Born to Do Science
25 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 9 years ago - ★★★★ - 4 ratingsConnecting kids and families with current scientific research.
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Episodes
Heart Health, Explosive Gas, and Mexican Mollies (2/8/15)
February 17, 2015 17:17Last Sunday's program with Dr. Jennifer Shaw from the OSU Department of Integrative Biology, was about how we might learn something about our own body chemistry by studying some amazing fish from Mexico. I kicked us off with a new song called "Team Science." This is a topic I've wanted to work into a song for a while - how scientists always work as part of an enormous team. Since Jennifer made an unexpected connection with another researcher, using Dr. Michi Tobler's fish evolution studies...
Higgs Boson Found! Now What? (1/25/15)
February 04, 2015 02:39Last Sunday's program was a doozie! My guest was Dr. Flera Rizatdinova from the physics department at OSU. Flera analyzes data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). So we were talking about particle physics and it went long - very long. It's good though, because there were lots of questions. I think particle physics is really fun to think about. When you hear an explanation in particle physics and it feels like you don't understand it, that's probably because it's very weird how things work...
Teaching Computers to Predict (1/11/2015)
January 16, 2015 23:26Last Sunday we presented the first of the current series of four Born To Do Science programs a the Stillwater Public Library. My guest was Allan Axelrod, who studies machine learning. Allan has developed an algorithm (or set of computer instructions) he calls EIEIO, which helps computers get clever about how they collect and analyze data in situations where numbers are collected continuously, but the entire set cannot be seen at once. The situation that brought about the need for this al...
Loser Lizards and Motherly Winners (March 23, 2014)
March 29, 2014 03:00Our most recent program was on the Sunday after Spring Break. In hindsight, not the best date for a program! We had two kids show up, and their parents. So, a small group, but we had a great time anyway, and asked lots of good questions. In preparation for this program I visited my guest, Jess Magaña, at the OSU Zoology Department where she does her research. I took some pretty good photos of lizards in their cages... Brown anole lizards in their cages at the OSU Zoology Department Jess ...
Imperiled Bats of Tar Creek (March 9, 2014)
March 23, 2014 04:45Whew, it's been a while, but we did it - another Born to Do Science program for the books! My guests were Dr. Karen McBee and her student, Rachel Eguren, whose study we talked about. Rachel, who did the bat study, Karen, her advisor, Monty (me) the host, Elizabeth the children's librarian I performed a brand new song based on Rachel's research. She wanted to find out whether the bats at the Tar Creek superfund site are affected by toxins in the area. She had to come up with a really cleve...
Lizards Protons, Bats, and Ions, Oh My!!
February 20, 2014 20:58New Programs are On the Calendar! March 9, 2014 Imperiled Bats of Tar Creek With Dr. Karen McBee and Rachel Eguren, OSU Zoology Department Are toxins knocking these critters off course? The Tar Creek superfund site in Northeast Oklahoma is one of the most toxic areas in the United States. How is the wildlife coping? Dr. McBee and her students shoot night vision video of bats flying obstacle courses to help find out! March 23, 2014 Loser Lizards and Motherly Winners With Jess Magaña,...
Digesting Sunshine - How Mother Nature Turns Light Into Chemical Energy
September 13, 2013 06:11Howdy, Science Fans! I've been on hiatus from BTDS, but I'm back, and gearing up for some new programs soon. More about that later. First order of business - the last few programs in 2012 never got write-ups, so I'm posting them now! --- In February 2012 our speaker was Dr. Rob Burnap from the Department of Microbiology at OSU. Dr. Burnap is trying to work out a very important and very difficult puzzle - how exactly do plants accomplish photosynthesis? Photosynthesis is that trick we all ...
Fungus Among Us! Saturday May 19!
May 18, 2012 16:53Yes, our last scheduled Born to Do Science is tomorrow!! May 19, 2012 The Fungus Among Us! When Fungi Attack, Science Fights Back Stephen M. Marek PhD from the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Oklahoma State University will speak about his use of molecular tools to investigate "who done it" and how to stop it when important crops suffer damage from pathogenic fungi. We will have microscopes on hand with lots of fungi to observe! 10:00 AM at the Stillwater Public Library. ...
