SciFund Introductions

[David Shiffman]

Hi, everyone! 

One of the things I'm most excited about in participating in the SciFund challenge is getting to meet so many researchers in a variety of disciplines. I wanted to introduce myself to y'all, and I hope you'll do the same!

My name is David Shiffman, and I'm a Ph.D. student at the University of Miami's Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy. I study the biology, ecology and conservation of sharks. The Abess Center is an interdisciplinary program, and my specific area of study is the ecosystem role that sharks play and how different stakeholder groups (fishermen, conservation activists, and policymakers) perceive the ecosystem role that sharks play. 

I'm also a very active online science communicator. I tweet as @WhySharksMatter, I have a Facebook fan page ( Facebook.com/WhySharksMatter ), and I write for the blog Southern Fried Science (southernfriedscience.com). I organized the ScienceOnline Oceans conference last fall, and have published 3 papers focusing on how social media can help scientists.

The project that my SciFund proposal is based on is one of my dissertation chapters. I'll be using stable isotope analysis (a non-lethal, minimally invasive technique) to study the diet and feeding ecology of sharks in coastal South Florida.

Good luck to everyone, and I'm looking forward to meeting you all!

Sincerely, 

--

David Shiffman 
Ph.D. Student, Research Assistant,
Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy
R.J. Dunlap Marine Conservation Program

e: david.s...@gmail.com | p: 412.915.2309
a: 4600 Rickenbacker Cswy, Miami, Florida, 33149
t: @WhySharksMatter | b: Southern Fried Science Blog

[PO Monti]

Hi all,

David, nice to meet you!

My name is Pierre-Olivier Montiglio. I am a canadian post-doc researcher currently working at University of California at Davis. I investigate how ecological conditions drive consistent variation in behavior, life history and physiology among animal populations. The topic is touching behavioural ecology, evolutionary ecology and physiology.

I did my thesis following a population of chipmunks from birth to death. I am now investigating similar topics in water striders, and virtual worlds used by video games (World of Warcraft for example). I am relatively new to social media and networking, and so SciFund is a bit scary to me. But I have discipline and so will build my network!

My project aims at completing the insight I gained from my long term survey on chipmunks using simulations. The big idea is to embed such simulations within a simple video game taking advantage of the diversity of behavior we (humans) express when we play. Taking such diversity of behavior would yield more robust results. The game would also act as an outreach tool, presenting broad concepts of Ecology. The money will enable me to hire someone to develop the software of the game.

Good luck to all and nice meeting you!

Pierre-Olivier Montiglio
FQRNT post-doctoral fellow

---

Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2014 10:59:34 -0500
Subject: SciFund Introductions
From: david.s...@gmail.com
To: sci...@googlegroups.com

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[Dos Mares]

Hello!

Nice to meet you everybody!

I am a Nicaraguan fellow living in USA. I have a Master's Degree in Biological Oceanography and Bachelors in Ecology and Natural Resources. I have noted that Marine science in Central America is still in a poor development stage, there are few marine scientists and research gaps still exist. There is poor infrastructure (facilities, personnel, local journals, marketing) with few exceptions. Most of marine science is unrelated with productive investments and there is a lack of long term efforts and long term data processing.

So, with a poor understanding of ecological relations, the deterioration of marine protected areas (Approximately 190 marine protected areas in the region, including the Mesoamerican Coral Reef!), habitats and biodiversity will continue affecting the economy of the Region. Definitively, I think can not be a sustainable development in Central America without Scientific knowledge.

So, I recently decided to help in this matter, enhancing and publicizing the importance of marine science in the Region, spreading achievements, trends and gaps and promoting lines of research. I also want to facilitate relationships between regional and international scientists, and increase the international cooperation and scientific infrastructure for marine protected  areas in Central America. As a firsts  step, I created the web site Dos Mares www.dosmares.org and a Twitter account: @dosmaresCA. At this time I am reviewing the history of marine science in Central America and preparing a data base of papers, scientific themes, scientists names, organizations, journals etc. The analysis's results will be published in the first Dos Mares Bulletin at the end of February. I am thinking to propose SciFund for Dos Mares activities. I am sure this SciFund challenge will help me to focus in a better way to achieve my goals. At the end (In many years from now) I would like to lead financial resources to the scientific research initiatives and the scientific infrastructure development projects.

The idea you David have about the Science Online Ocean conferences is interesting. I was thinking in bi-annual ocean conferences also, but I never though that online conferences could be a alternative! Thanks for the idea. Also, David, you made me remember one my loved books, is a compilations of scientific papers edited by Dr. Thomas B. Thorson (Investigations of the Ichthyofauna of the Nicaraguan Lakes) who also investigated about the Bull Shark Carcharinus leucas. Dr Thorson included many of his own papers about the physiology and ecology of this shark that use freshwater and saltwater to complete his life cycle. I can send you copies of these papers if you need them.

