One big topic I keep running into is a need to respect different “ways of knowing.” Right now in our culture research science and academia rule the roost in respected ways of gaining knowledge; having an advanced degree or being published are our cultural indicators of knowledge possession. However, there are other valid ways of gaining knowledge -which, when recognized, increases our culture’s knowledge as a whole.

This article , from NASA’s Earth Observatory website, is a case study of how Inuit community knowledge was incorporated into climate change scientific research resulting in greater knowledge for both groups.

From the article:

“Weatherhead and Gearheard said they are intrigued by the insights that incorporate indigenous knowledge and climate studies, but they don’t want to stop there. The new study has sparked an interest in the type of environmental knowledge other communities could provide to climate scientists, from ranchers and farmers to indigenous groups. “When you treat these perspectives as different forms of evidence or knowledge and see where that takes you, that is when exciting stuff happens,” said Gearheard.”

The blog Information is Beautiful is a demonstration of how art and creativity transform dry data into something stunning, attractive, and readily meaningful.

Check out this musical zen planetary interactive.

Solar System Music Box

Or this climate change graphic When Sea Levels Attack.

When Sea Levels Attack

NASA Image from March 2010

NASA Image from August 2009

From the NASA Earth Observatory Natural Hazards Feed:

“The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured these images of the Twin Cities region on March 17, 2010 (top), and August 5, 2009 (bottom). Both use a combination of infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between water and land. Vegetation appears bright green. Clouds appear sky blue. Water varies in color from electric blue to navy. Bare ground ranges in color from dark brown to tan.

Taken in different seasons—late winter and mid-summer—these images not only show different water levels in the Mississippi and other rivers, but also dramatically different amounts of vegetation. While much of the region is heavily vegetated in August 2009, river levels are low enough to make the water bodies nearly invisible. (Tree cover along the riverbanks may partly obscure the rivers.) In contrast, the image from March 2010 shows vegetation just beginning to emerge from winter’s chill. Differences in vegetation between August and March are especially visible in the west, in what appears to be a large patchwork of agricultural lands. Compared to the previous summer, the Mississippi and other rivers in the region appear swollen. Some of the electric-blue hues in water bodies away from the rivers might result from lingering ice. Springtime rains and snowmelt often conspire to raise water levels.”

EM Scan of a Post-It

For some crazy reason the ASPEX Corporation is scanning samples sent in by anyone with their electron microscope then posting the images online. Send something in!

My husband Jon and I spent February in the Bocas Del Toro Islands of Panama. They are on the Caribbean side, very close to Cost Rica. Above is a video of our flight taking off from Bocas heading back to San Jose; it gives a kinda nice overview of the islands.

We’re now back in the states refreshed and raring-up for a busy year!

As always, I’m available for writing, design, photography, and project management.

However, whats NEW is that Jon’s skills are now available: He brings 12 years of professional experience designing and creating online content in the form of websites, microsites, kiosks, applications, advertising and online strategy. He has worked with companies such as Sony, Best Buy and Target as well as countless small businesses and startups to realize their online initiatives. Most recently he has designed and programmed a series of interactive training modules for families dealing with alzheimers. Find out more and see his work at http://www.urbansub.com/.

A couple more parting photos from Panama:

FYI – The movie and photos were shot with the tiny travel-friendly, but low photo quality, harinezumi camera.

Here’s my favorite of the new posts:

CreatureCast – Multicellularity from Casey Dunn on Vimeo.

Jellyfish are stirring up the oceans. Above is a video demonstrating, with dye, how the negative pressure void behind a swimming jellyfish brings some water along for the ride. This may seem trivial, but when you add up the movement of all the swimming ocean creatures it sums to a major component of (previously unknown) significant ocean water movement. Which of course has major implications for world climate. Read more here (WIRED Science).

Also, sorry for the long blogging silence. The good news is that I have been very busy! The bad news – no time for blogging. A New Year’s resolution of mine is to find time for this blog – stay tuned and hold me to it!

Jellyfish and plastic pieces from the Pacific Ocean.

Crabs, Algae, and Flying Fish Eggs on Ocean Plastic.

Barnacles living on plastic bottles in ocean.

A research ship recently docked back home after weeks out at sea studying plastic in the ocean. You can read about the fascinating trip and see amazing photos on their blog. Or check out the official website.

Their destination was a location in the Pacific Ocean, far off the coast of California, where sea currents converge and cause a mass gathering of plastic. The plastic gathering isn’t a floating raft; but small pieces suspended at varying depths.

These plastic pieces probably leech chemicals into the water but they also act like magnets attracting hydrophobic industrial and agricultural chemicals – which are suspected to be consumed by small fish and work up the food chain to top-level-consumers like us.

Interestingly, larger pieces of ocean plastics become homes to pelagic creatures like crabs, algae, flying fish eggs. They anticipate needing six months (or more) to analyze all the data – should be some interesting results!

Clouds reflected in Silver Lake. Photo by Leslie Witte.

Have you been to the newest addition to Three Rivers Park District?

Silverwood Park, in St. Anthony, is “devoted to the integration of nature-based experiences and artistic creation”

I will be spending a lot of time there as an “arts educator.” The park and its mission really excite me; the potential of using art to teach science – and science to teach art – hits home with my two greatest passions. However, this doesn’t change my business goals; I will still have lots of time and energy to dedicate to Ami Thompson Consulting LLC.

I highly recommend checking out the park. The visitor center is brand new, Silver Lake is beautiful, and the paved paths are extremely welcoming to people of all abilities.

UPDATE: I am sad to report that I am no longer working at Silverwood. I found myself to be hopelessly overcommitted and needed to let go of something. So with a sad heart I resigned, but it was a wonderful experience. I encourage everyone to visit the park – and keep your eyes open for the Great Horned Owl!

Ponyo Movie Poster

There is a new delightful Hayao Miyazaki movie out called Ponyo. In the film, the world is returning to the Devonian Period, AKA the Age of Fishes.

The movie is worth watching alone for the beautiful animation of trilobites, armored placoderms, and other pre-historic creatures. I tried to fish-out some clips of the sea creatures but the official trailer doesn’t feature any devonian animal scenes. If you’re a historical geology lover this is a must-see movie!

Link to more info about the Devonian Period.