Hi! And thanks for picking up this issue 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. You can read it at linktr.ee/pbscicomm
In this issue, we’ve got two beautiful new science images for you - both focusing on cellular organization. The kaleidoscopic pattern on our front cover was created by Dhiman Sankar Pal, highlighting the shape of a living immune cell in the process of moving from one place to another. By contrast, Juliane Liberto’s microscopy photograph on page 5 showcases the precise arrangement of cells found in the lining of the colon. We’ve also included an update on some of Project Bridges other initiatives, and as always, a list of events to look out for this season.
If you like this zine, you may be interested in some of our workshops and programs - so make sure to check that link tree for more info, or to subscribe to our mailing list.
Stay warm out there, and we’ll be back in Spring!
Jackson Mace, PhD Student, JHU-SOM Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Malka Svei, PhD Student, JHU-SOM Neuroscience Co-Chairs, Project Bridge Science Communication Committee
Upcoming From Project Bridge:
The Baltimore Brainfest - a free yearly event for people of all ages to learn more about the brain through hands-on exhibitions, games, and activities, is coming back for 2025!
Exact date TBA - subscribe to the mailing list at brainfest.org for details High School And College Students:
The Johns Hopkins Careers in Science & Medicine Initiative summer programs are currently taking applicants for the 2025 season!
The deadline to apply for the undergraduate and post-bac candidate Summer Internship Program (CSM SIP) is 2/14/25 Applications for the high school Summer Academic Research Experience (SARE) program close on 2/01/25
Pictured: 2nd & 3rd at Henderson - Hopkins School explore states of matter with Science Outside the Lines (a joint initiative of Project Bridge and Art with Heart) ; November 12, 2024
Graduate researchers Jessica Lin (JHU-SOM Neuroscience) and Willow Rock (JHU-SOM Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology) taught the group about the difference between solids, liquids, and gasses, using a vial of dry ice to demonstrate state transitions. Instead of melting like the H2O molecules in ordinary ice, the frozen carbon dioxide in dry ice sublimates, or goes directly from a solid to a gas state, when below its freezing temperature. By channeling vapor from the sublimating ice down a tube, students got the chance to use it to blow giant bubbles. Willow says that she and Jessica “were thrilled to see the students connect with the science. Among the excited chatter, one student exclaimed “this is the best day ever!””
Both of these programs are designed to support students from financially and educationally under-resourced backgrounds who are interested in pursuing careers in science. Qualifying students will have the opportunity to spend a summer involved in research hands-on, while taking classes in key skills and topics for a successful scientific career, with stipend support.
For more information or to apply, visit the respective websites, sare.cellbio.jhmi.edu (for high schoolers) csmsip.cellbio.jhmi.edu (for college students and graduates) , or contact Pamela Hamm - phamm4@jhmi.edu
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. ⛰ = hike/ outdoor activity - dress accordingly
Kids & Families:
Cylburn Nature Education Center Drop In Activity: Bird Diets in Winter ↺
Wednesday, Jan 22, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
Friday, Jan 24, 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Sunday, Jan 26, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
Cylburn Arboretum, 4915 Greenspring Ave
Animal Enrichment: Winter at CMNC✎
Saturday, Jan 25, 10:30 AM-11:30 AM
Carrie Murray Nature Center; 1901 Ridgetop Road*
International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) info session✎
Saturday, Jan 25, 4:00 PM-5:00 PM
Baltimore Underground Science Space, 101 N Haven St (and online)
Info session for high schools students interested in joining the Baltimore BioCrew iGEM competition team (see link for details)
International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) info session✎
Tuesday, Jan 28, 7:00 PM-8:00 PM
Baltimore Underground Science Space, 101 N Haven St (and online)
Info session for high schools students interested in joining the Baltimore BioCrew iGEM competition team (details available at bit.ly/BUGGS_events)
Lava Tubes
Saturday, Mar 01, 12:30 PM-1:30 PM
Enoch Pratt Central Library, 400 Cathedral Street
Use simple household items to create a lava tube.
Ultimate Animal Adventure
Wednesday, Mar 05, 4:00 PM-5:00 PM
Enoch Pratt Library, Pennsylvania Ave. Branch 1531 W. North Ave
For families with kids aged 3-11.
Women’s History Month- Candy DNA Models✎
Tuesday, Mar 18, 8:00 PM-4:30 PM
Enoch Pratt Library, Cherry Hill Branch. 606 Cherry Hill Road
All supplies will be provided. Registration is encouraged - call (410) 396-1168 to register.
Nature/Volunteering:
Family Nature Hike: World Wetlands Day ↺ ✎⛰
Saturday, Feb 01, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
Carrie Murray Nature Center; 1901 Ridgetop Road*
Every first Saturday.
The tissue has been treated with an H&E (hematoxylin and eosin) stain, a basic dye combination used to prepare biological samples, so that their structural features take on contrast and can be seen under a microscope. Cell nuclei show up in dark blue, while the cytoplasm (the rest of the material inside the cell) and parts of the extracellular matrix (the molecules that provide support in the areas between cells) take on a lighter color.
This image was created and contributed by Juliane Liberto, a PhD candidate in the Johns’ Hopkins department of Cellular of Molecular Medicine (Molecular Genetics Laboratory of Female Reproductive Cancer). Juliane gave this image its title for “highlighting the incredible organization and structural beauty of our gut.”
Juliane also gave us a helpfully annotated copy of the image, which you can check out on the back cover of this zine if you’re curious about the different kinds of cells visible here.
