I took a class on meditation in college.  It was amazing.  It fulfilled one of my Liberal Arts requirements.  Also, I got to breathe deeply and close my eyes during class!  But most importantly, I learned how to meditate.  Which basically means I learned how to space o...

It is up to us - every single one of us - to make the world a little bit better.

The tiny critters at the base of the marine food web can tell us something about climate change.  Want to learn more?  Come to the Hudson River Museum tomorrow at 2pm and learn more about my research on pteropods, dinoflagellates, and other tiny prophets of c...

I just watched the all-female “Ghostbusters” reboot and guess what, I loved it.  I loved watching geeky, badass ladies save the world (obviously).  I loved the subtle-yet-hysterically-funny commentary about women in science.  Like when Professor Erin Gilbert (Kristen W...

School's back in session!  The youths in the new batch of grad students are all fresh-faced, happy-go-lucky, overly-enthused.  And other hyphenated adjectives.  I guess that means I'm officially old.  But I can still go back-to-school shopping!  Here are some chic...

We human beings have a totally unfounded sense of entitlement.  We just think we're the most intelligent, most special snowflakes in the kingdom Animalia.  We're the smartest creatures ever!  We're the only animals with chins!  We're the only ones that can process...

For the past couple years, graduate students in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University have organized an annual art exhibit on campus.  Not just any art exhibit.  The "Research as Art" exhibition-slash-happy-hour features sc...

Today’s scientist o’ the day is a graduate student who studies biological oceanography.  In his research, he uses gene and genome sequencing techniques to understand how communities of phytoplankton interact with each other in the ocean.  He also happens to be my amazi...

Today's photo of the day features the Strokkur geyser, a fountain geyser located in southwest Iceland.  The eruption may look cool and refreshing, but that water is boiling hot - actually hotter even - and smells like rotten eggs.  The geyser works a bit like...

Is it hot enough for you?  This year is already on pace to be the hottest year on record.  If only my teeny tiny apartment had an outdoor space, I could bask in the delicious heat/humidity that is NYC.  For those of you who are lucky enough to have a deck, a rooftop, o...