The Duke Initiative for Science and Society hosted a special reunion version of its monthly Periodic Tables event featuring four fellows from the first class of Duke’s Science and Communication Fellows Program in Tuesday.
The Periodic Tables event typically features one speaker every month in a relaxed setting, like the Motocar Bar, where scientists can share their research and interact with the general public over a beer. November’s Periodic Tables features four speakers, Kathleen Pryer, Ryan Shaw, Nina Sherwood, and Pate Skene, who will speak on the topics of wearable health technology, neuroscience and criminal justice reform.
“We are excited because we haven’t done a Periodic Tables event like this where we have multiple speakers so participants get to maximize the amount of science they are exposed to.” said Abby Olena, PhD and postdoctoral fellow with the Initiative for Science and Society who organized this month’s event.
Kathleen Pryer, PhD, a Biology professor at Duke, spoke for 10 minutes on her research in the nitrogen production mechanics of ferns. Pryer studies the Azolla Aquatic Fern specifically because it works in tandem with bacteria to produce nitrogen. This fern is already used as a companion crop in agriculture practices all over the world, but could yield even more knowledge.
“It’s the fastest growing fern on the planet, it doubles its biomass every day,” said Pryer.
This research could produce further research pathways in the pursuit of engineering crops that are able to produce their own nitrogen, thus fertilizing their own soils and increasing production. It would also act as an alternative to the Harry-Bosch process which currently requires too much energy and depends on fossil fuels.
Dr. Nina Sherwood PhD gave a presentation about her research on fruit flies and their role in curing Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia.
With regard to Spastic Paraplegia, “flies and humans are more the same than they are different,” Sherwood said. She explained that the disease produced changes in the structure of certain neurological pathways similarly in both the flies and humans.
By breeding her research flies with a mutated gene to produce the disease, Sherwood was able to cultivate subjects that she was then able to dissect. By dissecting the flies and examining the axons associated with Spastic Paraplegia, Sherwood found structural differences that she believed were associated with the disease. She was then able to improve the structure by mutating other genes, eventually finding the gene Pax3, which helped return the structure of the neurological pathway to semi-normalcy.
Dr. Ryan Shaw,PhD, Rn, School of Nursing presented on the topic of wearable health technology. He described how the data produced by these technologies allowed for more tailored medical experiences with doctors, as well as the benefits many users feel simply by using the products.
“These products didn’t actually make [people] healthier,” cautioned Shaw.
He explained that, while these products are great for losing weight, they still only record data so people still need to make an effort to see better results.
Dr. Pate Skene, PhD, PI, Department of Neurobiology, concluded the event with his presentation on neuroscience in the criminal justice system. Through neurological research, it has been determined that there is a distinct “rewarding sensation” associated with seeing other individuals behave in accordance with societal norms.
“What we’re doing right now is we’re looking for the possible circuits that mediate that rewarding sensation,” said Skene.
