In 2022, we published three resiliency fables written by students participating in a Duke Engage summer program at Duke University Marine Lab. The fables -- Ollie the Orca. Gilbert the Grouper, Terry the Tree and The Live Oak and The Wind -- were an experiment, developed as part of a resiliency curriculum being co-developed by the Community Science Initiative and Carteret County middle school teachers. Little did the students know, the fables would go on to become the centerpiece of the Ready, Set, Resilience curriculum, and participating middle school students would even write their own fables. Under the guidance of middle school teachers Robert Condie and Kayla Ipock, 8th grade students at Broad Creek Middle School wrote a total of 60 fables! This episode features 6 of our favorites.
marine science
In this episode, Aileen Lavelle and Sara Norton of the Duke University Bass Connections team “Belugas; Sentinels of Climate Change in the Arctic” share their experiences traveling to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, the Polar Bear Capital of the World, to see belugas in person and learn about the impacts of climate change on these charismatic species and the ecotourism industry in a small, isolated town that depends on them. They ask what the role of conservatives is in wildlife conservation and sustainability. Wally Daudrich, Owner and Founder of Lazy Bear Lodge shares his insights on beluga tourism and how he came to run a sustainable tourism lodge in Churchill, Canada.
In this episode Juan Rebellon, Margaret Morrison, Jordan Scott, and Juliette Lee, students from Dr. Xavier Basurto’s Community-Based Marine Conservation travel course in April 2022, explore cultural changes in the Comcaác indigenous community and Kino Bay fishing community through the lens of food systems. Listeners will hear community members talk about topics such as their favorite foods, how they fish, and their cultural relationships from interviews conducted during the course in Sonora, Mexico.
The Duke University Marine Lab is home to second year students in the coastal and marine systems (CAMS) concentration of a Masters of Environmental Management (MEM) degree. During the fall of their first year when they are based on main campus in Durham, CAMS students visit the marine lab for a weekend to meet faculty, staff, and students and to see a bit of Beaufort. The Seas the Day team took the opportunity in fall of 2022 to ask students about their motivations and interests in a career as an environmental professional. In this episode, Jake Whisler weaves together their stories of inspiration, motivation, hope, and community. Featuring: Maeve Arthur, Allison Barbaro, Isaac Benaka, Katrina Bernaus, Taylor Coleman, Laura Exar, Aileen Lavelle, Hugh Cipparone, Hayden Dubniczki, Jasmine Papas, Stephanie Pipas, and Amanda Sajewski.
In this episode, the students in the Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles travel class document their trip to Culerbra, Puerto Rico, and St. Croix, in the US Virgin Islands in a kind of ‘travel diary’. Reflecting on what they did, who they met, and how they felt, the students effectively capture the very essence of travel courses and the heady combination of experiential learning and personal development. Part of our Sea Turtles series.
How can we bridge extremely localized, traditional knowledge with the “best available science” of Western knowledge? Students of Dr. Xavier Basurto’s Community-Based Marine Conservation travelled to the Gulf of California in Sonora State, Mexico, to find out. Brittany Tholan, Claire Huang, Grace Jennings, Jieyi Wang, and Zoe Wong explore how knowledge is passed down among the indigenous Comcaac people and local fishers, and how bridging knowledge types can help address local issues from sea turtle conservation to fisheries management.
In this episode, the students in the Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles class from the Duke Marine Lab explore the past, current and future status of sea turtle conservation on St. Croix, in the US Virgin Islands. Based on interviews conducted during a 10-day immersive experience on St. Croix, the episode reviews the successes, challenges, and unknowns of conserving and managing sea turtle populations on the island.
What is algae biofuel? How do we make it? And how may it be used in the future? In today’s episode of Lab Notes, Junyao Gu interviews the algae biofuel research team at the Duke University Marine Lab, including faculty, technicians, and current and previous students, to discuss the future of biofuel in the context of their research.
In this third installment of a three episode series, Spencer Moyle reads his story of Terry the Tree and Rory McCollum follows with The Live Oak and the Wind. Both stories were written as part of a Duke Engage program exploring concepts of social and ecological resilience. The program was run by Dr. Liz DeMattia, director of the Community Science Initiative, with the assistance of PhD student Laura Givens, who was the site coordinator for Duke Engage, in 2022. Following the 'reading', Laura interviews the authors on their experiences in the program and how they crafted their stories.
Listen on Apple Podcasts In this second of a three episode series, Andres Hernandez reads his story of Gilbert the Grouper. The story explores concepts of resilience and was written as part of a Duke Engage summer program at Duke University Marine Lab. The program was run by Dr. Liz DeMattia, director of the Community Science Initiative, with the assistance of PhD student Laura Givens, who was the site coordinator for Duke Engage, in 2022. Following the 'reading', Laura interviews Andres on his experiences in the program and the logic of the story.