone flower). Leek, the Netherlands

Unknown Asteridae-type cultivar. Rennes, France

Hanging basket of cultivars. Rennes, France

Dedicated to the Tobin Family of Homer, Alaska in loving memory of their girl Sapphire.

Diversity in Science Carnival is back

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:43:00 +0000

Calling all bloggers and blogging communities! Call for submissions for the Diversity in Science Carnival. The blog carnival that celebrates people, innovations, and programs that promote diversity in STEM!
The upcoming edition coincides with Hispanic Heritage Month which is celebrated every year from September 15-October 15. Drug Monkey of Scienceblogs has graciously agreed to host and has posted an announcement: Diversity in Science Carnival in Honor of Hispanic Heritage Month: Call for Submissions!

Blogs of every genre are encouraged to participate: science, nature, education - formal and informal, technology, engineering, math, industry, academic and personal blogs. Please share your stories. And we are happy to connect this carnival to other online initiatives such as the Year of Science 2009, The Year of the Gorilla, or the International Year of Astronomy or even past initiatives like International Polar Year and the Year of the Frog. It is a perfect way to introduce carnival readers to exciting research taking place in Latin America or by Latin Americans.

You can submit your article by clicking on this link.

In Memorium: Ms. Gloria Eggerson, Math Educator

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Ms. Eggerson taught me math in 7th grade (Riverview Jr. High) and also 10th grade Geometry (Whitehaven High School), both of Memphis, Tennessee. She also taught my mother, my uncle, my younger sister, my older cousins and their children. For 29th years Ms. Eggerson was an esteemed member of the faculty of Memphis City Schools and made quite an impression on the hundreds of students she taught.

In addition to educating us, she was also a close friend of our family. Many of my earliest sleepovers were with her daughters and had many Sunday and holiday dinners at my grandmother's and later my mother's table. Her passing was a personal loss for our family. I have many memories of her, most of which brings a big smile and plenty of loud rambunctious laughter (which she and I are both known for).

Yet, I learned something more than math from her for she embodied Pan-Hellenic love. She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. - made November 1968 at LeMoyne-Owen College. She was very proud of her sorority and represented to the fullest. She loved Delta, but not once did I ever hear her say one disparaging word about other sororities or their members. (This despite some of the common misperceptions and mis-representations that members of different organizations don't get along). In fact, many of her best friends belonged to other sororities and they would all wear their T-shirts and hang together, often referring to one another as sisters. And when I pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. she'd refer to me as Little Skee Wee. She was the first person I had met who had belonged to a Black Greek Letter organization and I learned from her generosity and sweet nature the meaning of service and community.

I am proud to call her my friend and I will miss her dearly.
Link to her obituary in the Commercial Appeal here.

Making Breakthroughs and Breaking the Color Barriers in the Great Outdoors

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:55:00 +0000

The Breakthrough.

I’m busy, busy, busy like a bee. I have been busy writing. Writing is a necessary part of science. I know my dissertation meter has moved in a while. It doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing. It’s just that I am reluctant to count a word until I feel that what I have written is perfect. Perfectly worded and perfectly placed.

But I’ve been feeling like I need to claim my words, all of them – even the imperfectly worded and placed ones. So my word meter reflects those words. I expect that I will lose many of those words – to revisions, and re-drafts. I also think that my final dissertation word count might actually be less than 40,000 words (10,000 words per chapter).
I now claim 28, 981 words!

I feel gravid – productive, full of promise and excitement.

Breaking the Color Barrier in the Great American Outdoors
My spirits have been quite high lately. I’ve made new online friends and discovered new websites and blogs. I feel excited to be apart of a community, a movement of people who care about increasing diversity in outdoor experiences.

