Science at Work

Stories from the Woods Hole science community. About this series.

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New stories from our Science at Work series:

Wednesday, August 19, 2009: Grant Burnout

If you don't know any scientists, you might picture them spending their days alone in the lab, perhaps dressed in a white coat, analyzing tissue samples. But most scientists work in groups, where they employ others to do the hands-on work of running experiments and maintaining the lab. The scientist spends most of his or her time directing, supervising, and -- very important -- raising the money to pay for the whole operation.

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Wednesday, August 12, 2009: S.E.A.

As the name suggests, the primary mission at Woods Hole-based Sea Education Association, or S-E-A, is undergraduate education. That makes it unique in a community of high-powered research institutions. But oceanographic research is central to the learning experience S-E-A promises the students who board its tallships.

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009: Women in Science

With a woman running for President, it seems gender equality has been achieved. But when it comes to raising a family, some women find it tough to reach their professional goals. As part of the WCAI Science Series, Alex Crowley talks to two women in science from different generations, and they explore the challenges each of them faces..

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Wednesday, July 15, 2009: Science Couples

Couples can face many challenges these days, between raising a family and struggling to make ends meet. But what happens when a couple has to work in the same field? A whole set of challenges can arise and shake things up. As part of the WCAI Science series, Alex Crowley reports on this phenomenon and what it's like to be a couple in science.

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Wednesday, July 8, 2009: Google Ocean

Google Earth is a virtual globe program that comes equipped with detailed satellite imagery and pedestrian-view photos of just about any spot on Earth. But until recently, the oceans in Google Earth were nothing but vast blue empty spaces. Today on Science at Work, Heather Goldstone reports on ocean scientists' efforts to communicate their research to the public using the popular computer software.

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Wednesday, July 1, 2009: Testimony

Scott Doney, a chemist at the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution, studies the ocean's role in the global carbon cycle. He's been to Washington nearly a dozen times to discuss climate change with members of Congress and their staff. Reporter Elizabeth Saito sat down with Doney to discuss his first trip to Capitol Hill, and his efforts to communicate his research outside the ivory tower.

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Wednesday, June 24, 2009: Grey Matter

From global warming to stem cell research, many of the hottest political issues of our time have science at their core, and scientists are often called on to provide necessary information and expert opinion. But among scientists a debate rages over just how much involvement is appropriate. Heather Goldstone spoke to two Woods Hole scientists - one known for hard-line opposition to scientist advocacy, the other known for his work to get Congress to change arsenic standards. She reports that, ultimately, the two have strikingly similar views on the complex issue of scientists talking to the public.

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Wednesday, June 17, 2009: Ivory Tower

Academic science is often referred to as an ivory tower, a place where pure, basic research is pursued in isolation from the real world. That's not an accusation that could be leveled at Chris Reddy of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Reddy's research is aimed at real-world environmental problems, and he's quite happy to work with industry to solve them. Today on Science at Work, Heather Goldstone explores what drives Reddy to break out of the ivory tower.

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Check out our new science minutes produced by our production partners at Atlantic Public Media.

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Previous Science at Work stories

Monday January 19, 2009: Biodiversity Heritage Library Website and Rare Books Collection

If you ever stumble upon a strange-looking species in your backyard and think you may be the first person to do so: think twice . . . and, check with the Biodiversity Heritage Library, or BHL for short. The BHL is an online library, created by ten historical and scientific institutions, that has over two million volumes of literature on the different species collected over two hundred years. It's a way for people all over the world to access some of the most rare books, dating back to the late 1800s, which have been scanned and made into an online digital library.

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Tuesday January 20, 2009: A Rare Collection of Microbes

John Waterbury is technically retired. But he still gets up everyday and goes to work at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where he maintains a rare and valuable collection of ocean microbes.

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Wednesday January 21, 2009: Corals and Climate Change

Global warming, or climate change, is a hot topic these days. How much of the warming is caused by humans? When will we see the effects? And how dramatic will they be? Climate scientists, like Konrad Hughen of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, think the key to answering questions about our future is understanding the past. Heather Goldstone reports.

