Piedmont Primer

How much have you learned simply by watching the Discovery channel?  People of all ages and backgrounds gathered to watch and learn Jed Macosko, PhD take us on a voyage inside our cells at the first Science Café held in Winston-Salem.

Dr. Macosko, an Assistant Professor of Physics at Wake Forest University, gave a talk entitled “The Cell-Story: Take a Virtual Voyage to Discover the Secret World Inside Your Cells.”  He was a great speaker and engaged the audience well by keeping the science simple so anyone from scientists to the general public could easily understand the talk. 

Dr. Macosko’s work involves a particular structure inside the cell called kinesin.  This molecule is a motor protein that carries cargo along “roads” called microtubules.  However, his other passion is trying to find ways to get children interested in learning about science and biology at an early age.

Have you ever noticed how some four year-old children can name several species of fish, or explain the difference between a triceratops and a t-rex?  Such observations show the great potential that children have for learning complex ideas.  Moreover, if a child can remember Ducky from the “Land Before Time” or Nemo from “Finding Nemo“, whats to say that other conventional worlds can’t also be personified? 

Dr. Macosko made the comment “…by exploring creative and fun ways to teach biology to children through videos and characters, then we can do for the cellular world what Jacques Cousteau and Nemo did for the underwater world.

To this end he has been working with artists from Out of Our Minds Animation Studios in Winston-Salem to create a short movies about the inner workings of a virtual cell.  He showed segments of this and other videos throughout his talk enabling the audience to visualize what was going on inside the cells ultimately bringing further understanding.  He briefly discussed the desire to create video games under this same theme and is currently making contacts. 

He also told us what arose from a first-year seminar he recently taught.  The seminars were on Natures Molecular Machines where he taught students about the language behind the molecular machines within the body.  Out of this course the company BioBotz was born.  This company was started by six students in Dr. Macosko’s seminar class with the goal of educating children in the field of molecular biology.  They are planning on releasing a story book, stuffed toys, a video game, and a television show.

Dr. Macosko talked about his work work with a group of students in the School of Computer Technology at Atkins Academic & Technology High School Complex.  He is planning on working with senior students at the school to develop a 3 minute animated short that can be used to educate students and people of all ages about the inner workings of cells.  At the same time he is helping these high school-age students develop an early interest in science and math by showing them that science needs people from all backgrounds, including computer technology and computer graphic designers.  Collectively, Dr. Macosko’s work represents what Winston-Salem and the Piedmont-Triad needs in order to continue to see science and biotech grow in the region…an interest in science and an educated population.  His work shows that this is indeed alive and well and will hopefully continue to flourish in the region. 

This was a successful and enjoyable Science Cafe which are meant to be at a meeting place where the public can hear about current science topics.  They are open to everyone, and take place in casual settings like pubs and coffeehouses.  The the goal of Science Cafés is to initiate discussions between the local science community and the public about science topics that are relevant to the public.  A national listing of Science Cafés can be found at www.sciencecafés.org which is produced by NOVA scienceNOW, in association with Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society.

This was the first Science Café held in Winston-Salem through the efforts of SciWorks and Reynolda Gardens of Wake Forest University.  It was on March 10, 2009 at Foothills Brewing Co.  The Science Café is a great place for both the public and scientists to meet and network with people outside of their immediate associations and disciplines.

The Next Science Café Topic (Tuesday April 14th, 2009 @  7pm Foothills):  “Bee Brains, How the Bee Brain Grows Up” - Presented by Dr. Susan Fahrbach of Wake Forest University.