The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences’ Challenging the Deep special exhibition lecture series held its first presentation on Friday, Feb. 10. The talk featured Kate Davis, assistant professor in the department of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences.
Davis’ presentation, “The Secret Life and Afterlife of Planktic Foraminifera,” covered her expansive oceanic microorganism research with images that captivated the audience.
“I’m hoping NC State students will enjoy seeing a little bit more of the research that’s happening on their campus,” Davis said.
Davis teaches courses such as Principles of Chemical Oceanography, as well as a graduate course in marine and coastal deoxygenation. She aimed to reach audience members of different disciplines during her presentation, even if they aren’t studying a science-based discipline.
Davis said her favorite part of the event was the audience Q&A at the end. She spoke more about the scientific qualities of the foraminifera microorganisms, along with her obsession with the Titanic from a young age.
“People asked really really insightful questions and I loved getting to say I don’t know. … Just pushing to the edge of knowledge,” Davis said.
The exhibit includes film from James Cameron’s greatest ocean expeditions, the equipment he and his team built and used, as well as real props from “Titanic.”
Andrea Jones, the head of marketing at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, said she thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition and Davis’ lecture and hearing the audience’s reactions.
“There’s something for everyone,” Jones said. “There’s engineering, there’s science, there’s film. … Profiles of scientists and the immersive videos are very astounding — some people have actually gotten quite emotional watching the Titanic and the battleship scenes.”
People of all backgrounds have attended the exhibition over the last few months, which Jones said has brought a great sense of community to Raleigh citizens and NC State students alike.
“A passion for science can influence your life in a lot of different ways,” Jones said. “You don’t have to be a scientist to engage with science. … That sense of adventure is what I’d like for people to get out of this.”
Katelyn Brady, a first-year studying geology, came with the NC State Geology club and said she enjoyed the lecture because Davis had a lot of knowledge to share.
“I think it’s pretty cool she is a professor at NC State too and does research there,” Brady said. “To see all the connections that [NC] State has with different backgrounds of people is really cool.”
Brady said she loved how the exhibit and lecture paired both art and science to reach a broader audience.
“I think that it’s important, even if you’re not in this major, that you just learn new things,” Brady said. “This information has a lot of things we need to know in the future about what our climate might look like.”
Sarah George, a fourth-year studying geology, said she was happy she attended the lecture and saw the exhibit.
“I would definitely recommend coming, because it’s super interesting to get to see real scientists doing work and get to experience research outside of a classroom setting,” George said. “You also get to see the museum after hours.”
There will be two more lecture speakers coming to the museum. Dr. Steve Ross, chief scientist on the recent 2022 Titanic expedition, will be speaking March 23. The final lecture is April 13 with Duke University Professor Sönke Johnsen. The exhibit is open to the public with the purchase of a ticket until May 7. Student discounts are available.