Calendar of Events : Continued
Lover's Owl Prowl✎⛰
Friday, Feb 14, 5:30 PM-7:30 PM
Carrie Murray Nature Center; 1901 Ridgetop Road*
Family Nature Hike: Treasure Quest ↺ ✎⛰
Saturday, Feb 22, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
Carrie Murray Nature Center; 1901 Ridgetop Road* Mushroom Hike✎⛰
Saturday, Mar 15, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
Carrie Murray Nature Center; 1901 Ridgetop Road*
Spring Ephemeral Hike✎⛰
Saturday, Mar 22, 11:00 AM-1:00 PM
Carrie Murray Nature Center; 1901 Ridgetop Road*
Workshops/Activities:
Water Quality/Climate Change Science: A Citizen Science Opportunity✎⛰
Saturday, Jan 25, 1:30 PM-3:00 PM
Masonville Cove; 1000 Frankfurst Ave
Animal Ambassador Portraits✎
Friday, Feb 07, 5:00 PM-7:00 PM
Carrie Murray Nature Center; 1901 Ridgetop Road*
Talks/Lectures:
Animating Central Park: A Multispecies History, with author Dawn Day Biehler and Rylee Wernoch
Tuesday, Jan 21, 7:00 PM-9:00 PM
Red Emmas, 3128 Greenmount Ave
Treekeepers Plus: Trees and the Law
Wednesday, Jan 29, 6:00 PM-8:30 PM
online - register at civicrec or contact Treebaltimore@baltimorecity.gov / call (410)396-6109 for more details
All ages
Astronomy on Tap at Guilford Hall Brewery
Thursday, Jan 30, 7:00 PM-9:00 PM
Guilford Hall Brewery 1611 Guilford Ave
Vital Perspectives on Healthcare and Science: Virus Research in Twentieth-Century Uganda, by Julia Cummiskey
Wednesday, Feb 05, 6:00 PM-7:30 PM
Bird in Hand Coffee and Books, 11 East 33rd Street
*call the Carrie Murray Nature Center at (410) 396-0808 for more info & help registering
Courses & Training:
Metagenomics of the Inner Harbor with Baltimore Underground Science Space
Session 1: Extracting DNA from the environment
Saturday, Mar 01
Session 2: Amplifying and Purifying DNA Saturday, Mar 08
Session 3: Lab robotics Saturday, Mar 22
Session 4: Bioinformatics analysis Saturday, Mar 29
10:00 AM-12:00 PM
Baltimore Underground Science Space, 101 N Haven St
“Is there life in our Inner Harbor? Of course, it’s teeming with living organisms! Not only the fish, crabs, and oysters that we think of immediately, but also microscopic life. In this course, we will be collaborating with researchers at the University of Maryland’s Institute for Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET) to sequence the DNA of all plankton living in the Inner Harbor. Learn all about the field of metagenomics and how next-generation sequencing can be applied to environmental monitoring and preservation. Perform cutting-edge DNA library preparation in the lab! This is a great opportunity to learn about groundbreaking metagenomics technology (simultaneously sequencing the DNA of all organisms in a habitat).”
Sessions in this course are independent - you can attend as many or few as you like. Each session costs 33.85 for non-members, 14.64 for members- but scholarships are available! Apply at bit.ly/42hvd8z
TreeKeepers Training with TreeBaltimore ✎
Treekeeepers: Introduction to Pruning, and Pruning Field Session✎⛰
Saturday, Jan 25, 10:00 AM-1:30 PM.
Location TBD.
TreeKeepers Training: Core 1 - Trees & Baltimore
TreeKeepers Training: Core 2 - the Science of Trees
TreeKeepers Introduction to Planting
6:00 PM-8:30 PM
Location TBD.
Wednesday, Mar 05
Wednesday, Mar 12
Wednesday, Mar 19
TreeKeepers is a program open to all residents interested in helping Baltimore’s trees. As a TreeKeeper, you’ll learn how to help plant and care for trees on your street, in your neighborhood, around your schools, and in your parks.
Two TreeKeeper certifications are available: pruning, and planting
To be certified as a TreeKeeper, you will need to take the two Core Training sessions, as well as the additional required session(s) for the certification(s) you are interested in: one combined session for pruning, and / or two separate sessions for planting. All trainees must also attend two volunteer pruning/planting events before qualifying in the relevant certification - a list of organizations approved to hold volunteer events can be found at treebaltimore.org/partners Ages 15+
Contact Treebaltimore@baltimorecity.gov or call (410)396-6109 for more details
Front Cover spotlight:
Neutrophils - a kind of white blood cells - are part of our bodies’ first line of defense against infection. When cells are damaged, they release chemical signals. Neutrophils and other immune cells navigate toward the source of the signals, where they can respond to the problem.
Hopkins’ post doctoral fellow Dhiman Sankar Pal (@DhimanPal8) studies how proteins inside the immune cells are involved in this process. Cells travel by reorganizing the cytoskeleton, proteins that make up their internal structure. In a paper published several years ago in Dev Cell, Dhiman, his advisor Peter Devreotes, and their collaborators demonstrated that a group of proteins associated with cell growth, the Ras-mTorC2-Akt signaling network, are directly responsible for initiating and controlling this reorganization process.
The pattern on the front of this zine was created by Dhiman to illustrate these findings. It is made of different colored copies of a neutrophil in the process of migration, as captured by a confocal microscope. Thanks to a fluorescent molecule that detects the cytoskeletal protein f-actin, you can see how the cell is spreading towards one end to propel itself in that direction
Pal DS, Banerjee T, Lin Y, de Trogoff F, Borleis J, Iglesias PA, Devreotes PN. Actuation of single downstream nodes in growth factor network steers immune cell migration. Dev Cell. 2023 Jul 10;58(13):1170-1188.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.04.019. Epub 2023 May 22. PMID: 37220748