Not long ago I learned about a fantastic upcoming conference - Breaking the Color Barrier in the Great Outdoors. It meets next week - September 23-26 in Atlanta, Georgia, and will feature a host of great speakers including some people I am big fan of: Majora Carter
Dudley Edmundson
Dr. Carolyn Finney

It's a conference of educators, environmental activists, outdoor recreationists, and nature enthusiasts that focuses on how members of diverse communities (people of color) participate in these activities and examines reasons/strategies for getting more people of color outdoors enjoying nature. Isn’t that right up my alley? See the CNN interview with conference organizer, Audrey Peterman: Aiming to add more diversity under America's blue skies - CNN.com

I've met some people online who are also involved in this barrier breaking, too.
Wayne Hubbard, host and producer of Urban American Outdoors (Kansas City, Kansas)
Kellen Marshall-Gillespie, fellow Ecology Ph.D. Student at the University of Illinois-Chicago and owner of Roots and Shoots Organic Gardening
Rue Mapp, founder of Outdoor Afro (Albany, California)

Even though I won’t be attending the conference (and I am so tempted to just go anyway), I really need to stay close to home and finish writing. I’ll catch up with all of those great people sooner or later.

In the meantime, I’ll be sporting my swag (thanks Rue, cause I sport the the Afro outdoors all of the time. hahaha) and breaking down color barriers in the great outdoors my own way….By trying to win this contest to Antarctica!!! So, please continue to support me. Please vote and pelase spread the word.

Wordless Wednesday: Urban Waterscapes (Travelog Europe)

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:06:00 +0000

The cities I visited in Europe were marked by internal waterways – rivers and canals. Here I share my views of the urban landscape as it meets the urban waterways.

Canals of Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Canals of Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Canals of Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Canals of Groningen, the Netherlands

Vilaine River Rennes, France

Seine River Paris France

Pollinators make the world go round (Travelog Europe)

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:54:00 +0000

This is part of my Urban Wildlife Watch:Travelog Europe Series where I introduce wildlife and botanicals I came across while traveling to Europe August 18-31, 2009.

Pollinators are animals that visit flowers and distribute pollen among individual flowers. Most pollinators are invertebrate species like bees, wasps, flies, and butterflies and vertebrate species like hummingbirds. These animals visit flowers for their nutritious, high-calorie nectar. Sometimes they also dine on the pollen.

While consuming from the attractive (visually and olfactory) flowers, the animals get dusted with pollen - the white or yellow dust on the anthers of the flower. When the animal visits another flower and repeats the behavior, pollen from a previous flower gets left behind and the cycle repeats itself.

The old saying "It's all about the birds and the bees" is about this very activity - pollination. The saying is also used to refer to sex. That's because pollen is actually the sperm cells, or male gametes, of a flower. In fact, flowers are the reproductive parts of plants. Next time you step to smell a flower, take a closer look. A complete flower has both the male and female equivalent parts. Flowers come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors with some plants have only one sex. But for the most part it isn't hard to find a flower that has all of the basic parts, just things maybe bigger or smaller.

The male parts are called the Stamen and the female parts are called the Pistil or Carpel. The stigma is often moist and sticky and when a pollinator visits or if carried by wind and rain, pollen from other flowers land on it and travel down the tube (style) in the ovaries. Seeds develop and new flower life begins anew to be planted for new flowers.

At the tip of this fragrant lavender stalk is an arrangement of dozens of little flowers. Pollinators, like this bumble bee inspects each of these tiny blossoms in search of food. Lavender and bumble bees are also common in North America. I photographed this pair in Rennes, France.

I don't know the name of this flower - looks like a forb - or species of fly visiting this tall wild flower I found in an open-field in Groningen, the Netherlands. Notice the white-spiky parts, these are the reproductive parts of the plant, but I'm not exactly sure if it's the stamen or the pistil, I'm guessing stamen because of the volume.
Despite the strong winds, the flies (there are 2 in this photo) were able to hold on tight and continue foraging. You'll also notice that many of the flower buds have yet to open up on this pink flower.

A tiny little grass flower, very dainty with a small tender fly on the petal. If you look closely, the tiny knobs in a circle are the stamen. Photo taken in Groningen, the Netherlands.

This Echinacea flower has a spiny head referred to as a cone, which is where it gets its common name the purple cone flower.. The stamen and pistil aren't very distinct, but the flower still attracts many kinds of pollinators with its height and colorful petals.

A fly visiting the flower. Not sure of the fly species but there are similar - bee-looking flies in North America that also visit cone flowers, daisies, and sunflowers. I photographed these flowers in Niennord Park in Leek, the Netherlands.

