Dr Steven Snyder “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe”
How my quest for a telescope, a trip to the Guggenheim and a pile of bricks brought me to a surprising realization. Science does more than just provide explanations; it fundamentally warps the way you experience the world around you.
Steve’s Bio: Steve received his first pair of coke-bottle thick bifocals at the tender age of three. Within six months they were held together by generous wads of masking tape and it’s been downhill ever since. He has been custodial crew for a day school, a fruit fly farmer for a biological lab and has amassed way more math credits than is psychologically healthy. Today he serves as President and CEO of the Fleet Science Center where he spends his days harassing his staff with crazy ideas for new ways to lure the unsuspecting into the wonderful world of science.
More information about Steve here: https://www.rhfleet.org/leadership
Matthew Gates “Plague Breaker: Half a Billion Years of Plant Warfare”
Plants have had a very longstanding and fundamental interaction with many organisms since before they colonized land. Today’s descendants have evolved complex defenses and collaborative symbioses, and understanding this deadly dance between enemy and ally can be the key to food security, medical innovation, and new technology. This presentation will cover some of the unique and interesting ways that plant life has fundamentally changed and what the implications are for humans looking to work with nature to provide resources sustainably.
Matthew’s Bio: Matthew Gates is an Integrated Pest Management Specialist and science communicator on YouTube channel Zenthanol, operating an agricultural consulting organization by the same name. For the last decade, he has worked with agricultural organizations to improve the management of pests in an environmentally sustainable way through educating staff about the use of biocontrol agents and other new techniques that rely on a multifaceted holistic approach.
Check out Matthew’s work on YouTube: click here