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Thursday January 22, 2009: WHRC

Much of the research conducted at the Woods Hole Research Center focuses on distant lands, from the Amazon to Africa and Russia. But one of their biggest experiments is going on right here in Woods Hole. It's the building they work in. Heather Goldstone recently toured the facility.

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Friday January 23, 2009: Red Tide Science

The red tide outbreak of 2005 on the Cape financially devastated the shell fishing industry. The harmful algae alarms swimmers and diners alike. But scientists continue to research the red tide phenomenon, in hopes of finding better ways to keep humans and our industries safe.

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Monday January 26, 2009: Ocean Noise

Have you ever tried to budget your money? Or your time? How about the sounds you hear? That's the task researchers from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Cornell University, and Marine Acoustics Integrated have taken on. They're pooling their resources and expertise in an attempt to compile the first ever ocean noise budget, and Stellwagen Bank is their test case.

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Tuesday January 27, 2009: CSI WH

Darlene Ketten is not your typical Hollywood CSI investigator. Unlike the TV-celebrity who sports a tight pantsuit and fresh lip-gloss, Ketten sits comfortably in her Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution laboratory in jeans and a sweater. She is small framed, with large, expressive eyes. Ketten is a senior scientist in the biology department of WHOI, in a facility called "CSI." In this case, CSI stands for Computerized Scanning and Imaging, not Crime Scene Investigation. But her job as a clinical researcher might fit well into a veterinary version of the primetime hits. Ketten scans and autopsies marine mammals, like they do in humans, to diagnose problems both before and after death.

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Wednesday January 28, 2009: Cuttlefish and Camouflage

Thousands of animals use camouflage to escape being eaten by predators. Contrary to popular belief the chameleon is not the king of this visual trickery. Cephalopods - that's squid, octopus, and cuttlefish - are the actual masters. They can blend instantly into an infinite array of marine habitats. But the question remains: how do the animals manage so many different disguises, how do they know which one to wear? Roger Hanlon, a researcher at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, is confident he's discovered a few of the underlying principles.

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Thursday January 29, 2009: Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, or WBNERR (WEB-NER) for short, is one of twenty seven such centers scattered along U.S. coastlines. The goal of the estuarine research reserve system is to preserve and study coastal ecosystems. One of the main ways they do that is through long-term ecological monitoring.

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Friday January 30, 2009: Studying Undersea Microbes

Research scientists have mapped about 20 percent of the ocean floor. But there are many more organisms to discover. Scientist Julie Huber studies the microbial ecology of the deep sea, and she classifies the single-celled organisms, documenting just who and what is populating the ocean floor.

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Other stories in the series:

October 23, 2008: Whale communication and hunting

This past spring, Cape and Islanders gathered around Provincetown Harbor, hoping to catch a glimpse of the rare Right Whales congregating off the coast. Many were concerned about the whales colliding with ships. But scientists are gaining a better understanding of how to control such accidents -- in addition to how whales communicate and hunt for prey -- thanks to ongoing research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Reporter Alex Crowley filed this story.

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July 3, 2008: Lobster Shell Disease

A mysterious disease affecting the shells of lobsters has the fishing industry on edge, and teams of scientists are working to find out what's causing it. The illness doesn't make the lobsters inedible, just unappetizing. This year the numbers of diseased lobsters seems to have declined, further adding to the mystery of what is causing lobster shells to rot away.

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June 19, 2008: Sea Slugs and Memory

Though many people know Woods Hole as the place to get the ferry to the Vineyard, the little village is also home to several internationally known scientific research centers. Hundreds of scientists go to work here each day, trying to answer basic questions about the world. Today our reporter Elizabeth White Saito brings us a portrait of one of those researchers: Alan Kuzirian, a scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory. Kuzirian studies the molecular basis for learning and memory in sea slugs, research that might one day lead to better treatments for Alzheimer's and other learning deficiencies.

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Links to local scientific institutions:

Marine Biological Laboratory
NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Sea Education Association
USGS Science Center for Coastal and Marine Geology
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole Research Center

Links to our previous science series:

Fresh Water, Salt Water
Science Journal
Health Journal
Our Environment