How can you identify the species living in a 38.6-square-mile section of the Amazon rainforest without stepping foot in it? Geography Professor Florencia Sangermano turns to ecoacoustics.

Sangermano was among researchers who competed in the five-year, $10 million XPRIZE Rainforest competition, which challenges scientists to use technologically advanced techniques to rapidly survey the tropical forest’s biodiversity and better understand its ecosystem.

Sangermano was part of the ETH BiodivX team, which was awarded the $250,000 bonus prize for groundbreaking achievements, including co-designing technology with indigenous and local communities.

On this episode of Challenge. Change., Sangermano discusses how many species they identified in the rainforest and what it was like to be recognized as a finalist.

Challenge. Change. is produced by Melissa Hanson for Clark University. Listen and subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Find other episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.

In chemistry and biochemistry Professor Don Spratt’s lab, students make ice cream in the name of science.

Spratt’s Kitchen Chemistry course has become a popular selection for students who aren’t science majors. In the lab, students experiment with ingredients under Spratt’s guidance. While making butter, ice cream, root beer, and pickles, they discover how pH, elements, and molecules interact with food.

“This course was spawned from trying to help students not be so scared of chemistry, but also appreciate science around us and improve scientific literacy,” says Spratt. “Food is chemistry, and if students can see that, they’ll become better cooks, and that could be a good life lesson.”

On this episode of Challenge. Change., Spratt gives us a taste of the science behind making ultra-creamy ice cream and a history lesson on pickles. Outside the kitchen, Spratt studies enzymes responsible for cancers and other diseases, neurodegenerative and immune disorders, and congenital defects. His research focuses on the structural and mechanistic studies of the HECT E3 ubiquitin ligases and homeodomain transcription factors using biophysical approaches.

Challenge. Change. is produced by Melissa Hanson for Clark University. Listen and subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Find other episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.

Professor Julie Frechette, Clark’s master’s in communication program lead, has long studied campaign communication. This means her phone has been inundated with text messages, emails, and push alerts from the campaigns of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump for months.

In the past, voters often complained about the number of negative political ads on television. Today, campaigns use social media platforms and podcasts to spread their message further, swamping voters on every corner of the internet.

“We have a fractured media market, so most of us aren't only paying attention to traditional or legacy media the way that we used to. Most of us have social media and email and SMS messaging, but that has become overwhelming in the same way that negative TV ads used to overwhelm people because it really creates anxiety,” says Frechette.

“When the campaign teams for either candidate are telling you how bleak things are or what their advantages are, it's like the pendulum's always moving side to side and you never know what's accurate or who's going to have the winning message.”

On this episode of Challenge. Change., Frechette discusses how Trump and Harris are using social media and how they’re persuading voters in the final hours before Election Day.

Challenge. Change. is produced by Melissa Hanson for Clark University. Listen and subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Find other episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.