Predators and Prey this Saturday!
April 20, 2012 20:20Yes, we are having a Born to Do Science tomorrow!! April 21, 2012 Predators, Prey, and the Games They Play! Computer Models Reflect Real-World Animal Behavior Dr. Barney Luttbeg from the Oklahoma State University Department of Zoology will speak about his research using tadpoles, dragonfly larvae, and computer simulations to understand the complex interactions between predators and their prey. If you can, please bring a chess board, chess pieces (or any game pieces you like), checker...
New Music Video - Science Frontier!
April 01, 2012 18:24I'll get caught up soon with photos from the last to BTDS events. In the meantime, please enjoy this brand new video for my song "Science Frontier!" Many thanks to Brian Collins, who wrote, produced, and directed it!!
This Saturday - My One and Only Vole!
March 09, 2012 03:21Don't forget we're meeting a week early this month! Saturday March 10. I hope to see you there! We're working on setting up a live vole-cam in the lab! Here's what the program is about: -- Vole pups! I borrowed this photo from a Mother Nature Network article, 11 Animals that Mate For Life. Zoology student Tomica Blocker will share the science of "voles in love" in a program for children Saturday at the Stillwater Public Library. Blocker, a master's student in zoology at Oklahoma State Un...
BTDS Podcast Episode 3: "Stargazer"
February 29, 2012 18:05This is a double-wide episode with two NASA astrobiologists! Kid host Aaron and I speak with Dr. Nader Haghighipour about his work finding extrasolar planets (including Gliese 581 c!) and we speak with Dr. Vikki Meadows about how we might detect signs of life on extrasolar planets. Featuring a new song, "Stargazer"! Listen / Download the Podcast Subscribe on iTunes Aaron's World! My co-host this week is Aaron from Aaron's World, a fantastic science podcast for kids which I highly recommen...
Digesting Sunshine
February 13, 2012 21:13This Saturday morning at 10:00am, Born to Do Science presents... Dr. Rob Burnap, a microbiologist at Oklahoma State University, who will share with us his research on photosynthesis. So you think you know photosynthesis? We all learn about it in grade school, right? It's easy to get the impression that photosynthesis is all figured out. If that's the case, why aren't we efficiently using the sun's energy to run our world, just like plants do? It turns out there's a lot more to know and Dr. B...
BTDS Podcast Episode 2: "It's Not Fair"
February 07, 2012 03:43Dr. Jennifer Byrd-Craven shares her research into whether teenagers who co-ruminate increase their stress, with kid host Evalyn, featuring the song "It's Not Fair (When Your Mother is a Scientist)." Listen / Download the Podcast Subscribe on iTunes Feedback, please! Please post comments below or write to btds at montyharper.com - What worked for you? What didn't? I will incorporate your feedback as I tweak the format over the next few episodes. Also, please post your questions about th...
Left Brain, Meet the Right Brain!
February 01, 2012 02:20Our first program of the new year was Dr. Shelia Kennison, "This is Your Brain on Words!" If you really think about it, it's an amazing thing that we can get lost in a book the way we humans often do. I mean, look at a page and what do you see? Black squiggles on a white background. Somehow we turn those squiggles into words and those words into sentences and those sentences into stories that envelop us like waking dreams. What exactly are our brains doing to make that happen? I performed...
Brain Science This Saturday!!
January 17, 2012 18:37Howdy, Science Fans! Our next BTDS program is about studying the brain! How does your brain work?? You might know that it's separated into two halves - the left brain and the right brain, and that the two halves generally specialize in different types of thinking. The two halves are connected by a thick cord of neurons called the corpus callosum. Most of what we know about which half does what we've figured out from brains that aren't functioning normally. For example if a person's brain is...
Popular Teens, Friendly or Mean?
December 22, 2011 20:08This past Saturday Dr. Lara Mayeau, a developmental psychologist, came in from Norman to speak to us about her research on teenage popularity. Dr. Mayeau explains that being popular is not the same thing as being well-liked. We had a smaller than usual group - maybe the last weekend before Christmas Break people are busy? - BUT, it was a great group of kids and parents, full of really good questions and insights, as usual! Dr. Mayeau's research has verified what many of us observed in sc...
