Scientist Spotlight

The Science of Shapes and Surfaces

Ages: Children and Families
Grades: 3-12
Duration: 22-minute tutorial video

• Materials Needed: If you would like to follow along, you will need a pair of scissors, tape, strips of paper, a ball (optional), and a piece of chalk, marker, or pen.
  

No, a Möbius band is not the latest pop sensation to top the charts – it’s a surface formed by twisting a strip of paper and attaching the ends. And believe it or not, there’s an entire field of mathematics – called topology – concerned with how shapes (like Möbius bands) behave when they are twisted, bent, or cut. 

Try some hands-on topology with Dr. Jenny Wilson, a professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Michigan. In this video, Jenny shares the foundational concepts behind her research using a Möbius band and other props that you can make at home.

Watching Two Metal Crystals Grow Together

Ages: Teens and Adults
Grades: 6+
Duration: 9 minutes

Snowflakes aren't the only beautiful, symmetrical things freezing in Michigan right now! Have you ever watched a metal crystal grow? Join graduate researcher Paul Chao as he uses x-rays to watch aluminum copper metal alloy freeze in real time. His research provides a unique perspective on the patterns formed during freezing. Through Chao's novel data collection technique we can view the real-time and in three-dimensions. This understanding will enable the design of stronger, lighter composites for structural applications.

Paul Chao is a U-M PhD candidate studying Materials Science and Engineering in the Shahani Group. This video was created as part of the RELATE Communication Fundamentals Workshop, a 10-week summer intensive for graduate students.

Speeding up Drug Discovery

Ages: Teens and Adults
Grades: 6+
Duration: 9 minutes

Is it possible to speed up the process of computational drug discovery to a matter of a few days or even hours? Molecular simulations are critical in the fields of vaccine development and drug discovery, but complex simulations may take several days, months or even years to complete. PhD student Paavai Pari is working on a new, more efficient technique to speed up this process. Computational methods with longer time-steps that are both stable and accurate could have big implications in vaccine and drug development, studying human DNA, and synthesizing new materials.

Paavai Pari is a PhD student in the Computational Materials Physics Group in the U-M Department of Mechanical Engineering. This video was created as part of the RELATE Communication Fundamentals Workshop, a 10-week summer intensive for graduate students.

Zooming Into Cells

Ages: Children, Family
Grades: 3+
Duration: 13 minutes

How does a scientist see what's happening inside a cell? Madeline Motsinger takes you on a journey into her lab where you'll get to test a hypothesis through real observations about whether a drug is causing damage to cells.  

Madeline Motsinger, research assistant in the University of Michigan Department of Biological Chemistry, studies endolysosomes—key organelles that play a role in keeping cells alive. This video was developed as part of the U-M Museum of Natural History Science Communication Fellows program.

Fish Pee to Farm the Sea

Ages: Children, Family
Grades: 3+
Duration: 5 minutes

Many of us are aware that fisheries are in decline. How can we use artificial reefs and fish pee to increase fish production in coastal ecosystems? Join Ecology and Evolutionary Biology PhD student Katrina Munsterman from the Allgeier Lab as she shares her story and passion for fisheries conservation.

The Buzz on Tissue Growth

Ages: Teens & Adults
Grades: 9+
Duration: 1 minute

Our bodies have many different tissues with unique functions. Some tissues grow with age. Others can heal after being damaged. One thing they have in common is that all of these tissues know when to stop growing. But how do they know? And what sends those signals? PhD student Allison Box studies tissue growth in an unlikely place: fruit fly prostates. Allison explains her research in the Buttitta Lab and how it can help us better understand cancer.

The Great Divide: Cell Division and Cancer

Ages: Adult
Grades: 9+
Duration: 1.5 minutes

You might have heard that the cells in your body multiply by dividing in two. But did you know that some cells eventually stop dividing, while others just keep going? Join University of Michigan PhD student Ajai Pulianmackal as he shares his research in the Buttitta Lab. Ajai explores how some cells divide continuously, why others just stop, and what this all means for cancer research.

The Secrets of Cell Division 

Ages: Adult
Grades: 9+
Duration: 2 minutes

You may have heard that cells replicate through a process called cell division, but how exactly do cells know when and where to divide? These are questions that Associate Professor Laura Buttitta tries to answer in her lab in the U-M Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Dr. Buttitta explains the questions that drive her research and shares the story of her own path to becoming a scientist. 

Down the Memory Lane

Ages: Adult
Grades: 9+
Duration: 10.5 minutes

In 2014, about 5 million Americans were living with Alzheimer’s disease. Sadly, many individuals will be impacted by Alzheimer's in their lifetimes, but over the past century scientists have come a long way in understanding the causes and potential treatments of this devastating and fascinating disease. Join Alzheimer's researcher Yilin Han, on a journey through the history of Alzheimer's science.

Yilin Han is a Ph.D. student in the U-M Department of Chemistry who works with proteins related to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. This video was created as part of the  RELATE Communication Fundamentals Workshop, a 10-week summer intensive for graduate students.

Using Stem Cells to Study Brain Disease 

Ages: Adults
Grades: 9+
Duration: 10 minutes

Stem cell research is life-saving science that can sometimes be controversial, but did you know that scientists can now produce stem cells from adults? These stem cells can make three-dimensional structures called "brain organoids," which are like a simplified version of human brains. Join Postdoctoral Research Fellow Isha Verma as she shares how these cells and brain organoids can be used to study brain diseases such as epilepsy.

