Charm City Science #3

CHARM CITY SCIENCE #3. a zine by Project Bridge SciComm Spring

Hey, and welcome to Issue #3 of Project Bridge SciComm’s Charm City Science, your quarterly guide to local science news and events.

At Project Bridge, our mission is to connect scientists with the broader community, and help make science accessible to everyone. If you have questions, like what we do, or want to get involved, let us know! You can reach out to us via email, or check out our social media accounts. Our contact info is on the back cover of this zine, along with QR code that you can scan for links to some of our projects - including the online version of this zine, with links to more information for all of the events and references to relevant scientific articles. You can read it at linktr.ee/pbscicomm

We’ve had quiet few months but we’ve got some exciting events in the works , so make sure to follow our social media channels or subscribe to the email list to stay up to date… Thanks for reading, and we hope you enjoy!

Jackson Mace, PhD Student, JHU-SOM Cellular and Molecular Medicine

Malka Svei, PhD Student, JHU-SOM Neuroscience Co-Chairs, Project Bridge Science Communication Committee What

Science Update: A Potential Sex difference in Stress Response

Long-term stress is on the rise, thanks to recent crises like the COVID pandemic, rampant inflation, progressive reduction in legally-protected freedoms, and a continuous occurrence of climate disasters. This is particularly concerning because excessive stress can contribute to both mental illness like depression and anxiety, and impairments of physical health, including heart disease and reduced immune function. We face potential stressors on a daily basis, but how individuals respond to stress will vary based on a variety of factors - including, potentially, physiological sex. A study recently published in Neuropsychopharmacology suggests that even when the same stress mechanism is activated in the brain, sex might play a role in how we respond.

When approaching the topic of sex differences, it can be easy to fall victim to gender essentialism—equating gender identities, roles, or presentations & associated cultural beliefs with (biological) sex based attributes—which can cloud our judgement and lead to biased conclusions. However, sex differences in physiology do affect health outcomes. The same disease may tend to have different symptom profiles in people of different sexes. Identifying sex differences in behavioral responses and disorders, including stress-related disorders, can help to better understand & treat them.

During stressful experiences, various types of neurons in the brain are activated and release stress related hormones. By using experimental tools to selectively activate one such class of neurons - corticotrophin releasing factor neurons - over a period of several weeks, researchers in the Bale Lab at the University of Maryland were able to induce a chronic stress response in mice without any actual stress-inducing experience. The mice exhibited hormonal activity characteristic of a stress response, and were more sensitive to touch, another common indicator of stress.

Crucially, the researchers noticed some differences between how male and female mice responded to activation of the corticotrophin releasing factor neurons. Female mice showed more signaling of a stress hormone called corticosterone. However, male mice were less physiologically resilient to changes in stress hormone levels, experiencing weight loss despite having smaller increases in stress signaling. In contrast, female mice did not experience weight loss, but exhibited more fear-related behaviors in response to stress neuron activation than male mice. Because chronic stress increases risk of neuropsychiatric disease, these results might offer an explanation for why susceptibility to different conditions varies across sex in human. For example, the elevated sensitivity of male mace to changes in stress hormones mirrors the elevated vulnerability of male patients have to schizophrenia, which is triggered by both genetic and environmental risk factors (i.e. stress). Female survivors of traumatic events are more likely to develop PTSD, which may be related to heightened fear response seen in female mice.

As It turns out, sex differences in stress response have been directly observed in humans as well. Like male mice, people assigned male at birth have a greater physiological response to stress. But unlike mice, human males actually have more stress hormone signaling in response to stress than females. Because males experience a higher physiological stress response, stress may also have a more detrimental effect on their immune systems . Being in a state of chronic stress alters the way our body reacts to everyday stressors. With stress consuming a greater portion of the American consciousness, understanding the various factors—including sex—that contribute to our stress response may help us to better manage stress and the toll it takes on our physical and mental health - Mira Swartzlander,PhD Student, JHU-SOM Neuroscience

Science in the City: A Quarterly Calendar of Events

All events are located in Baltimore City. Events are free of charge unless otherwise noted.