Popular Teens This Saturday
December 13, 2011 17:52Dr. Lara Mayeux Howdy Friends! You do not want to miss our next Born to Do Science program, because it's all about you! This Saturday the 17th, 10:00 am at the Stillwater Public Library: "Popular Teens, Friendly or Mean?" Our guest scientist is coming all the way from Norman. She is Dr. Lara Mayeux, a developmental psychologist from the department of psychology at OU. Dr. Mayeux will speak about her research on social status among teens. We'll discuss a study she ran following students ...
Second Podcast Episode Recorded
December 12, 2011 02:40Many thanks to everyone who has downloaded BTDS Podcast Episode One - more than twelve hundred so far! And extra thanks to those who let me know they liked it! We are off to a great start! I recorded Episode Two on Saturday with kid host, Evalyn, and guest scientist, Dr. Jennifer Byrd Craven, a developmental psychologist. I'm editing now and I will post the new episode here sometime this week! Please tell your friends! Kid Host, Evalyn Dr. Jennifer Byrd-Craven Evalyn, Monty, Jennifer - ph...
Podcast Episode 1: "My Molecular Eye"
November 28, 2011 18:22Dr. Wouter Hoff shares his research into how bacteria sense light, with kid host Liza, featuring the song "My Molecular Eye." Listen / Download the Podcast Subscribe on iTunes Feedback, please! Please post comments below or write to btds at montyharper.com - What worked for you? What didn't? I will incorporate your feedback as I tweak the format over the next few episodes. Also, please post your questions about the science!! They will be answered! Get the song: <p><p><p><p><a href="h...
/podcasts/born-to-do-science/episodes/6254479
November 27, 2011 20:32Podcast Launch - 11/28! The first episode of the Born to Do Science Podcast has been recorded! I will post it here on Monday, November 28, for free download. I want to gather the biggest audience possible for Episode 1. Please Help! These are my goals for November 28, updated every day: - 100 supporters on Causes.com (need 46 more!) - 52 subscribers to the podcast email list (need 43 more!) - 100 likes on the BTDS facebook page (need 59 more!) OR - 75 followers on Twitter (need 54...
Muons, Electrons, and Quarks, Oh My!!
November 21, 2011 03:54We had a great program Saturday! (I always say that, but it's true.) My song was called "Quarks and Electrons." Everything we can touch or see in the universe is made of quarks and electrons. Yet that represents only 4% of what we know is out there! For the first hour Dr. Flera Rizatdinova spoke with us about the Large Hadron Collider - the world's largest machine! - and the Atlas Detector. We also explored the Standard Model of particle physics and learned about some mysteries of the unive...
Pieces of Protons - Coming Saturday 11/19/11
November 16, 2011 06:38The proton-accelerating tube underground at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Howdy friends! I've been looking forward to this coming Saturday's program for a long time! Here is the official description, then I'll tell you more about why I'm so excited... Ramping Up the World's Greatest Physics Experiment Dr. Flera Rizatdinova from the Oklahoma State University Department of Physics will speak about her work on the ATLAS detector at CERN's Large Hadron Collider. The ATLAS is a marvel of t...
The Intrepid White-Footed Mouse
November 16, 2011 05:05Dr. Karen McBee is an environmental toxicologist at OSU. She and her students study the area of Northeast Oklahoma known as Tar Creek, a superfund site where 100 years or so of mining left huge piles of chat everywhere. (See the previous post!) The basic question she asks is, how does this affect the wildlife? We began the program with a new song, as usual - "What Goes On?" which asks: What goes on - after we’ve left such a mess? What goes on - how does nature handle stress? Humans come...
The Intrepid White-Footed Mouse
October 13, 2011 01:16Coming this Saturday, October 15! The Intrepid White-footed Mouse How Toxic Waste Affects Animal Populations and Diversity Dr. Karen McBee, Curator of Vertebrates with the Department of Zoology at Oklahoma State University, will speak about her research into what makes some animal species more resilient than others at the Tar Creek Superfund Site. Here's a view of Picher, OK from the air - all those white blotches are mounds of chat left over from 100 years of lead and zinc mining! Duri...