Monthly Archives: November 2015

Features

Words of Wisdom from 3 Grad School Bound Seniors

By Meagan Goldman ’16

Hector Trujillo, Jacob Kim, and Dylan Freas are three talented Williams scientists planning to go to grad school and pursue research after graduation. All are working on theses this year – Hector and Dylan in chemistry, and Jacob in biology – and are actively involved in the Williams science community.

I chatted with them to learn what drew them to science, what advice they have for underclassmen, and how Williams science has shaped them. Read on to hear their valuable insights!

Continue reading Words of Wisdom from 3 Grad School Bound Seniors →

Biology, Podcasts, Statistics

Batty About Bats: A Podcast by Elizabeth Jacobsen and Avital Lipkin

The ScientEphic is thrilled to present the first podcast in our new podcast series.

Bats. We often overlook or fear them, but they’re vital to our agriculture and their uniquely strong immune systems may have a lot to teach us.

Join Elizabeth Jacobsen ’16 and Avital Lipkin ’19 as they explore the many facets of bats, from the rabies-transmitting vampires of Peru to populations in New England threatened by White Nose Syndrome to the hardy bats of Alaska. Starring Professor Julie Blackwood, Alex Meyer ’16 and Sarah Cooperman ’17, whose cutting-edge research on bats contributes to our understanding of bat populations, disease spread, physiology and communication.

Biology, Math, Podcasts

Batty About Bats Podcast Preview: White Nose Syndrome

The ScientEphic is thrilled to introduce a new podcast series. Today we’re presenting a preview of our first podcast, “Batty About Bats.”

By Elizabeth Jacobsen ’16 and Avital Lipkin ’19

This past weekend, many people enjoyed the traditional symbols of Halloween: pumpkins, costumes, and bats.  In honor of the occasion, we decided to take a closer look at bats.

In this preview, we talk to math professor Julie Blackwood and her thesis student, Alex Meyer, to learn about the little brown bat, which lives right here in the Berkshires. Blackwood and Meyer explain that a fungal disease called white nose syndrome is decimating bat populations in the northeast, and they discuss what the best course of action might be to stop its spread.

Look for our full podcast next week!

Batty About Bats Preview: White Nose Syndrome by The Scientephic on Mixcloud

Image Credit: Moriarty Marvin, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons