SciComm Lunch & Learn - Listen to Your Gut: Engaging the Public with Science & Sound, with Dr. Erin McKenney and Jude Casseday

Connecting science to the public is an important task that scientists are asked to do more and more. It can range from the classic science café or rehearsed TED talk to the interactive museum demo. In this Lunch & Learn, join Dr. Erin McKenney and artist, Jude Casseday, to learn how they engage the public with science and sound. Together, they have collaborated to transform Dr. McKenney’s microbiome research examining the microbes in your gut and the microbes in sourdough bread into experiential soundscapes—the listener can HEAR the changes in the data! Join us to learn about new and creative ways to engage in STEAM, bringing the arts and sciences together to interact with the public!

Dr. Erin McKenney studies how microbial communities form over time and how they adapt to their environments. Her research blends ecology, nutrition, and comparative gut morphology. More recently, Erin’s work has expanded to sourdough and other fermented foods. Microbial cultures are central to human cultures, and fermented foods provide accessible systems for studying microbiology without formal laboratory equipment. By engaging the public in countertop science, Erin inspires discovery and experimentation that empower stakeholders and change the way we think about bread.

Jude Casseday (aka dejacusse) is a soundscape artist and electronic musician from Durham, North Carolina. Her work ranges from sound experimentation to more structured compositions for dance, film, art events and yoga/movement classes. The band iBoD (the idiosyncratic beats of dejacusse) creates Nested Soundscapes in acoustically interesting spaces. Currently, Jude’s process is to make loops in Ableton Live, which she then uses as a performance palette within IOS apps, semi-modular synths, and sampler grooveboxes. Her soundscapes have been featured at the Durham Arts Council, The Carrack Gallery, NC Museum of Natural Sciences and American Dance Festival classes. This most recent interest in sounding out scientific data has lead to a productive partnership with Dr. Erin McKenney and the Robb Dunn Lab at NCSU.