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Sheril Kirshenbaum
Sheril Kirshenbaum is a marine biologist at Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. Previously, she advised Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) on Energy, Climate, and Ocean Policy. Sheril also has experience working in pop radio and her research has been featured in magazines and published in scientific journals. Sheril co-writes The Intersection blog with Chris Mooney for Scienceblogs.com. You can contact Sheril directly via e-mail at srkirshenbaum@yahoo.com
More Recent Posts
Plight Of The Postdoc
by Is modern American science strangling its young talents in the cradle?
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Journey To South Africa!
Esteemed wildlife photographer and biologist, Nicolas Devos, is back in South Africa... and he's bringing Correlations readers on the adventure!
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In 2008, Dead Zones Are Deadlier
Remember those disgusting vast areas of the ocean depleted of oxygen and devoid of fish, shrimp, and marine life? They're getting worse.
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Welcome Home Discovery!
The 14-day mission to the International Space Station ended as Discovery touched down on the 15,000-foot landing strip at 11:15 a.m Saturday morning in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
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Venter's Energy Bug
Craig Venter is out to create a bacterium that uses CO2 to create fuel. If he succeeds, it could change everything...
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Fate Of The Ocean
Ocean acidification is intimately connected to our changing climate and as important as global warming...
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With Honors. Without Options?
In the 21st century, we're producing more Ph.D. graduates than ever while the traditional academic trajectory affords fewer and fewer options.
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Girls Sweep Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair!
It's that special time of year again when the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) gives high school students an opportunity to shine. This year, nearly 15,000 students from 47 countries competed in Atlanta for scholarships and prizes. And the winners are....
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The Art Of Science
Sure, Carl Zimmer's got his Science Tattoo Emporium, but I suspect I've just witnessed the creation of the coolest science tattoo this millennium...
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The Deadliest Storm This Millennium
Tropical Cyclone Nargis may be the world's deadliest storm since 1999's Orissa.
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COLOSSAL SQUID!
On Wednesday, a 30 foot long, 900-pound colossal squid hauled up from the Antarctic last January will be studied by a team of scientists... but the catch is, they'll only have FOUR hours!
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Join Me At The AAAS Forum!
On May 9, I will speak at the AAAS Forum On Science And Technology Policy about 'Science and the New Media' so I've decided to bring readers, science writers, and bloggers along to my presentation--and I want you!
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A Bright Future
Saturday night I attended North Carolina's 'Celebration of Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education.' If the ceremony reflects the future for math and science, there is certainly reason for hope in tomorrow's leaders.
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"I'd rather be smart than be a movie star"
..says actress Natalie Portman!
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Science Policy Forum
"Science and the Candidates" will appear in tomorrow's April 11th issue of the journal Science laying out out how ScienceDebate2008 began, its implications, and where it's going.
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The Bard of Evolution
Marine paleoecologist Geerat Vermeij is blind. And yet, he sees what others do not...
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Go Dark Tonight For Earth Hour 2008
Tonight at 8:00 pm, millions of people around the globe will be turning off their lights... Why?
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On The Importance Of Oceans
It seems nearly universal that we are drawn to oceans. Children and adults alike marvel at whales, sea turtles, manatees, dolphins and on. Our imagination runs wild wondering about all the biodiversity and mystery lurking just below the surface of the great blue. Sure, it's easy to love oceans, but let's explore what makes them so important...
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Science And Society
Last week, Inoculated Mind's Karl J. Mogel interviewed me about ScienceDebate2008, the role of science in policy, science blogging, and the ever charismatic sea cucumber.
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Beer As A Science
It's St. Patrick's Day and what better way to celebrate than to explore the science behind your favorite brew!
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Is Obama A Mac And Clinton A PC?
About the same time I was debating which computer was the best choice, I noticed the NYTimes had an interesting take on a similar question. Well sort of...
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Mapping Oceans Reveals Our Impact
Nearly forty percent of ocean areas are strongly impacted by humans and only four percent can be considered pristine. A fascinating new study provides a snapshot of what we're are doing to our home... the implications of which we're now only beginning to understand.
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James McCarthy on ScienceDebate2008
James J. McCarthy, President-elect of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography at Harvard University
on ScienceDebate2008.
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The World's Thinnest Notebook
As readers know, I've been searching for a laptop that's small, lightweight, compact, and easily portable--not as a primary computer for data, but rather a writing tool for travel and coffeehouse composition. Well folks, I've converted to Mac. Officially. This post comes straight from my new MacBook Air...
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DIY: A Presidential Debate on Science and Technology
It's official. Hillary Clinton, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and Barack Obama have been invited to ScienceDebate2008. We're so close to seeing this through and now more than ever, we need your help! The time has come to get involved...
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Bleed Blue, Live Green
If you watched the Duke basketball game last Thursday night, you probably noticed our normally blue Cameron Crazies sporting bright GREEN T-shirts... Why?
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Marine Mammals... Cute, Cuddly, And In Crisis
Twenty-five marine mammal populations in the US of A are currently classified as either endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and thirty are listed as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). While these policies aim to reduce the greatest threats, we've got a long way to go. To get readers up to speed, I've outlined five of the most serious...
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Framing Science At The NC Science Blogging Conference
I spent Saturday at the NC Science Blogging Conference... but don't let the title fool you. Science bloggers, writers, and journalists from around the world converged in Raleigh, North Carolina to talk about opportunities in new media, our role, and the changing environment.
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Science is Art.
The arts have a monumental role in culture which is, of course, at the intersection of politics, science... Life. They have always been so intricately connected, they are fundamentally aspects of the same entity. Scientists like Nicolas Devos remind me to look closer at our world now and then.