* we now have a google calendar! subscribe here*

↺ = recurring event, check location website for the most up to date schedule

✎= Registration required.

Kids & Families:

NEC Drop-in Activity: Companion Plants (ages 5+)

Saturday, Apr 06, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM

Cylburn Arboretum, 4915 Greenspring Ave

Tree Time: Frogs! (kids ages 2-5)✎

Wednesday, Apr 10, 10:00 AM-11:00 AM

Cylburn Arboretum, 4915 Greenspring Ave

Suggested donation $5; (“member registration” to register free).

Family STEM Night

Friday, Apr 12, 6:00 PM-7:30 PM

Farring Baybrook Recreation Center, 4501 Farring Court Road

Earth Day Celebration✎

Saturday, Apr 20, 10:00 AM-2:00 PM

Carrie Murray Nature Center, 1901 Ridgetop Road*

Chemistry in the Library: Get a Charge Out of Chemistry!✎

Saturday, Apr 20, 2:00 PM-3:00 PM

Pratt Library Govans Branch, 5714 Bellona Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21212

To register, call the Govans Branch library at (410) 396-6098.

Earth Day: Herb Planters

Monday, Apr 22, 3:30 PM-4:30 PM

Pratt Library Southeast Anchor, Meyerberg 3601 Eastern Avenue Baltimore, MD 21224

Earth Day Experiments & Oobleck

Monday, Apr 22, 3:00 PM-4:00 PM

Pratt Library Edmondson Avenue Branch, 4330 Edmondson Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21229

Wildlife in Our World: Urban Oasis Edition

Thursday, Apr 25, 10:30 AM

Pratt Library Hamilton Branch, 5910 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD 21214

City Nature Challenge - Bioblitz 2024✎

Saturday, Apr 27, 10:00 AM-2:30 PM

Carrie Murray Nature Center, 1901 Ridgetop Road*

Kitchen Science

Tuesday, May 07, 3:00 PM

Pratt Library Light Street Branch 1251 Light Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

Tree Time: Birds✎

Wednesday, May 08, 10:00 AM-11:00 AM

Cylburn Arboretum, 4915 Greenspring Ave

Suggested donation $5; (“member registration” to register free).

Sensory Science Lab

Wednesday, May 15, 11:00 AM

Enoch Pratt Central Library, 400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Children ages 4 to 8 with an adult. registration recommended. Call the Children’s Department at (410) 396-5402 to register

Family Nature Walk: Cicada Safari↺ ✎

Saturday, May 18, 10:00 AM-2:00 PM

Carrie Murray Nature Center, 1901 Ridgetop Road*

Monthly - every third Saturday. $2. Come prepared for a mild hike (close toed shoes)

Martin Yepes Trujillo, a PhD student in John’s Hopkins School of Medicine’s Program in Molecular Biophysics, creates art by photographing everyday substances through the lens of a powerful light microscope. He is currently looking for creative partners to make more microscopy art. If you have an idea for an interesting sample or want to help by writing descriptions of the images, reach out via Instagram @el_goob, or by emailing myepestrujillo@gmail.com

Calendar of Events: Continued

Animal Enrichment: How to Train your Turtle✎

Saturday, Jun 01, 10:30 AM-11:00 AM

Carrie Murray Nature Center, 1901 Ridgetop Road*

Wear hike appropriate (closed toe) shoes.

Above: Vitamin C crystals, imaged by Martin Yepes Trujillo at 100x magnification. The colors come from using a technique called cross polarization

Tree ID Walk✎

Sunday, Jun 09, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM

Carrie Murray Nature Center, 1901 Ridgetop Road*

$4. Dress for a moderate hike, bring water

Animal Enrcihment: De-Hissstifying the Snake✎

Sunday, Jun 09, 11:00 AM-11:30 AM

Carrie Murray Nature Center, 1901 Ridgetop Road*

Family Nature Walk↺ ✎

Saturday, Jun 15, 1:00 PM-3:00 PM

Carrie Murray Nature Center, 1901 Ridgetop Road*

Monthly - Every third Saturday. $2. Come prepared to hike over uneven terrain

Nature/Volunteering:

Tree Planting with Blue Water Baltimore↺

Tuesdays & Thursdays / Wednesdays on alternating weeks, 11 AM - 2 PM

Locations Vary. Visit bluewaterbaltimore.org/baltimore-events for more info and to register

Bird Banding↺

Friday, Apr 05, 9:00 AM-10:30 AM (every Friday and Saturday through June 8)

Masonville Cove , 1000 Frankfurst Ave

Spring Bird Walk✎

Friday, Apr 05, 5:00 PM-6:30 PM

Masonville Cove , 1000 Frankfurst Ave

Guided Nature Walk at Masonville Cove

Saturday, Apr 06, 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

Masonville Cove , 1000 Frankfurst Ave

Nature Journaling✎

Saturday, Apr 06, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM

Carrie Murray Nature Center, 1901 Ridgetop Road*

$4 per person. Outdoor event - feel free to bring a blanket!

Community Shoreline Cleanup✎

Saturday, Apr 13, 1:30 PM-2:30 PM

Masonville Cove , 1000 Frankfurst Ave

Kids under 18 are welcome with an accompanying adult

Wednesday Walk: Backyard Bug “Safari” with Dr. Michael Raupp✎

Wednesday, Apr 17, 12:00 PM-1:00 PM

Cylburn Arboretum, 4915 Greenspring Ave

Suggested donation $5; (“member registration” to register free).

Water Quality Science: Journey North/ A Citizen Science Opportunity✎

Saturday, Apr 27, 12:30 PM-2:00 PM

Masonville Cove , 1000 Frankfurst Ave

Weed Warriors Training✎

Wednesday, May 01, 6:00 PM-8:30 PM // Saturday, May 11, 9:30 AM-12:00 PM

Wednesday, May 15, 7:00 PM-8:30 PM // Saturday, Jun 01, 9:30 AM-12:00 PM

First & third session online, second & fourth location TBA. register on the parks dept. website

Attend all four trainings to be certified to fight invasive species with the parks dept.

Nature Art Journaling✎

Saturday, Jun 01, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM

Carrie Murray Nature Center, 1901 Ridgetop Road*

4$. Open to ages 7+. Outdoors. Extra art supplies will be on hand.

Workshops/Activities

Maryland Space Grant Observatory Open House

Friday evenings, Weather permitting - check bit.ly/ObservatoryOpen after 4 PM each Friday

Johns Hopkins Homewood Campus, Physics & Astronomy- directions at Lab Skills Nights! - Purifying RNA

Wednesday, Apr 03, 19:00 PM-19:00 PM

BUGGS; 101 North Haven Street Suite #105

Registration required. $30

Gardening for Birds and Baltimore workshop

Wednesday, Apr 10, 18:00 PM-18:00 PM

Pratt Library Govans Branch, 5714 Bellona Avenue and online.

Theater of Thought– Exclusive Screening and Neuroethics Discussion

Monday, Apr 15, 18:00 PM-18:00 PM

Charles Theatre, 1711 N Charles St

Nature Trivia Night↺ ✎

Thursday, Apr 25, 6:00 PM-8:00 PM

Carrie Murray Nature Center, 1901 Ridgetop Road*

Monthly - every last Thursday. $2

Flying by Pluto, Astro-Animation Workshop

Tuesday, May 07, 6:00 PM-7:30 PM

Enoch Pratt Central Library, Central Hall 400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Baltimore Underground Science Space Open House

Saturday, May 18, 10:00 AM-2:00 PM

BUGGS; 101 North Haven Street Suite #105

Nature Trivia Night↺ ✎

Thursday, May 30, 6:00 PM-8:00 PM

Carrie Murray Nature Center, 1901 Ridgetop Road*

Monthly - every last Thursday. $2

Nature Trivia Night↺ ✎

Thursday, Jun 27, 6:00 PM-8:00 PM

Carrie Murray Nature Center, 1901 Ridgetop Road*

Monthly - every last Thursday. $2

Talks/Lectures:

Perspectives on Healthcare & Science: Hospital City, Health Care Nation wi/ Dr. Guian McKee

