NewsFusion | 084

NewsFusion for November 2024

Science...

• New sea slug discovered (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)
• Austin's Avride & Uber partner for robot deliveries (KXAN)
• Small tech matters, nanocientist Debbie Senesky shares her thoughts (Stanford Report)

Design...

• Darlington school in Sydney wins 2024 World Building of the Year (The Guardian)
• BoF releases The State of Fashion 2025 | BoF
• Innovations ahead for Forumula 1 car design (Sports Illustrated)

Culture...

• First Lahaina, Hawaii residents returning in time for Christmans (KHON)
• Native American Veterans reflect on military service and family ties (MPR News)
• The Met announces reopening of Arts of Africa Galleries (The Met)

Sail On Saildrone

Drones can get a bad rap sometimes but they also have big potential to help us in many ways. One great example is the Saildrone being developed by mechanical engineering team Richard Jenkins and Dylan Owens.

Clearly part sailboat and part robot, Saildrone is designed to traverse even the widest sea, which may come in handy as we endeavor to learn more about the health of our oceans, climate change, and other marine-related research questions. When compared to the current options of using fuel-powered ships or unmanned vessels like drifting buoys, Saildrone can monitor the worlds oceans faster and more cost effectively than any other technologies. Add to that Saildrone fleets could assist in tsunami detection, take part in search and rescue missions, provide data on oil spills, police protected areas, and even follow tagged marine wildlife.

We can't wait for the first Saildrone shanty.

Conservation Cover Boy

Well hello J! We were totally psyched to see one of our favorite Stylish Scientists on the cover of the December 2011 Outside Magazine. We're not surprised though...Wallace J. Nichols has been doing amazing work in raising money and awareness for marine conservation for a long time now and has got one of the most positive outlooks on things out there. Check out the full article The touchy-feey (but totally Scientific) methods of Wallace J. Nichols by Michael Roberts. Congrats J!

Marine Biologist | Ayana Elizabeth

Ayana Elizabeth is an American marine biologist. Elizabeth grew up in Brooklyn, NY and in her bio she proudly shares that she is the daughter of "a former teacher/current egg farmer and a former architect/current potter."

Elizabeth received her BA in Environmental Studies from Harvard in 2002 and her PhD in Marine Biology from the UCSD Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 2011. Elizabeth's list of fellowship is lengthy: NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, NSF IGERT Fellowship, UCSD Diversity Fellowship, Switzer Environmental Fellowship, AAUW American Fellowship, and Knauss Sea Grant Fellowship. She is also the recipient of multiple grants and awards including the Rare/National Geographic Solution Search and was named a “World Changer” on Dell’s #Inspire 100 List. She is currently Executive Director of the Waitt Institute and a blogger for National Geographic.

Elizabeth's passion is sustainable fisheres, but when she's not collecting, creating, actualizing, and amplifying the best ideas in ocean conservation - or scuba diving (for work and for pleasure) - she is also a jazz singer and a keen investigator of dance parties.

Elizabeth has been on our Future-ish Stylish Scientist List two years in a row.

>> Blog: National Geographic Ocean Views
>> Twitter: @ayanaeliza

Sceleb | Wallace "J" Nichols

Wallace J. Nichols (aka "J") is an American marine biologist, conservation activist, and outdoor enthusiast. He earned a BS in Biological Sciences from DePauw University in 1989, a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University in 1992, and a PhD in Wildlife and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Arizona in 2003.

Nichols is currently a a Research Associate at California Academy of Sciences and founder/co-director of Ocean Revolution, an international network of young ocean advocates and LiVEBLUE. He is particularly active in Pacific Sea Turtle conservation efforts and sustainable fisheries. Nichols has helped start many conservation nonprofits and projects and is a frequent contributor to mainstream magazines and websites. When not championing marine conservation, you might find Nichols swimming, hiking, kayaking, trail running, fixing up vintage trucks, or surfing.