My marine science experience is in fish community ecology, including analysis of estuaries/ocean interactions in seasonal and diurnal patters in the South of Gulf of Mexico as part of my graduate's level thesis. Due to the lack of opportunities in marine science in Nicaragua, my main professional experience has been in the field of protected areas planning and management, watershed conservation and environmental assessments.

Good look to everybody and I am happy to know about you guys!   

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Carlos A. Espinosa

Director

Dos Mares

212 Central Avenue

Black Mountain, NC 28711

Ph: (828) 318-9011

Skype: dos.mares1

www.dosmares.org

 

 

[Jessica Rohde]

I'm pleased as punch to meet all of you, and am looking forward to taking this fantasitic #SciFund journey with such an excellent group of researchers!

I'm Jessica Rohde, former fishery science freak now finding my way in the world of freelance web development and science communication. I'm on twitter @RockyRohde. 

I also work with the Engage Program, where we train graduate students to tell engaging stories about their research and give them real world practice sharing with a public audience. For my #SciFund Project, I plan to work on fulfilling a key need in graduate level science communication training: a way to quantitatively demonstrate the value of science communication training for both the students in the course and the institutions that support them. Ultimately, I want it to be easier for researchers like all of you to justify the time that you spend on outreach and science communication, and to win support from your advisors, deans, and the powers that be.

Here's to a successful funding campaign for all of us!

Jessica Rohde

Science Communication Specialist
University of Washington
http://www.jessicarohde.com

@RockyRohde

               

[manayunkia]

Howdy all,

It's great to meet you.  My name is David Johnson and I'm a marine ecologist at the Marine Biological Laboratory.  Some folks like to study fish (including sharks), but I like to study bait.  Give me an invertebrate over a chordate anyday.  My project will look at how fertilizers can grow zombie amphipods (small hopping crustaceans).  

I look forward to interacting with you all!

~David

David Samuel Johnson

Marine Biological Laboratory

Woods Hole, MA 02543

Blog:  www.manayunkia.com

Twitter:  @DavidSamJohnson

[zach smith]

Hi All,

After all these intros I guess I should have stayed with professional fly fishing but I am a Earth Systems Science teacher at Boston Latin School.  Which you may or may have heard of as the oldest public school in the states.

My gradual school background is in Earth Systems and I have been involved in field research from (almost) pole to (almost) pole with numerous alpine, desert, underwater, and rain forest environments in between.  My colleague Terri (master math teacher) and I direct a field program for aspiring scientists in the US VI studying climate change effects on coral reef environments - mainly teaching field techniques and looking at the relationship between SST and the health of coral reef environments.   For such we employ original materials and others from NOAA and Coral Watch to study this one corner of the marine system.  We are looking for funding to support this and similar types of field research experiences for students.
We are also very excited to be part of this scifund round and look forward to working with you and learning from all your research, and to put in a quick plug for anyone that might have opportunities for our outstanding aspiring math and science professionals.



. 

--
Wage Peace

Zach

[Kalani Kirk Hausman]

Greetings and Salutations,

 

I am Kalani Kirk Hausman, an author and STEM educator working with both Collegiate and pre-Collegiate students across a range of subjects from robotics, high-performance computing and electronics to mechanical engineering, bioscience and alternative energy systems. Since Round #1 of the #SciFund Challenge, I have been conducting workshops for educators and young learners in programs like Boy/Girl Scouts and at local co-educational library makerspaces around Central and East Texas (http://STEMulate.org). Several of my students have been building ROV systems using the SeaPerch design from MIT, intended for freshwater and littoral saltwater biological population studies and water sampling from a hand-constructed electrically-propelled surface watercraft. This year’s #SciFund effort will attempt to acquire the fully open-source OpenROV for deeper submergence studies (the SeaPerch design is suitable to pools but not submergence beyond 5 meters) and will hopefully reach bioscience supporters more than our projects from earlier #SciFund rounds (bioscience has done well in the past). I am thrilled to see so many taking part in this effort and will be continuing the topic curation of the #SciFund Challenge on Spotify, Scoop.It, Paper.Li, Pearltrees, etc. as in the past sessions. I hope you all experience a magnificent experience in this, as we build a community of support unlike the traditional competition for NSF funding and other traditional grants.

 

Respectfully,

 

Kalani Kirk Hausman

Texas A&M University, Assistant Commandant

University of Maryland, Adjunct Professor

American Public University, Adjunct Professor

[Chuck Cannon]

Hi folks,

I'm really looking forward to this opportunity and to interacting with
everyone in developing our proposals. Currently, I'm an Associate
Professor at Texas Tech University but I've spent most of my career in
Asia. I spent about six years at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical
Garden (XTBG) as a Professor in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, leading
a research group in ecological evolution. In June 2014, I am joining
the faculty of Monash University (a public Australian university) at
their Malaysian campus in Bandar Sunway.

You might be wondering why I am participating in this challenge. Mainly,
I feel that public outreach and honing a more effective message is
essential. The integration of social media into these efforts obviously
seems to the future. So, I want to learn how to do this.

