New Job: BU URBAN Program Manager

There is a movement happening in US higher education. Universities are trying to figure out how to prepare graduate students for a complicated world and a changing economy. The traditional model in which we turn graduate students into professors is no longer sustainable; instead, we need graduates working in every career sector, ready to apply…

Three Research Findings from Three Years of Pokémon Go (Part 3 of 3)

Three years ago, the Augmented Reality game Pokémon Go debuted, inviting players to download the app and hit the streets in order to collect a diversity of virtual Pokémon out in the real world. As an ecologist and a big fan of biological diversity, I naturally wondered how Pokémon Go might replace or complement real-world…

Does catching Pidgeys help you notice Pigeons? Interviews with Pokémon Go Researchers (Part 2 of 3)

[Re-posted from That's Life [Science] - for original, click here] In Part 1, I discussed the value of experiencing the mind-boggling range of life we have on our planet, also known as biodiversity. I argued that when we interact with biodiversity, we understand it better, value it more, and support conservation measures that protect biodiversity.…

Biodiversity in my Backyard: Encounters with Pidgeys and Dratinis (Part 1 of 3)

[Re-posted from That's Life [Science] - for original, click here] Let’s get real: our planet is full of AMAZING stuff, from the shrimpoluminescence of pistol shrimp to the elegant movement of C. elegans. When you put all these neat creatures together, the entire diversity of life on earth (which we call “biodiversity”) can feel quite…

Happy Earth Day 2019!

The Google Doodle for Earth Day 2019 celebrates one of the most interesting aspects of our earth: biodiversity. Framed in terms of superlatives, the doodle highlights the bird with the widest wingspan (wandering albatross), the tree with the tallest height (coastal redwood), and the cricket in the deepest cave (deep cave springtail). Google is right:…