I was surprised to see this large bumble bee climbing along the stalk of the flower. That is not typical behavior at all. I wanted a closer look at this bee because I noticed it had a white rump. I had never seen a white-rumped bumble bee in the States before. When I returned to school, I asked my lab mate and bumble bee expert, Javier Hernandez to identify it for me. It is Psithyrus or cuckoo bumble bee. It gets this name because, like the cuckoo bird, the female lays her eggs in the nest of another species and let's that female take care of her pupae (babies).

Check out this quick video clip of the bee.

The bee was behaving strangely, crawling on the stalk of the flower and flying low to the ground. It's quite possible this bee may be infected with a fungus going around, but I don't know all of the disease ecology details right now.

September Celebrates Biodiversity and Conservation

Travelog Europe: Green Transportation

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:38:00 +0000

Throughout this month, I am highlighting my experiences in Europe and comparing and contrasting the wildlife and ecology of the Old World continent to my home continent of North America. However a recent radio story on NPR about urban cycling tapped me on the shoulder.
Is Biking Easier In New York? Ask The Bike Snob by Jo Ella Straley

I thought in line with my own and this blog's committment of Environmental Education and Awareness, and my theme of comparing and contrasting European and North American Urban Ecology, I am going to discuss Green Transportation.

Though I own a bike (a pretty cool one at that), I will admit to being slow when it comes to using it as my primary source of transportation. Why? Laziness. I'm not in good enough of shape to bike to my destination in a decent amount of time and still be energized enough to get my business done. Capacity. Motorized vehicles have better capacity to help me take care of errands while I am out - shopping, picking up something, picking up someone, etc.

But while in Europe, and most notably in the Netherlands, bikes where EVERYWHERE. Thousands of bikes parked in lots at the train station, at bus stations, the plazas, shopping areas. Everywhere. Most of the street traffic was of bikes and some places had dedicated bike lanes - for each direction of traffic. Not only was I impressed with the infrastructure dedicated to cycle traffic - lots, bike rails, and roads - I was most impressed with how my two main biking concerns were non-issues for the Dutch.

1. Laziness. People still seemed to get to wherever they needed to be in a reasonable amount of time using bikes. Plus, most people were in good shape - not alot of heavy people there. Nor were they thin and sickly, just in shape...and no one seemed to complain. Biking, walking, and the train were just very common ways of getting about town and the region.

2. Capacity. Much like a carpool, groups of people biked together - keeping each other company, conversing and travelling. Plus, most bikes had a cargo bench on the back and/or baskets in the front. People carried parcels, packages, and books in them. I also observed quite a few people riding shot gun. It may look easy, but it ain't. That's some serious core muscles being used to maintain your balance...and many people were not holding on to the driver.
I mean young and old alike were just chilling on the cargo bench. Moreover, cycling did not prohibit families from traveling together. It was not at all uncommon to see parents with babies and toddlers strapped into special seats at the handle bars or right behind the parent, which is another feat of strength. Sometimes children rode their bikes along side parents and siblings. But my favorite was the cargo bike, complete with belts for securing young ones.
(See the photo slide show at the end of the post.)

The NPR story - listen to the audio or read the transcript - reports that commuter cycling is growing in popularity and use in New York City. That's good. As New York goes, so does the rest of the nation, and I'm very proud of my region and it's bicycling advocacy programs. (Trailnet, St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation). However, the story does make it very clear there are some cultural attitudes of Americans that makes us very distinct from our European counterparts.

1. Cycling is still largely regarded as a recreational activity. The movement for cycle-friendly streets and highways will have to overcome this perception before we will truly adopt cycling as utilitarian. And it is. It is a practical form of transportation - cheap, even with all of the bells, whistles, and safety gear. Maintenance is minimal and more cost-effective than an auto and no vehicle insurance is needed.

2. Bike theft is real problem, but not taken seriously the authorities. Having one's bike and gear stolen is a major financial burden, particularly for working-class urbanites who could really benefit the most from bike transportation. In the Netherlands, bikes were everywhere. People still locked their bikes, but there was no overwhelming concerns about theft. In fact, I noticed many bikes just parked on sidewalks not secured to a bike rack or post. At first I thought these bikes were unsecured, but in actuality they were self-locked, with a device sort of like the Club. It locks on the back wheel and prevents the wheel from spinning. Neat.