My proposal was hatched during a field course at XTBG last summer that
brought together US and Asian graduate students to explore the use of
citizen science approaches for advancing forestry research in its
broadest sense. The idea behind the proposal for this funding challenge
will use the power of crowd-sourced digital photography and image
processing to monitor environmental change.

Currently, I'm calling it "Signs of Change" and the idea is simple. In
public areas, from botanic gardens to national parks, anywhere really, a
frame could be mounted facing an interesting and scientifically
informative view of the landscape. A small label would instruct
visitors to place their camera or phone on the frame and snap a photo,
which could be emailed to a specific address. The sender would receive
a link to a time lapse movie created from all of the previous photos
submitted. These "Signs of Change" sites could be placed anywhere that
might help make people aware of seasonal/annual change, response to fire
or other treatment, industrial development, etc etc.

The idea is simple and doesn't require a great deal of funding, 1)
design a universal and somewhat 'indestructible frame', 2) pay someone
to set up the server and the image processing, and 3) pay for a few
sites to be established as pilot studies. Several students and I have
played around with it a bit and it's not actually as easy as it sounds
but certainly seems doable.

Mostly, I am excited to learn how to communicate and capture a more
objective awareness of environmental change and how to obtain these
crowd-funded projects for relatively small amounts of money that can be
very effective and actually change things. sometimes I feel that I've
reached the limit of my powers simply publishing papers. more direct
interaction and engagement is required.

All the best in 2014 to everyone and good luck to us all in this challenge!

Chuck

--
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
www.ecologicalevolution.org

Charles Cannon
Associate Professor, Texas Tech University
Senior Visiting Professor, Center for Integrative Conservation (XTBG)

TTU contacts:
Department of Biological Sciences
Box 43131, Flint and Main Street
Lubbock, TX 79409-3131 (USA)
dept office +1.806.742.2715
my office +1.806.742.2710 x256

XTBG contacts:
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden
666303 Menglun Yunnan China
tel +86.691.8717187 (Banna office)
tel: +86.871.5160155 (Kunming office)
fax +86.691.8715070

[Lee Stanish]

Greetings, all, it's very nice to meet you. So far, the participants have a diverse range of interests and research goals, and I'm impressed to see such creative ideas!

The name's Lee, and I am an environmental microbiologist working as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Colorado at Boulder. I study the influence of environmental factors on microbial communities, the theoretical processes that describe the ecology of microbes, and I apply ecological theory to engineered ecosystems.

My SciFund proposal is aimed at answering a simple question: can microbes be used as fingerprints for groundwater contamination? The goals are:

1) To sample groundwater wells in two geologic regions of the U.S. with distinct groundwater chemistry

2) To analyze the geochemistry and microbiology of the samples

3) To determine whether there are consistent differences in the microbiology that can be explained by the isotopic composition of the groundwater.

This is my first time soliciting funds directly from the public and I am new at cinematography, but I am excited to learn from this supportive community and to help you in the process of creating the best proposals ever.

Best,

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Lee Stanish
Postdoctoral Researcher
University of Colorado at Boulder
MCDB 112
Ph 413-687-7292

[Anthony Salvagno]

Since we're all introducing ourselves, I thought I would share a little about myself so that you all don't look at me as the Wizard of Oz (strange man behind a curtain).

I am a physicist by training (University of New Mexico) and a #SciFunder for life. I joined the #SciFund Challenge in Round 2 and raised over $2,000 to experiment with the effects of water isotopes (deuterium instead of hydrogen) on living organisms. Those funds powered me through my dissertation and helped me explore a brand new field of research. All of the research and my dissertation is available for reading on my open notebook at http://research.iheartanthony.com. Also there are all of my experiences with #SciFund Round 2, so feel free to poke around and use the resources there for yourself.

I'm very big on open research and have given many seminars on the benefits of open research and open notebook science in particular. I was an invited moderator at ScienceOnline 2013, which is where I met Jai and Jarrett for the first time. It was there that they shared their grand vision for #SciFund and asked if I wanted to be a part of it in a permanent role. We hit the ground running and began the #SciFund workshops last summer, with help from many #SciFunders including Siouxsie Wiles and Kelly Weinersmith. 

And now here I am working with you all to make sure your #SciFund experience was as positive and fulfilling as mine was. Remember if you need any help at all, don't hesitate to shoot me an email, tweet, or even Google hangout with me. 

Ant

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[Alisa G. Woods - awoods]

Hey I am not participating, but since I am getting these emails, what the heck, just thought I would let you know that we raised $6,225 for SciFund 3 for our autism biomarker research and $2,187 with a relaunch of the same project ($8,412 total raised through crowdfunding). Good luck with SciFund 4. Two pieces of advice:

1) Get everyone in your research group involved that you can, it increases your crowd size.

2) Show the link whenever/where ever possible. We just did two webcasts. We showed the link, four donations. We did two more webcasts during which the moderators would not show the link and just talked about where the project is located. Zero donations. Show the link!!!! Keep showing it! Don't tell people to find it on Microryza.