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'Saved' by MacBook Air
Remember the quandary over Mac or PC?
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Snow: A Northerner Braves The South
Snow: A type of precipitation consisting of agglomerates of snow crystals. It reflects sunlight and even changes the way sound travels. It's fun to eat, pack, throw, shovel, and watch. We humans are so fascinated with snow, we've even come up with little paper weights that imitate the falling phenomenon so we can take it with us.
After our Correlations meet up in LA, my sentiments on the white stuff were to change dramatically...
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Happy New Year. Sort Of.
Many of us will spend the fleeting moments of 2007 toasting something that arguably rivals an odometer ticking over to a round number. Completely arbitrary. For even if space and time do exist, who's counting and to what end?
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Fun With π
Patterns exist that establish themselves out of disorder. So could it be that a higher order of some kind constructed a universe ascribing to specified geometrical axioms that result in early trajectories forward? And what if these single points of origin determine not only where we came from, but where we are headed?
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The Humpbacks Are Spared... For Now
The world was up in arms last month as Japan launched its whaling fleet in the first major hunt of humpbacks since the 1960s. The move wasn't great for public relations, and would you know it... turns out all the hullabaloo has made a difference.
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Science Debate 2008
So what's all the hullabaloo about a presidential Science Debate?
In short - It's something entirely new, exciting, and in my humble opinion - something extraordinary! Let me explain how I got involved...
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Missionairies of Macintosh
Mac or PC? And if I commit to Mac, will I too be Saved? Do I need to be? Will I become a Mac fundamentalist scorning the others at Monday staff meetings? Will I begin to preach the gospel of Apple? I'm not sure I'm ready for that kind of responsibility...
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Science is Life.
How do we pursue a collective push for improving the state of things? As a nation, there are some major decisions to be thinking about over the coming year and right now is the greatest opportunity to emphasize our national priorities while everyone is paying attention.
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Are There Fish In Our Future... Or is 2048 the Y2K for Seafood?
We humans long believed oceans must be so enormous, the abundance of resources in the marine realm had to be limitless. We're funny about holding onto ridiculous notions like that...
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The Story of Freshwater and A Geography Lesson for Developers in Mesa, Arizona
Do we really need a new water park in the Arizona desert? The idea just doesn't sit right with this conservation scientist. Actually, it shouldn't really sit right with anyone who has an interest in the future of freshwater.
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Cyclone Sidr: No Calm After the Storm
While it will take a while to understand the true extent of Cyclone Sidr's impact, now is the time to provide support and aid.
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Cyclone Sidr: A Worst Case Scenario for Bangladesh?
Because Bangladesh is one of the low-laying regions most at risk from sea level rise, as a marine biologist I'm all too familiar with how vulnerable it is to flooding and storm surges. It's also one of the most densely populated countries and - as Chris Mooney has expressed - I fear Cyclone Sidr storm may be a worst case scenario. It's my sincere hope we're mistaken.
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Ocean Acidification?
You may have been hearing all the hullabaloo over ocean acidification. Sure sounds frightening [visions of the melting Wicked Witch of the West] but no, oceans are not turning to acid. Still, acidification is a very real and scary possibility nonetheless. So let's explore what's going on just beneath the surface...
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Carnival of the Blue VI
A synthesis of the best ocean-related blogging... representing the other 70% of our planet!
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Iron Fertilization of Oceans 101
Phytoplankton take up CO2 in oceans and then go on to die and sink, and drum roll please.... we've got a natural process that helps mitigate lots of the pesky CO2 that's been mucking up planet earth! You see, iron is a limiting factor for phytoplankton growth, so if we were to, say, dump a lot of Fe into the sea - phytoplankton will bloom and carbon would be sequestrated in oceans. To offset emissions, for-profit corporations want to spread Fe where it currently limits phytoplankton. Investors hope to use this process to earn carbon credits which would be traded through markets or sold as offsets for greenhouse gas emissions. But WAIT just one second! Before we jump on the iron fertilization bandwagon, there are a few things important things to consider...
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On the Retention of Women in Science
We know women in academia make less than our male counterparts, are promoted more slowly, and hold fewer leadership positions. So what's the big deal about examining gender bias? Well, yesterday's Boston Globe Op-Ed by Cathy Young suggests there could be trouble past all the inquiry.
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The Age of Aquarius
Ever stare out at the great blue wondering what's going on below the ripples that seem so serene? When I do, I often envision the myriad of whales, corals, dolphins, turtles, sharks, and all sorts of critters going about their day in a maze of complex interactions that we can only imagine from up here. So what's really happening just below the surface?
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Rediscovery
Humans are born naturally curious creatures. As youngsters, our world is mainly governed by what's within reach - or even better - fits in our mouths. For most of us, that changes as bigger folks start telling us to stop playing in the mud, eating crayons, and picking up beetles. But I've yet to encounter a first grader who's not fascinated by science - just not necessarily aware of it. Bring up dinosaurs around most six year olds and they'll be captivated in moments. 'You mean ginormous ancestors of birds lived here? REALLY?!' Heck, two decades later, even I'm still mesmerized!
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Life In A Test Tube!
Okay folks, it's not marine biology, but this is tremendous news in the world of science...
Today The Guardian reports that Craig Venter has created a synthetic chromosome. Call it life imitating science fiction where the big question now is, what will this mean to you and me? Such a breakthrough will undoubtedly have enormous implications across disciplines and Venter suggests there is the potential for solutions to climate change while others warn of possible new weapons
for bio-terrorism.
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'Is Anyone Here A Marine Biologist?'
Hello folks and welcome to Correlations! I'm a marine biologist at Duke University's Nicholas
Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and also share The Intersection
with Chris Mooney.
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