Outreach & public engagement

SHEILA working on this – not sure how to do this multimedia wise or generally – so many different pathways that the lab engages the public

Prof. Patek’s TED Talk

PBS Newshour broadcast a commentary by Patek about the importance of discovery science in the context of congressional budget criticisms of basic research.

Organismal research is the source of all of our current model systems that are used for biomedical research. The informative power of fruit fly, zebrafish and mouse systems was discovered by biologists examining the basic biology of these animals. Basic research precedes and informs nearly all applied research discoveries.

Through our multidisciplinary collaborations with engineers, materials scientists, and physicists, we  of the 200+ million years of engineering experiments already performed over the evolutionary history of our focal organisms. These evolutionary experiments give us innovative insights into human-designed and engineered systems.  This innovative potential is often called “biomimicry” or “biomimetic design”.

Undergraduate research apprenticeship program founded by Patek

Another research apprenticeship program founded by Patek!

Graduate student Maya deVries’ audio slideshow about Patek Lab fieldwork

An audio slideshow about Janice St. Pierre’s NSF-funded Research Experience for Teachers in the Patek Lab

Patek contributed to an outreach video about fast movements as a component of the Iridescent Learning initiative.

Patek delivered UMass Honors Lecture about her research with connections to Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.