That's my two cents. Good luck.

Alisa

_______________________________________

Alisa G. Woods, Ph.D., MS

Assistant Professor

Biochemistry & Proteomics Group

Department of Chemistry & Biomolecular Science

Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, 13699, Box 5810

Office: (315) 268-7763; Lab: (315) 268-2348; Fax: (315) 268-6610

_______________________________________

 

---

From: sci...@googlegroups.com [sci...@googlegroups.com] on behalf of Anthony Salvagno [anthony...@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 07, 2014 2:52 PM
To: sci...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: SciFund Introductions

[Gareth Lock]

Good evening all,

Appears that what I am trying to do is a little out of the ordinary compared to some of the introductions posted so far.

I am 2 years into a 5 year, part-time, self-funded PhD at Cranfield University, England with the aim of producing an incident causality model which allows the causality of SCUBA diving incidents to be better determined and classified, taking into account the human factors nature of the incidents themselves, and can be used at both the lay-person level as well as the academics.

Whilst this sort of modelling and analysis has been undertaken in other environments such as aviation, medicine and petro-chemical plants, these are all established professional cultures with recognised hierarchies and structures. The problem with recreational SCUBA diving is that it is poorly funded, has extremely limited oversight and is discretionary in nature. i.e. to make diving really safe, don't go diving! There is also a considerable personal factor in the determination and acceptance of risk which influences attitudes to safety.

Poor reporting and safety cultures in SCUBA diving mean that any reporting is very limited in scope and detail, making detailed analysis of incident causality very difficult. Furthermore, the industry is very much profit driven and therefore anything which gets in the way of the corporate message is not that welcome.

There are certainly challenges involved, not least getting support from the community that what I am trying to do is to improve safety, but not take away personal freedoms.

Really looking forward to partaking in SciFund.

Regards

Gareth Lock
Mob: +44 7966483832
Web: www.cognitas.org

[Claudia Makeyev]

Hello Anthony,

Could you please take me off the email train this year.

thank you,

Claudia

--

 ><((((º> 
><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>

Claudia Makeyev | Director
The Mermaid Islands Corporation
Ocean Conservation & Education for Kids

P.O. Box 12103

San Luis Obispo CA, 93406

www.mermaidislands.com
www.mermaidscientist.com

[McClain Craig]

Now aren't I feeling left out?  

This is my first Scifund challenge personally although I have worked to promote the ocean related projects in previous rounds.  Most people know me as the founder and chief editor of Deep-Sea News (deepseanews.com) a social media empire dedicated to all ocean science and culture.  I also advocate and teach about the intersection of social media and science.  My research focuses on how energy availability impacts the ecology and evolution of marine invertebrates.  My test system is often the deep sea.  You can read all about me at craigmcclain.com if you can't get enough of me!  

My Scifund project is looking at wood fall communities and their food webs.  http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/11/25/second-world-form-on-sunken-trees/  

Cheers

Craig

BTW David Shiffman, my project is going to kick your project's butt!

____________

Craig R. McClain, Ph.D.

Assistant Director of Science

National Evolutionary Synthesis Center

2024 W. Main St.

Suite A200

Box 104403

Durham, NC 27705 

919-668-4590

cmcc...@nescent.org

 

Associate Editor for Proceedings of the Royal Society, Biological Sciences http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/

Deep-Sea News: http://deepseanews.com/

National Evolutionary Synthesis Center: http://www.nescent.org/

Research Homepage: http://craigmcclain.com/

[David Shiffman]

Can't we all just get along, Craig?

Translation: http://bit.ly/JG85pL 

[McClain Craig]

Craig McClain approves of this message

[Alexandria Warneke]

I expect an epic wood fall rap video.....just saying. 

 

Alexandria M. Warneke

San Diego State University

5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, Ca. 92182

e: a.wa...@yahoo.com  | c: 858-602-7097 

w: https://sites.google.com/site/amwarneke/

b: www.deepseanews.com | t: @Alex_Warneke

"Wherever life takes you, leave the place shaking, disrupted and trying to imagine

what it was like before you came...Go forth and be a force of awesome." -Unknown

[Gareth Lock]

Would be good if I got the correct web address! www.cognitas.org.uk!

D'oh!

Gareth Lock

Mob: 07966 483832

www.disms.org - Diving Incident Safety Management System - Had A Diving Incident? Report It

www.cognitas.org.uk - Improving Diver Safety by Challenging Current Practices

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender by email or telephone. This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited.

[Jarrett Byrnes]

All,

Just a reminder, the unsubscribe instructions are at the bottom of every email on this group.  On an iPhone now, so it will be quicker if you do it yourself.

-Jarrett

On Jan 7, 2014, at 4:03 PM, Claudia Makeyev <claudia...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Dos Mares]

Thanks Alisa for your advice!