Tuesday, Apr 09, 6:00 PM-7:30 PM

Bird in Hand Coffe & Books , 11 East 33d Street

Vital Perspectives on Healthcare & Science: Queer Newark with Whitney Strub

Wednesday, Apr 17, 6:00 PM-7:30 PM

Bird in Hand Coffe & Books , 11 East 33d Street

Navigating the Polycrisis: Mapping the Futures of Capitalism and the Earth

Wednesday, Apr 24, 7:00 PM

Red Emma's, 3218 Greenmont Ave

BUGSS Internship presentations

Saturday, Apr 27, 2:00 PM-3:00 PM

BUGGS; 101 North Haven Street Suite #105 and online - register on eventbrite for zoom link

Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us, wi/ Susan Magsamen

Tuesday, May 07, 12:00 PM-1:00 PM

Johns Hopkins Asthma & Allergy Center, 5501 Hopkins Bayview Circle and online at /bit.ly/JHBrainOnArt

*call the Carrie Murray Nature Center at (410) 396-0808 for more info & help registering

1. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2023/collective-trauma-recovery.

2. Lundberg, U. (2005). Psychoneuroendocrinology. DOI: 10.1016/ j.psyneuen.2005.03.014. 3. Montgomery, K. R. et al. (2024) Neuropsychopharmacology. DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01739-5 4. Verma, R., Balhara, Y.P. S. & Gupta, C. S. (2011). Ind. Psychiatry J. DOI: 10.4103/0972-6748.98407 5. Li, X., Zhou, W. &Yi, Z. (2022) Gen. Psychiatry. DOI: 10.1136/gpsych-2022-100823

6.Wahbeh, M. H. & Avramopoulos, D. (2021) Genes. DOI: 10.3390/genes12121850

7. Tolin, D. F. & Foa, E. B. (2006)Psychol. Bull. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.132.6.959

8. Kudielka, B. M. &Kirschbaum. (2005) Biol.Psychol. DOI: 10.1016/ j.biopsycho.2004.11.009 9. Roelfsema, F. et al. (1993) J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. DOI: 10.1210/jcem.77.1.8392084 10. Segerstrom, S. C. & Miller, G. E. (2004) Psychol. Bull. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.130.4.601 11. Yehuda, R. (2002) Psychiatr. Clin. North Am. DOI: 10.1016/s0193-953x(02)00002-312. Carpenter, L. L. et al. (2007). Biol. Psychiatry. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.05.002

In our last issue, we asked for your help identifying the tissue samples on an unlabeled slide found by Nico Yehya & imaged by Martin Yepes Trujillo. We got some answers from all the way across the globe - Dr. Jamie Chapman, a lecturer at the university of Tasmania, reached out via Twitter & told us that it is likely a sample taken from the uterus. He identified the different kinds of cells that are visible in the images, as you can see below (RBCs = Red blood cells. Adipose= Fat. Arterioles = the smallest blood vessels carrying oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body, Serosa = membrane layer lining body cavities - cells in this layer secrete fluid to keep organs lubricated. Adventitia = connective layer surrounding an organ)

We also got some more creative (some might say silly) suggestions over on instagramfavorites included salami (Alexander Harrell) and “Alien tissue samples from Area 51” (Carmen Atkins).

Front Cover :

This image is provided by Michael Wilkinson, a PhD student in Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, and sourced from the Comparative Neural Systems and Behavior Lab (aka Bat Lab) at Johns Hopkins. The image depicts a big brown bat using echolocation calls to track meal worms on a moving tether.

These bats are excellent hunters and use their high frequency echolocations, which are well above the human range of hearing (we hear from about 20 Hz to 20 kHz), to precisely locate moving insects in the wild. By making sounds and then listening to how they bounce back to them, the bats can navigate and find food in complete darkness. The chart below the bat shows the frequencies contained in each echolocation call (red vertical lines) which range from 20 kHz to 120 kHz.

Michael’s goal is to understand the way bats control their echolocations while they track insects, and how this control allows the bat to accurately know the location of their future dinners. He applies methods from engineering and control theory to model the connection between echolocation changes and target motion. Michael hopes these models can be used in future to inform the creation of better acoustic-based tracking systems and robotics.