Isha Verma is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Michigan Medical School.  This video was created as part of the RELATE Communication Fundamentals Workshop, a 10-week summer intensive for graduate students.

Understanding the Ocean's Mighty Microbes

Ages: Teens and Adults
Grades: 9+
Duration: 2 minutes

Houston, we have a plastic problem! Might mighty microbes be the solution? Learn what U-M Professor Melissa Duhaime's research can teach us about how microbes interact with their environment, particularly when their environment is being altered by people.

-Melissa Duhaime, microbiologist and assistant professor, University of Michigan Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Duhaime Lab 

Beyond the 5 Senses

Ages: Family
Grades: K-8
Duration: 11 minutes

Can you trick your own brain? University of Michigan Department of Kinesiology researcher Elana Goldenkoff describes two senses we have beyond the traditional five and offers experiments you can try at home to test (and maybe even trick!) these senses.

Evolution of Sharks

Ages: Teens and Adults
Grades: 6+
Duration: 9 minutes

Director of the U-M Museum of Paleontology and fish paleontologist Matt Friedman answers questions about the evolution of sharks including their role as predators, why shark teeth are more prevalent than shark skeletons, and how today's sharks differ from their prehistoric ancestors.

-Matt Friedman is Director and Associate Curator of the U-M Museum of Paleontology and Associate Professor in the U-M Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Life is Sweet

Ages: Youth, Adult
Grades: 8+
Duration: 12 minutes

Life is sweet... or is it?

Cupcakes, cookies, soda pop, candy. What effects does this sugar have on our brains and behavior? Can we pass a sweet tooth on to our children? Dr. Manaswini Sarangi studies fruit flies to learn more about the effects of high dietary sugar. Watch the flies closely - what type of sugar do you think they'll prefer?

-Manaswini Sarangi is a post-doctoral researcher in the University of Michigan Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology.

Great Lakes Water Levels

Ages: Teens and Adults
Grades: 6+
Duration: 5 minutes

How will fluctuating water levels across the Great Lakes impact the growth of cities, people moving to the region, changes in water supply and the overall economy? Associate Professor Drew Gronewold, U-M School of Sustainability, is working with researchers across the University of Michigan, including Professor Richard Norton, U-M Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, to answer those critical questions.

Expert Interview: Algae and the Climate Crisis

Ages: Teens and Adults
Grades: 9-12+
Duration: 12 minutes

The newest U-M Museum of Natural History exhibit "pod"—Algae and the Climate Crisis— features the research of professor Anthony Vecchiarelli of the U-M Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. His lab studies the role of cyanobacteria (commonly called blue-green algae) in the climate crisis. 

Two Michigan Engineering undergraduate students, Morgan Cobb and Mahek Siwatch, interviewed Vecchiarelli about the exhibit. Both Morgan and Mahek are members of the U-M Global CO₂ Initiative Student Association and active in the field of carbon capture and utilization. This video is the first part of a four-part interview. Click the thumbnail at the end to keep watching the videos.

This exhibit, which features the research of Anthony Vecchairelli and his lab, was funded by the National Science Foundation. Carbon-capture objects were acquired with help from the U-M Global CO₂ Initiative. We would like to thank AirCompany, LanzaTech, Covestro, Victor Li and the Center for Low Carbon Built Environment, and SkyBaron for their donations.

What is Herpetology?

Ages: Children and Family
Grades: K-12
Duration: 3 minutes

Herpetology comes from the Greek root herpeton, meaning “creeping animal” and is a special term for the study of reptiles and amphibians. But why are these seemingly different groups of organisms studied together? This video, recently retired from the Nature Investigate Lab’s Research Highlights exhibit, answers that question and more.

Want to learn more? Check out Project: MORPH—a student-led collaboration between Alison Davis Rabosky’s lab in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the U-M Museum of Natural History that makes museum specimens and cutting-edge herpetological research fun and accessible.

2023 Farrand Memorial Lecture Recording: Counter-Culture: A panel discussion on the art and science of microbes

Ages: Teens & Adults
Grades: 9-12+
Duration: 90 minutes

The existence of the microbial universe calls us to creativity. Whether harnessing the carbon-capturing power of blue-green algae or compelling society to care about something too small to see, art is often the answer. Listen to this panel discussion on the importance of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) collaborations in understanding and spreading awareness about microbial systems.

• Jim Cogswell, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and professor of Art & Design in the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, creator of the Unseen Worlds vinyl mural
• Erica Gardner, PhD student in Chemical Engineering, co-creator of the Microbial Masterpieces Project
• Anthony Vecchiarelli, assistant professor in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and researcher behind UMMNH’s Algae and the Climate Crisis exhibit.

The Farrand Memorial Lecture honors the memory of Dr. William R. Farrand, who served as Director of the U-M Exhibit Museum of Natural History for seven years (July 1993-June 2000), as well as his long career as a professor in the U-M Department of Geological Sciences. Past lectures have covered topics such as U-M collections, astronomy, biodiversity, evolution, and climate change.

What is Sustainable Farming?

Ages: Teens and Adults
Grades: 6-12+
Duration: 25 minutes

PhD student Will Brinkerhoff grew up farming with his family just outside of Ann Arbor. After traveling the world, working on the land, and experimenting in the lab, Will returned to Michigan to help build better farms. His research involves integrating livestock production into current cropping systems, nurturing soil food webs, and borrowing best practices from nature. 

Will Brinkeroff is a PhD student in the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) studying Resource Ecology Management. He gave this talk as part of the Scientist in the Forum program at UMMNH.