Just one question: When you say "show the link..." which link are you talking about? our website or blog link?

Thanks

Carlos

[Anthony Salvagno]

She is referring to the link for your crowdfunding campaign, which you don't have yet. But you will soon!

--

Carlos A. Espinosa

Director

Dos Mares

212 Central Avenue

Black Mountain, NC 28711

Ph: (828) 318-9011

Skype: dos.mares1

www.dosmares.org

 

 

--

[Kirk Hausman]

Carlos,

Make sure to display the link to your project in your video, on your blog, and in any content (YouTube, etc) in which you speak about it. Every chance, make sure interested supporters can find their way to the project site with the minimum effort.

Kalani

---

From: Dos Mares
Sent: ‎1/‎7/‎2014 6:26 PM

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Lee Stanish
Postdoctoral Researcher
University of Colorado at Boulder
MCDB 112
Ph 413-687-7292

--

[Alisa G. Woods - awoods]

The direct link to your Microryza project.

You need to make it super easy to get to the project where they can donate. You also need to keep posting the link; don't ever assume people know where it is and can find it. Make it simple for them to find it. Post it in many places, post it repeatedly.

I begged a webcast moderator to show my link, and he kept insisting that he'd just tell the audience where it was. Guess what? No donations. Lesson learned.

_______________________________________

Alisa G. Woods, Ph.D., MS

Assistant Professor

Biochemistry & Proteomics Group

Department of Chemistry & Biomolecular Science

Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, 13699, Box 5810

Office: (315) 268-7763; Lab: (315) 268-2348; Fax: (315) 268-6610

_______________________________________

 

---

From: sci...@googlegroups.com [sci...@googlegroups.com] on behalf of Kirk Hausman [kkha...@hotmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 07, 2014 7:42 PM
To: sci...@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: SciFund Introductions

Carlos,

Make sure to display the link to your project in your video, on your blog, and in any content (YouTube, etc) in which you speak about it. Every chance, make sure interested supporters can find their way to the project site with the minimum effort.

Kalani

---

From: Dos Mares
Sent: 1/7/2014 6:26 PM

[Cindy Wu]

+1 for sharing the link. You will eventually have a link that looks like this 'www.microryza.com/keyword'. You can start thinking about what the best keyword would be. Test it with a few friends. When you have the link, put it EVERYWHERE. If you want to print them on the back of Microryza stickers, we may be able to help there. ;)

Hey Scifunders,

Cindy here! I'm one of the founders of Microryza. In my former life I worked on dendritic cell vaccines--mostly preprogramming cell lines with chemokines to enhance their ability to endocytose pathogens and present them to T-cells and B-cells. I also engineered an anthrax therapeutic using the videogame Fold.It, so I'm familiar with synthetic biology. In my off time, I ventured out into the Eastern Washington sagebrush steppe to study insect galls.

I had planned on starting my PhD in Fall of 2012, and replaced that path with Microryza. We're committed to making science move forward faster and started by fixing funding. I work at Microryza 24/7. You can read more about our story here: https://wefunder.com/microryza. If you want to visit us in San Francisco, come on by: https://medium.com/startup-portraits/dcf0ba20b679

If you find anything broken on the website, you can email me or call me directly at 425-533-8126 (Yes, that is my cell phone number). If you have suggestions for new features please email them over and I will bring them up at our weekly meetings (screenshots are often helpful).

I don't think the rest of the Microryza team is on this thread, but you can email any of us:

Denny Luan de...@microryza.com

Skander Mzali ska...@microryza.com

Oscar Jasklowski os...@microryza.com <-- email oscar if you need help with project review and planning

George Su geo...@microryza.com <-- email george if something on the site is broken, any and all bugs

Ryan Lower ry...@microryza.com <-- you will hear from ryan when we do payouts

We're here to make this the most awesome crowdfunding experience ever! Don't be shy--feel free to ask us anything!

Cindy

-- 

Cindy Wu

Co-Founder | Microryza

ci...@microryza.com

@cindywu123

425-533-8126

How does natural gas fracking contribute to air pollution?

On Tue, Jan 7, 2014 at 4:42 PM, Kirk Hausman <kkha...@hotmail.com> wrote:

Carlos,

Make sure to display the link to your project in your video, on your blog, and in any content (YouTube, etc) in which you speak about it. Every chance, make sure interested supporters can find their way to the project site with the minimum effort.

Kalani

---

From: Dos Mares
Sent: 1/7/2014 6:26 PM

[Dos Mares]

All right! thank you Anthony, and thank you also for your help in this process.

Carlos

[Dos Mares]

Got it!

Thank you Kirk!

On Tue, Jan 7, 2014 at 7:42 PM, Kirk Hausman <kkha...@hotmail.com> wrote:

Carlos,

Make sure to display the link to your project in your video, on your blog, and in any content (YouTube, etc) in which you speak about it. Every chance, make sure interested supporters can find their way to the project site with the minimum effort.