3. People are concerned about getting sweaty or getting stinky when they ride to work. I co-sign this concern. However, while I was in Europe, this concern didn't cross my mind. The Dutch biked everywhere and I don't remember my nose being assaulted. So, I think that is good news.

Finally, I noted that the auomoblile culture of Europe was greener than ours, too. Motorbikes and scooters, as well as fuel-efficient sub-compacts were common. Plus, I noted this sign for electric car recharging station in Paris near the Arc de Triomphe.

A Photo Essay Of European Transportation

View more presentations from Danielle Lee.

Wordless Wednesday: Pesky Birds (Travelog Europe)

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:05:00 +0000

Urban Wildlife Sightings while I was in Europe. These three bird species are regarded as pest species in the United States. Like their American cousins, they are also well-adapted to live near people in urban settings, eating discarded food and crumbs and congregating near centers of people activity.

Young European Starling at the Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

flock of pigeons in Rennes, France

A raven, Paris, France

A raven in a Sycamore tree, Paris France

Pigeons begging, Seine River, Paris, France

____________________________________

Annoucement:

Tune into the Mario Armstrong radio program- Digital Spin - on WEAA 88.9 FM (Baltimore, MD), this Wednesday 6pm - 7pm CST/7p-8p EST.

Tune in and listen live online http://www.weaa.org/

I'll be discussing science blogging, including my recent 2009 Black Web Award for Best Science/Technology Blog and my bid to win the Blog Your Way to Antarctica Contest.

Urban Wildlife Watch: Mimosa trees (Travelog Europe)

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:29:00 +0000

While in Europe for the professional science conference and holiday, I came across many plant, animal, and invertebrate species that I was familiar with in the States. Some of these species came from Europe and were brought to North America, some were taken from North America to Europe, and some are species fromother parts of the world that were taken to both Europe and North America.. Throughtout the month of September I will showcase my pictures of these animals and botanicals and provide a little narrative comparing and contrasting the biodiversiy of Europe and North America.

This is my first introduction - the Mimosa tree.

The Mimosa tree comes from the Mimosaceae family of trees and the Genus Albizia.

As I was taking a leisurely stroll on the off day of the IEC conference, I was so pleasantly surprised to see a Mimosa tree. I felt like I had bumped into an old friend in a strange place. I photographed the trees and the following dialogue played through my mind.

"My, fancy seeing you here. You're here on holiday in France, too."

To which the trees replied, "No, we live here. You must be mistaking us for our cousins who live everywhere".

You see, I know this tree, sometimes called the silk tree, because my paternal grandmother had a pink Mimosa tree in her backyard. I guess it still is there. I haven't stepped foot in that wondorous, awesome backyard - teeming with urban wildlife in a very, very long time. *Sigh* I digress. I remember this tree as magical. Shorter than the other trees in the yard, but much, much taller than me, this tree always provided a cool, shady spot in the backyard. It's pink, fluffy flowers just seemed to lie atop the bi-pinnately compound leaves in the canopy. As the flowers and seed pods died they gently fell to the ground as discarded husks and silk on the ground and clinging to nearby bushes and shrubs.

As a child, and before I learned the details of tree and leaf anatomy, I noted that the leaves of this tree was different than the other trees in her backyard which included pecan trees, oak trees, and a mature apple tree. The leaves were sensitive to touch, folding down. Plus, the leaf stem had additional, smaller stems attached on each side. The tender little leaflets, all in a row on each side of a thin stem could easily be rubbed off with a single swipe of a closed hand - which I often did. It didn't escape my attention that the naked stem was an ideal switch for my grandmother, so I often discard the stems. But that's what a pinnately compund leaf is. It has several small leaflets on a single stem all line up along the stem. There are many different tree species that have these types of leaves. If you look closely some of leaflets sprout out from the stem togther in pairs, called opposite arrangement, and some of the leaflets are alternately arranged.

graphic courtesy of The Ohio State University Extension Bulletin

Leaf (and stem) arrangement is a first step in identifying trees, assuming you don't know the name of the tree in front of you. Using a field guide and dichotomous key, plus a keen sense of observation, you could identify most any tree you come across. But I will admit to you, I usually depend on my personal knowledge of one or two key features of the tree. As a result, I accurately identify only a few species of trees. I know a Mimosa tree because of its pretty pink flowers and bi-pinnately compound leaves. However, I cannot identify this tree in the winter or early spring when these obvious characteristcs are absent. Which brings me to my point. It's okay if you only know a free trees or animals by sight. As you see more and more of the plant (or animal), you'll begin notice seasonal changes and learn more abouthow to identify it from fewer characteristics.

