On this episode of It’s Hot In Here, Andrea Aiuto of the Bird Center of Washtenaw County joined hosts Ben Sonnega and Bella Isaacs for a casual Friday dialogue on her current work with bird rescue and how her love of birds came about.

The Bird Center of Washtenaw County primarily aims to aid birds, wildlife, and the environment through public education and rehabilitation. Trained staff help take in injured birds to be kept and rehabilitated at the center in Ann Arbor, as well as answer calls to help citizens learn what to do when an injured bird is spotted.

Click play now to hear Andrea talk about bird sanctuary work outside the US, how it is different and the same, and hear bird rescue stories from right here in Washtenaw County!

To get involved with the Bird Center, check out the Flyaway Fundraiser on April 7th, and the Volunteer Orientation on April 21st!

This week, we bring you conversations with the three co-founders of “Food Literacy For All,” a weekly speaker series hosts experts in agriculture, food justice, sustainability, and more. Each talk is broadcast via Detroit Public Television and posted online. Students at the University of Michigan can take the course for credit, but the talks are open to the public.

Catherine Badgley is a professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies in LSA’s Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department, Malik Yakini is an activist, educator, and Executive Director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, and Lilly Fink Shapiro is Program Manager for the Sustainable Food Systems Initiative at the University of Michigan. They sat down with regular host Bella Isaacs to discuss what inspired them to create “Food Literacy for All” and what they hope students and community members alike will learn from the series.

The use of antibiotics in animal husbandry has promoted not only antibiotic-resistant bacteria among livestock but also spillover between other livestock, wildlife, and humans. On this episode, guest and Ph.D candidate Hayden Hedman and SEAS graduate student Priscilla Papillas joined host Ben Sonnega and Bella Isaacs to discuss their work studying the spillover of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and how agricultural practices affect the ecology and evolution of antimicrobial resistance within a tropical agricultural setting.

First-hand stories of the data collection and lived experience from Hayden are complimented by Priscilla’s experience in helping with translation duties from home. The two worked together on creating organizational sustainability in the community through education. One of these tactics was through a comic book and hosting bingo night.

Hit play to hear how antibiotic resistance is affecting livestock and what is being done about it!

On this episode of It’s Hot In Here, guest Mitchell Mead joined hosts Ben Sonnega and Bella Isaacs to discuss his unique perspective on climate change and the use of a carbon tax to combat it.

As a small-town Michigan kid, Mead says that he always cared for the environment and nature that surrounded him, but it wasn’t until he got to the University of Michigan that he really became actively engaged with the fight to protect it. Citing his environmental toxicology course with professor Rita Loch-Caruso as a springboard, Mead ultimately became interested in the way that policy and economics can work to combat climate change.

He is now building on previous work done by students calling upon the university to create their own carbon tax structure. The University of Michigan has explicitly written sustainability goals, but will they rise to the challenge that has been set forth by their student body on this one? Tune in to hear more from Mitch, Ben, and Bella!