Kalani

---

From: Dos Mares
Sent: 1/7/2014 6:26 PM

[Dos Mares]

Got it now!

Thank you Alisa!

[Jarrett Byrnes]

I should introduce myself!  I'm Jarrett Byrnes, one of the founders of #SciFund.  I'm a marine community ecologist (mostly) and have been around the online science scene since, oh, about 2003.  Right now I'm an asst. prof. at UMass Boston.

So, why did I work with Jai to start #SciFund?  Frankly, I'm a nut about science outreach. He and I were continually frustrated with the lack of avenues for scientists to get the story of their science out to the world around them in a manner that rewarded them for their efforts.  When we learned about crowdfunding it seemed like the logical answer to out desires: outreach = funded research.

So, I am SUPER excited to have y'all around, as are Ant and Jai.  You guys are a particularly strong class, and I can't wait to see what y'all whip up.

Y'all might actually want to check out some things we wrote in those early days.  They're still surprisingly relevant, although we've learned a lot more, which Ant and other SciFunders will be teaching you as we go forward!  but check out

Our inaugural post: http://scifundchallenge.org/blog/2011/07/29/the-scifund-challenge-a-call-to-virtual-arms/

Our hidden agenda: http://scifundchallenge.org/blog/2011/08/02/the-hidden-agenda-behind-the-scifund-challenge/

And some early ideas on how to get it done that have proven to work out fairly well: http://scifundchallenge.org/blog/2011/09/29/7-crowdfunding-tips-for-scientists/

Just a quick FYI, I'll be travelling for much of the prep time, so Ant will be your primary point of contact on the #SciFund end.  He's the man with a plan, and will rock your world in getting y'all ship-shape for your launch!  So enjoy, and I can't wait to track your progress from afar!

-Jarrett

[grace.pold]

Hi everyone,

I am very excited to be working with all of you - each and every one of you have really great sounding projects you want to get funded.

I am a masters' student in microbiology at UMass Amherst, and will be working with one of our lab technicians, Andrew, on our project on bacterial lignin degradation. My research focuses on what microbes do in soil (and making predictions about this from genetic data), while Andrew is a king of figuring out the limits of what bacteria can do in the lab. So I think we make a good team for the project we have in mind!

The overall basis of our project is that the production of biofuels from non-food crops or parts of crops is limited by the energy and chemical inputs required to prepare this plant material for fuel production. In particular, lignin, the bulky water- and enzyme-repelling molecule which keeps plants standing up is difficult to break down, and provides a physical barrier to microbes trying to breakdown the plusher, cellulose core of these plant fibers. Classically, it was thought that only fungi can do it, and do so using non-specific oxygen-requiring enzymes. For multiple reasons, fungi and their enzymes are not ideal for use in biofuel production, but fortunately, a handful of bacteria are able to break down lignin using specific enzymes and without oxygen.

As we learn more about how these bacteria break down lignin, we are coming to realize that there really is no one-size-fits-all strategy, so there is great value in studying more of them. I have recently isolated more bacteria we know can eat lignin, so the money we raise will be used to figure out how one of these is doing it.

Good luck everyone!

Grace (and Andrew)

[Louise Hughes]

Hi everyone,

It seems we have a nice diverse group of people involved.

I am a Scientific Officer (kind of a combination of lab manager, technician and post-doc) and I run the Bioimaging labs at Oxford Brookes University (the "other" university) in Oxford, UK. We do a lot of 3D electron microscopy of biological structures and have been studying the changes in cell organelles across the cell cycle in a parasite that causes African sleeping sickness. I am seeking funds for a 3D printer to print out our current 3D models of the cells and the changes they go through during cytokinesis. We will extend this system to other cells/tissues as we collect more data.

I ran a successful Kickstarter last year for a personal project and this is my first attempt at science crowd funding. We don't have the systems in place within the university to deal with crowd funding so I am challenging the admin to change their systems at the moment as I feel this is an area we need to explore.  

Good luck all and nice to meet you.

My twitter is https://twitter.com/DrLouiseCHughes

Cheers,

Louise Hughes

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Dr. Louise Hughes

Bio-Imaging Unit Researcher and  Microscopist

Department of Biological and Medical Sciences,
Oxford Brookes University,
Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK

01865 483290

 

Brookes e-mail: lhu...@brookes.ac.uk

Personal website: http://www.miniaturehorizons.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrLouiseCHughes

 

 

[Louise Hughes]

Dear All,

Ah, I have just registered for microryza and see that eligibility requires that I am in the USA. This is not the case, so I am assuming that I cannot take part in this scifund challenge, which is disappointing. Is there any way around this?

Cheers,

Louise

[Gareth Lock (Cognitas Incident Research and Management)]

Hi Louise,

I too am UK based and got an email back saying I was eligible being part of SciFund. So I wouldn't worry.

Regards

[Louise Hughes]

Dear Gareth,

Ok, thank you for that clarification!

Louise

[Jarrett Byrnes]

Indeed, you are.  No worries.  

