Even though Gothic was closed to visitors during the summer of 2020 due to COVID-19, we still wanted to connect with the public through science. Videos of the live lab chats we created during the summer of 2020 are accessible through each of the links below!
Field Science Challenges
Join our ground squirrel citizen scientist challenge to learn more about the work of Dr. Caitlin Wells Salerno of Colorado State University and help us document ground dwelling squirrels where you live! Recorded Lab Chat with Dr. Caitlin Wells – Click here
Join our Mystery Critter Challenge to learn more about the work of Dr. Rosemary Smith from Idaho State University. Have you ever considered what the world would look like if dead things did not decompose? Carrion beetles like the burying beetle are on the job! Recorded Lab Chat with Dr. Rosemary Smith – Click here
Join our Marmot Mania Challenge to learn more about the work of Dr. Dan Blumstein from UCLA. You may have heard their high-pitched whistle when they sound the alarm as you walk by their burrows. Yellow bellied marmots are charismatic creatures that are fun to watch, and fascinating to research. Recorded Lab Chat with Dr. Dan Blumstein – Click here
Join our Drone Data Discovery Challenge to learn more about the work of Dr. Ian Breckheimer. “Time travel” is made possible through new technologies being used by scientists today. By repeatedly flying satellites, planes and drones outfitted with a variety of cameras and sensors across the seasons and over the years, we can collect data about how landscapes change over time. Recorded Lab Chat with Dr. Ian Breckheimer – Click here
Join us for Pathogens, Parasites and Pandemics. Plants, like people, can get really sick. Because plants are primary producers, the only organisms able to make food for the world, many scientists study plant health in both agricultural systems and natural eco-systems. Recorded Lab Chat with Dr. Ian Miller – Click here
A signal that summer is in full swing is the sound of buzzing pollinators busily gathering food in fields of wildflowers. Dr. Jessica Forrest of the University of Ottawa, returns year after year to RMBL to better understand plant-pollinator interactions and their resilience to the challenges of a warming world. Recorded Lab Chat with Dr. Jessica Forrest – Click here
A huge variety of hungry creatures are feasting on the different foods found in your neighborhood! Watch closely and you will observe how plants provide food and shelter to vertebrate animals like birds and deer as well as invertebrate arthropods like ants and aphids. At the same time, plants try to survive and reproduce. The relationships between producers, consumers and their environment are of interest to RMBL scientists like Dr. Kailen Mooney of the University of California, Irvine. Recorded Lab Chat with Dr. Kailen Mooney – Click here