Though I have seen the Mimosa tree in the United States and now in France, the tree species originally comes from Asia and Middle East. It has been introduced to many different new places all over the world with agreeable climates - warm weather and rainfall. It is regarded as an ornamental tree - one that has been cultivated and grown because it is beautiful and attractive. Yes, it still can do important jobs like provide food and shelter for animals and insects, but we plant it because it's pretty and provide shade to people. So, that may explain why I saw this tree at a park in Rennes, France - the War Veterans Memorial, and in my grandmother's backyard.

This particular tree has a support joint underneath.

_____________________________

Now, it's your turn. Share your Urban Science Adventure Urban Wildlife Watch Story.

Have you ever seen this type of tree before?
Where had you become acquianted with this tree - a backyard, a park, during a vacation or visit somewhere?
What name was it called?
Do you know if someone planted the tree or was it always 'just there'?
What activities do you enjoy doing near or with this tree? relaxing in the shade, climbing, watching bees?

Book Review: Puzzle of the Platypus

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:02:00 +0000

In fulfillment of my duties as a member of the Animal Behavior Society’s Outstanding Children’s Book Award committee I present one of the finalists for this year’s award.

Title: The Puzzle of the Platypus: And Other Explorations of Science in Action
Author: Jack Myers
Illustrator: John Rice
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press

It isn’t often that children get a chance to read fun stories about science and scientists. The scientific process can be hard to explain to students and it often they failed to comprehend how scientists follow their curiosity to solve problems and learn more about animals and nature. But I suppose it takes a scientist who appreciates the joys and challenge of science discovery to present these tales with wonder and creativity. Dr. Myers, a biologist and science writer, served as the science editor Highlights for Children Magazine writing numerous science stories for the periodical. This book is a collection of eleven of his most touching stories of animal behavior and science discovery. Each story is an account of current animal behavior research from science journals and text books translated into four-to-six page short articles with original illustrations for young readers. The introductory illustration for each story is a fun summary of the story with colorful accompanying illustrations that detail the work of the scientists. This book introduces readers to a variety of animals from around the world including hibernating polar bears, enigmatic platypuses, gregarious cliff swallows, clever crows, and deducing dolphins. For students who are warming to reading, this book offers short, yet engaging stories for active little minds who find it hard to read an entire book in one-sitting. Youth can revisit the book several times to enjoy the pictures, read the stories, and reflect on the scientific challenges and successes of each tale.

Ideal for students in grades 3-6 and great story-time book for younger students.

And the winner is....

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 01:10:00 +0000

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Plus a hearty Merci beau coup and Dank U from me to each of you - my blog readers and supportors. Against all odds, Urban Science Adventures! ©, the lone science blog in the slate of finalists for the 2009 Black Weblog Awards Best Science/Technology blog category, won the popular vote. The popular vote. That means I won because of you. Wow! I am honored and very, very happy.

This is how I feel..."I'm Nancy!" - super jubilant and excited.

The other contest, the Blog Your Way to Antarctica Contest, is still going on and I am need for your votes! The contest continues until September 30th!

Thanks again. Maybe I can announce another win at the end of the month with your help.

Quick Pics of the Netherlands

dnlee5@ymail.com (DNLee) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:06:00 +0000

bicycle parking lot at the train station
the canals (Amsterdam)

Martini Tower (Groningen)

view from Martini Tower (Groningen)

canals of Groningen at night - learning some photography skills from Kevin

pretty park (Leek)

Sir Francis

Leek

pretty cloud formation - no camera tricks here (Groningen)

My time in Europe is drawing to a close. If you would like a post card please leave a comment and your address in this post. I return to the States on Tuesday, September 1.