[JR Clark]

Hello everybody,

It seems that I am a little late in regards to this thread. 

I am a masters student studying marine biology at California State University, Northridge. For my project I plan to look at the mating system and spawning behavior of giant sea bass, Stereolepis gigas. Giant sea bass are an apex predator in the California kelp bed community and are considered to be critically endangered. Like most marine apex predators, little is known about these guys and having an endangered status makes them fairly difficult to study, in regards to life history, so luckily I'm just going to be following them around and watching what they do. I will be using passive acoustics to monitor abundances and hopefully get some awesome data out of it all!

Best of luck to everyone,

J.R.

[Dos Mares]

Gareth,

Just as an additional information regarding your research initiative: The lobster fishermen Miskito Indians in the Atlantic coast of Honduras and Nicaragua are suffering and dying mainly because they are not trained for scuba diving and because the use poor equipment. The situation is critical. They also lack of a good decompression chamber. You can see this video for more information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il4AjK0ZpX4

Good luck in your project!

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[Dos Mares]

Hi Grace,

Can those bacteria eat the exoskeleton lobster? ...this is wasted sub-product (Tons of it) in the Central America's lobster fisheries facilities...! 

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[Drew]

Looks like I'm a bit late to the party, too - I've been traveling around on break for the last week or so. Hi, everyone!

I'm an MS student at SUNY School of Environmental Sciences and Forestry in Syracuse. My project deals with plant-fungal interactions, specifically mycorrhizal associations of the American chestnut. SUNY-ESF is part of a group of universities whose researchers are tackling different parts of the challenging process of restoring the chestnut after it was rendered functionally extinct by a blight that came from Asia. Part of that issue is making sure the below-ground ecology is still there to support this tree's return after its long absence. Like many other species of land plants (and Fagaceae, like beech, oak, and chestnut in particular), the chestnut's performance in natural forests is poor unless it is supported by fungi that associate with its roots and help it acquire nutrients in exchange for sugar, known as mycorrhizae. 

Previous experiments in our lab have shown that chestnuts that can defend themselves against the blight fungus don't also attack their mycorrhizae, and that the remnant oak forests in the chestnut's former range support mycorrhizae that it can form associations with. My job is now to see if we can increase the success of chestnut reintroductions by inoculating chestnut seedlings with forest soil that contains spores from mycorrhizae. Ideally, this head start gives the chestnuts a stronger advantage and increases survival during the early stages of the introduction. In addition, because the American Chestnut Foundation is promoting chestnut seedlings for planting in marginal environments such as mine spoils, where mycorrhizae are likely absent, this research may help phytoremediation projects as well.

Looking forward to working with you,

Andrew

[Zen Faulkes]

Hi!

I'm Zen. I study crustaceans and neurons and behaviour and parasites
and other problems I think I can solve.

I was a #SciFund Challenge participant in rounds 1 and 2, and I will
be trying to stick my nose in once in a while for advice. I'm very
backlogged right now, so I may not have a lot to say, but I'm here!

Zen Faulkes

[Monica Tydlaska]

Hi all! 

My name is Monica. I am a graduate student at SDSU studying the behavior of humans in the intertidal and their knowledge of San Diego Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). I am also focusing on the subsequent effects of the human usage of the intertidal on the biota and invertebrate species that live there. I am very excited to be a participant in SciFund Challenge and look forward to learning from you all.

Monica

[abachmann]

Hi all!

I work for South Dakota State University as an Extension Field Specialist. My PhD is in Entomology, and my job here is focused on consumer horticulture. I launched a citizen science project last year to see what pollinators were showing up in home gardens. My SciFund goal is to raise enough money to expand the project in 2014 to include training in more locations, nest box deployment, and just generally increase the scope of the project. You can read a short summary of the 2013 field season here: http://igrow.org/gardens/gardening/backyard-biodiversity/.

-Amanda

On Monday, January 6, 2014 9:59:34 AM UTC-6, david.shiffman wrote:

Hi, everyone! 

One of the things I'm most excited about in participating in the SciFund challenge is getting to meet so many researchers in a variety of disciplines. I wanted to introduce myself to y'all, and I hope you'll do the same!

My name is David Shiffman, and I'm a Ph.D. student at the University of Miami's Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy. I study the biology, ecology and conservation of sharks. The Abess Center is an interdisciplinary program, and my specific area of study is the ecosystem role that sharks play and how different stakeholder groups (fishermen, conservation activists, and policymakers) perceive the ecosystem role that sharks play. 

I'm also a very active online science communicator. I tweet as @WhySharksMatter, I have a Facebook fan page ( Facebook.com/WhySharksMatter ), and I write for the blog Southern Fried Science (southernfriedscience.com). I organized the ScienceOnline Oceans conference last fall, and have published 3 papers focusing on how social media can help scientists.

The project that my SciFund proposal is based on is one of my dissertation chapters. I'll be using stable isotope analysis (a non-lethal, minimally invasive technique) to study the diet and feeding ecology of sharks in coastal South Florida.

