Thursday Night Nature: PokéPolinators and What Makes the World Go Round with PikaScience (August 29, 2024)

Several franchises of pop culture have derived inspiration from the natural world. The world’s highest-grossing media franchise, Pokémon, is no exception. The cast of PikaScience will explore the plants and pollinators of our world and their fictional counterparts, the inner workings of pollination and why this process is so important. Bring your beekeeping suits, gardening trowel, favorite seeds and PokéBalls as well as dive into more than just the birds and the bees.

The PikaScience Podcast channel is home to several podcasts all focused on looking at the intersection of gaming and science. This includes the flagship show PokéScience, the child-focused and child-made Lyla’s Lessons, the Dungeons and Dragons show BenRichten’s Guide to Monsters and Lore, the econ-focused PokEnomics, the ecologists’ favorite EcologyXP and more. The cast interviews experts from across the globe and works to educate listeners on a variety of topics. Going into its seventh birthday, the show has presented at Fan Expo, DragonCon, ColossalCon, Wizards Con, Galaxy Con, Metrocon and many more conventions across the country.

Brittany Morrison received her RN, BSN and BA in psychology from Kent State University. She is currently pursuing an MSN in forensic nursing at Aspen University. She has worked as a nurse for 10 years and has spent the last seven years with a focus in emergency medicine.

Jared Beuschlein’s background focuses on invasive species and botany. He has a BS in biology with a focus on ecology and conservation and a MS in crop science, focused on invasive species management in prairie grasslands.

Chelsea Conner is a herpetologist, artist and graduate student at San Francisco State University from the Commonwealth of Dominica in the Caribbean. She has worked on the diet overlap between the native and invasive species of anole on her home island as an undergrad and is excited to continue her work as a grad student looking at Caribbean biogeography and Lesser Antillean reptiles. Conner loves anoles and as a science communicator has co-founded #BlackBirdersWeek with BlackAFinSTEM.

Maddison Collins is finishing her third Master’s in education administration and has a background in cognitive psychology. She’s the executive producer and co-founder of PikaScience (previously PokeScience) and is involved in various nonprofit and political work. A mother of two little girls—one who is part of the PikaScience cast—and the dungeon master (creative director) for the Flaming Dice Podcast, she prides herself in creating inclusive spaces for all.

Program Fee: $15 (Members, enter your code at checkout to receive your 20% discount.)

All lectures will be held virtually using Zoom. They will be recorded and shared with everyone who registers for a short time.