Innovate~Educate~Collaborate

Tag: ecology

  • GREEN JUNCTION: do you know what is happening to the corn belt? BY JULIE PELLER PH.D

    A recently reported study on the Midwest Corn Belt determined that nearly one-third of this farmland has lost its carbon-rich topsoil. Soil organic matter, the carbon-based portion of the soil, is a critical component of healthy soil. The loss has been primarily from hilltops and ridgelines and is a consequence of tillage erosion from repeated […]

  • Green Junction: What Do Trees Do For Us? By Julie Peller Ph.D

    Ecosystem services is a term used to describe the ways nature provides materials and functions for the essence of life. The food we eat, the oxygen we breathe, the medicines we take, and so much more are only possible by the services provided via resources of the earth. Trees are an example of nature’s offerings. […]

  • Green Junction: Our Physical Surroundings by Julie Peller Ph.D.

    Green Junction The physical surroundings of the celebrated events of Christianity – the birth of Jesus and the death and resurrection of Jesus – are profoundly different today than in that time of human history. Our visions and celebrations of Christmas and Easter in the present day are complicated by secular and material influences. In […]

  • Green Junction: Do you think about Chemical Exposures? By Julie Peller Ph.D.

    Most people do not think much about their chemical exposures. We trust that industrial processes, air, and water quality are ensured safe by appropriate regulations. However, society has become more dependent on materials, devices, energy, and transportation, and as a result, we are exposed to more chemicals. What are the typical chemical exposures for people […]

  • Green Junction: Global Warming is Climate Change by Julie Peller Ph.D.

    Green Junction Unusual weather events have become more common and generally are a result of the earth’s changing climate. The science of climate change is incredibly complex with extensive consequences, yet many want to describe it or deny it in very simplistic ways. The term global warming is defined by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as […]

  • Coal Ash and the water you drink by Julie Peller Ph.D.

    Coal ash constitutes one of the country’s major industrial waste products, according to the US EPA. Coal is a brownish-black or black sedimentary rock that took millions of years to form. Coal’s carbon and carbon-containing compounds burn well, which has made it a significant source of energy for society. The part of the coal that […]

  • A serious problem associated with factory farms By Julie Peller Ph.D.

    Food production has changed dramatically over the past decades, in part as a response to an increasing population. Meat production has more than tripled, and egg production has quadrupled since 1960. Farms have become more extensive and are now mostly corporate contracted to produce more and increase profits. In the United States, about 1.6 billion […]

  • Aristotle, Viktor Frankl, and Nicolas Cole.

    “I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love.” ~ Viktor Frankl I did my thesis work on the relationship in Viktor Frankl and Aristotle’s discovery process and how the two arrived at the same understanding […]

  • Once the science is understood, we face additional questions By Julie Peller Ph.D.

    The necessary societal changes implemented due to the coronavirus pandemic created unique opportunities for scientists who study the atmosphere and air quality. Imagine that your work involves the study of air pollution, and some of the primary pollution emissions were forcibly reduced across an entire country, an experimental scenario you could never create to understand […]

  • Microplastics, and water by Julie Peller Ph.D.

    An area of my research focuses on microplastics, especially as they relate to the contamination of water environments. Synthetic microfibers are a class of microplastics and are the tiny fibrous pieces that make up much of today’s fabrics.  The synthetic textiles are used in the manufacture of clothing, carpet, blankets, toys and so much more.  […]