Good luck to everyone, and I'm looking forward to meeting you all!

Sincerely, 

[wwweare]

Hi everybody,

I'm an assistant professor of chemistry at NC State University. I participated in Round 1 of #Scifund and am excited to do it again, although I'm not a ecology person so am a bit far afield when it comes to this crowd it looks like.

Walter Weare
NCSU Dept. of Chemistry
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~wwweare/

[Brian Turner]

Guess I best throw my introduction hat in the ring,

I'm a PhD student at Portland State University where I study marine biological invasions. I decided to participate in Scifund after the success and fun one of my lab mates had in the last round. My current project is looking at inducible defenses in non-native species when exposed to native predators. I am looking into whether the purple varnish clam, Nuttallia obscurata, increases its burrowing depth when in the presence of Dungeness crab, and what role geographic origin of the clam (from Pacific Northwest vs. its native Japan) has on its response. I look forward to seeing everyone's work.

Brian 

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Brian Turner

PhD Candidate
Environmental Science & Management
Portland State University (ESM), PO BOX 751,
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Email: bctu...@pdx.edu
Phone: (530) 304-5432

[djpappano]

Hi all,

I just signed up for the SciFund challenge. After talking with Cindy at @Microryza, I've decided to repurpose my project (and modify my budget) for the SciFund campaign.

I recently finished my Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in Biological Anthropology and am now a postdoc at Princeton University in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department. I'd decribe myself as a behavioral ecologist with an interest in the evolution of lots of words that begin with the letter "C": cooperation, coordination, complexity, competition...cats (not really I study primates). My research focuses on geladas--a close relative of baboons--that live only in the mountains of Ethiopia. They are basically cow-monkey hybrids (they eat grass and live in herds) and are the last living members of their genus. 

My current project employs dynamic network analysis (think time-ordered social networks) to understand collective movement and herding patterns in geladas. I'm trying to raise $$ to buy plane tickets to Ethiopia and pay for basic research permits for the year. 

My Twitter handle is @djpappano

Looking forward to a great campaign.

Best,

David

[Lindsay Aylesworth]

Hi everyone, 

better late than never. I'm also doing the SciFund Challenge. I'm a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia studying seahorses.

I work in Thailand with the Department of Fisheries to ensure that their seahorse fisheries and trade are at sustainable levels for local seahorse populations.

My current research involves occupancy models and detection rates to determine the most effective way to survey seahorses for incorporation into national monitoring plans.

I participated in SciFund 2, where I successfully raised money to support the cost of a field assistant for my first field season in Thailand. 

Looking forward to working with everyone to spread the word about SciFund 4.

best of luck in the last week, 

Lindsay

Lindsay Aylesworth
PhD Candidate
Project Seahorse
University of British Columbia
+66 910 814 388
lindsay.a...@gmail.com

twitter: @L_Aylesworth

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Lindsay Aylesworth
PhD Candidate
Project Seahorse
University of British Columbia
+66 910 814 388
lindsay.a...@gmail.com

[Chris Pincetich]

Hi everyone,

Yes, better late than never for an introduction. It has been a great experience with SciFund and I've really enjoyed reading about most all of your projects. My biggest regret is that I don't have the $$ to back you all!

I am also hoping to achieve some collaboration and information. DO YOU WORK NEAR THE OCEAN?? IF SO, I am interested in knowing about observations of marine plastic pollution. Anything, everything. Send it. Share it. 

Want to contribute to global plastic density monitoring? I have a simple field protocol you can use to do density surveys on beaches. Basic equipment, my datasheet, and about 1.5 hours is all it takes to collect the data.

Hi, I'm Chris! I completed my doctorate in 2004 and have spent 3 years since then as a consultant, 1 year lab management, and 5.5 years working in marine conservation advocacy. I loved research, but feared the underpaid grind of academia. So, I climbed the ladder and hit $100k salary, BUT $$ doesn't buy happiness. I love the ocean, and had an awesome time working in conservation, where science is actually leveraged into policy. 

I've modified my "standard bio" that I've shared for speaking and outreach engagements below to reflect my current status as an underemployed beach comber. 

Dr. Chris Pincetich worked for over five years at the Sea Turtle Restoration Project at Turtle Island Restoration Network campaigning to save sea turtles and protect healthy ocean habitats. Chris’ sea turtle conservation work extends from the Gulf of Mexico, where he fought for increased wildlife rescue efforts during the BP oil spill, to nesting beach patrolling on the Pacific shores of Costa Rica. His passion for promoting sea turtle and ocean conservation has been shared through speaking engagements ranging from international scientific conferences to elementary school classrooms. Chris has a doctorate in Environmental Toxicology from the University of California, Davis and a B.S. in Marine Biology from University of California, Santa Cruz. Studying plastic pollution on our shorelines and in marine endangered species habitat is the focus of Chris's current work in marine environmental toxicology.

Cheers,

Chris Pincetich