March 14, 2012, Wednesday - A Sip of Science at Aster Cafe

Time: 5:30pm

Location: Aster Cafe, 125 SE Main Street

A Sip of Science: Seeing Through the Mud: Exploring the Long-Term History of Wild Rice Lakes (and Some Other Lakes Too).

Climate change and human impacts on Minnesota's landscape have altered the habitat of wild rice (Zizania palustris; manoomin in Ojibwe, psin in Dakota).  Management and restoration of wild rice can be informed by research that uses core samples from the beds of wild rice lakes.  The University of Minnesota is supporting the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa to trace the historical distribution and growing conditions of manoomin in the reservation's wild rice lakes, while involving middle school through tribal college students in research projects and internships. 
 
Join Department of Earth Sciences researcher Amy Myrbo for a whirlwind tour of how we can use core samples from not only wild rice lakes, but other important urban and local lakes, to get students of all ages excited about the connections between science, history, and culture in their own back yards.
 
About Amy:
 
Dr. Amy Myrbo is a research associate and lab manager at LacCore, the National Lacustrine Core Facility, at the University of Minnesota.  She completed a BA in English literature at the University before leaping into the Geology Ph.D. program.  Her research includes the geochemistry and sedimentology of lakes; she is also working on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's project evaluating the sulfate water-quality standard to protect wild rice waters.
 
A SIP OF SCIENCE bridges the gap between science and culture in a setting that bridges the gap between brain and belly. Food, beer, and learning are on the menu in a happy hour forum in which researchers pair with musicians, artists and storytellers to put science in context through storytelling.