Celebrating Science

clinical doses it is safe. In comparison, illicit GHB is colorless and odorless, which makes it difficult to determine the dose, significantly increasing the risk of overdose.

It is challenging to measure the public health impact of recreational GHB use since it may not be reported by users and is often combined with other illicit drugs and alcohol. When a patient is taken to the emergency room due to an overdose, it is often identified anecdotally or by observing common symptoms. Rapid testing is not available and a GHB overdose can only be confirmed by a toxicology screening. University of the Pacific doctor of pharmacy students and graduate students assisted with compiling the preliminary data, which was a critical component of the grant application. Pacific’s Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences Program graduate students will assist with the laboratory research. There will also be opportunities for Pharm.D. students to be involved in components of the research.

In addition to recognizing Felmlee’s research, this grant spotlights Pacific’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. The NIH SCORE Program is designed to increase the research support at institutions such as Pacific with a history of training and graduating students from groups underrepresented in the biomedical sciences. The university had to qualify first as a SCORE institution before Felmlee’s project was considered for funding. This is Pacific’s first NIH SCORE grant and Felmlee’s first NIH grant as a principal investigator. P

Originally published March 21, 2020, by the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific. Reprinted with permission.

University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy festival brings scientific literacy to the community.

By Emily Jacobs

Science is all around us, from the photosynthesis of our houseplants to our WiFi connection to the medicines we take. Yet many people take for granted the scientific principles that influence every facet of our lives. The annual Everything is Science (EiS) festival, a free, public event hosted by the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, aims to change that. Launched in 2018, this weeklong event seeks to bring science literacy to the general community.

“We know there’s been a big push to increase nationwide STEM scores for high schoolers, as well as increase the public’s access to science,” said Dr. Vincent Venditto, assistant professor at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and one of the EiS festival founders. “The other issue is, the number of applications continue to decline for colleges of pharmacy and many are not aware of the science coming out of these colleges. We wanted to find new strategies to encourage students to go into STEM fields and promote the type of translational science you often see at pharmacy schools.”

Rather than keeping scientific principles within the walls of academia, EiS sessions are held at various bars, restaurants

photo: Michelle Pitts

The 2019 EiS festival included the presentation “The Science of What’s Alive (or Not).”

“As professionals at a land grant institution we are not only focused on pushing science forward for the state, but making that science accessible, improving the well-being and science literacy of our communities. Being on the committee, students really see the ins and outs of coordinating with venues, setting dates and meeting deadlines and interacting with the media, further honing their skills as professionals and scientists.” —Dr. Vincent Venditto

and breweries throughout Lexington. This gives presenters and attendees a more relaxed environment to encourage community outreach and closer connections between the university and the general public. “By being able to reach the public in fun and engaging ways, we take down the ivory tower barrier that is often between scientists and the general public,” Venditto said.

Engaging the Audience While many EiS speakers and organizers are UK faculty and researchers, the festival also encourages participation from professionals throughout the Commonwealth. From dietitians to photographers, participants are invited to explain the science behind their lines of work in the manner of a TED talk. This helps further close the gap between the community and academia. The theme for the 2020 festival, “Life in Technicolor,” also encouraged speakers to explore the connection between art and science.

All speakers must abide by one rule: no PowerPoint presentations. Rather than depending on slides full of graphs to illustrate their data, EiS speakers must use more engaging techniques. In a session on color temperature, one Lexington-based photographer used her own equipment to demonstrate, in person, how different light sources alter a photo’s color. Another speaker, in a session about the dairy industry, demonstrated how farmers use FitBit trackers to monitor dairy cow behavior in real time. Using real equipment and live demonstrations allows speakers to describe scientific principles more effectively; some educators even discover new presentation techniques to bring into their classrooms.

Presenters at the 2019 festival focused on the theme “Opposites Attract.”

photo: Michelle Pitts

Planning an event like EiS begins the Positive Feedback year before, when the UK College of Pharmacy holds an open call for anyone interested in participating, either on the planning committee, as a session coordinator or as a presenter. For the 2020 festival held this past February, many members of the planning committee included student pharmacists. “As professionals at a land grant institution we are not only focused on pushing science forward for the state, but making that science accessible, improving the well-being and science literacy of our Informal and anecdotal evidence suggests that the event is having its intended impact. While the EiS organizers do not collect hard data on the event’s sessions, attendees are encouraged to fill out comment cards with commentary on the venues or the event itself, including topic and speaker suggestions. In 2019, EiS received about 220 comment cards, with 99 percent of respondents saying they would recommend the event to their friends. communities,” said Venditto. “Being on This enthusiasm extends to the bars the committee, students really see the and restaurants that host the sessions ins and outs of coordinating with venues, as well as the festival coordinators. setting dates and meeting deadlines More local businesses have expressed and interacting with the media, further interest in partnering and collaborathoning their skills as professionals and ing for the EiS festival, Venditto noted. scientists.” Speaker coordinators also were surThe College of Pharmacy is especially suited to host an event like EiS due to its “self-contained” nature, he added. The college can serve as a central knowledge base that connects to a diverse network veyed after the event, when they were asked to respond to the statement that EiS is a positive experience. All coordinators responded with either “agree” or “strongly agree.” of scientists and community members, While 2020 EiS had the highest atwhich can “promote a cross-pollination tendance yet, with at least 50 people atof ideas” across specialties. tending each of the 30 talks, advertising

photo: Michelle Pitts and raising awareness for EiS remain a challenge, according to Venditto. Awareness is particularly important to ensure that the festival is accomplishing its goal of improving science literacy. The EiS festival has partnered with other campus events including Engineering Day, an event geared toward elementary and high school students, and the UK Curiosity Fair, which allows campus professionals to demonstrate their work to undergrads. These partnerships enhance the breadth of the target audience that the EiS festival is able to reach.

Next year, a standalone website will be created for the event. In the past, it has been housed on a page within the College of Pharmacy website and this change will help increase the visibility of the festival. Additionally, the enthusiasm from the community was clear, with some attendees present every night of the week. However, this format overwhelmed some, and next year’s events will be shortened each night from three hours to two 75-minute sessions ending 30 minutes earlier (6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.) to better accommodate those who are eager to attend every talk.

Additional plans for 2021 include refining the festival’s overall theme. EiS leaders hope to create a balance between being broad and specific, between abstract and concrete and between the arts and the sciences. One idea being considered for the next year, Venditto shared, is to have an artist and a scientist each give a talk and provide complementary views of the same topic. Emphasizing the link between the humanities and science can help solidify the idea that “Everything is Science.” P

Emily Jacobs is a freelance writer based in Toledo, Ohio.

Several festival presentations took place at local breweries.