By Kelsey O’Neill, WSU Vancouver Neuroscience student
Photo: Jim McCulloch
Lichens are not typically a common conversational topic or thought of as being particularly “newsworthy”. Yet OPB’s producer for the Oregon Field Guide, Ed Jahn, saw great potential in the research of Sarah Jovan, who was studying lichens in the northwest. The reason he decided to cover her research in the Oregon Field Guide was not because he was naturally interested in lichens; it was because she was passionate and enthusiastic about her research. The episode of the Oregon Field Guide produced by Jahn demonstrates the keen interest of Jovan and Linda Geiser in lichens, their backstories, and why studying lichens is important. The video explains that lichens are accurate indicators of air quality as different species thrive in different environments. Recently, Jovan made headlines by using lichen and moss to determine where air pollution was concentrated in Portland, which led to investigation into glass manufacturers who were releasing heavy metals into the air.
There are three main takeaways from this story:
- The first is that your research does not have to be inherently interesting for it to be important and worth studying. To anyone else, studying lichens would not be the most exciting job. That’s where the second takeaway comes in.
- Passion and enthusiasm are essential. To Sarah Jovan, lichens were diverse organisms that could not only inform us about the status of forested environments but also alert us to dangers in the urban environments in which we live. Without this perspective, she may not have discovered the air pollution problems in Portland.
- The third takeaway is to focus on the big picture of your research. By researching lichens, Jovan was able to uncover the source of pollutants that were endangering the health of Portland residents. Though these lichens seemed to be minor and even inconsequential organisms, they held information about major health risks in an urban setting. All research is important because it informs us about yet another fragment of a much larger and more complex system.
As researchers, it is easy to get caught up in the facts and analyses involved in research and forget the story behind why we entered into research in the first place. In order to interact with the media and convey the importance of the hard-earned findings from your research, it is crucial that your passion and enthusiasm are made manifest. So whether you are studying lichens or lifestyle habits, moss or the mind, don’t forget to tell your story.