Bay Area museum training future scientists

  SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The California Academy of Sciences runs a state of the art museum in Golden Gate Park, but may people don't realize that behind the scenes the academy is also a world class research institution. Academy scientists estimate only about 10 percent of all life on Earth has been discovered. That unknown 90 percent could hold the cure to cancer, critical information about climate change, or a way to feed a starving nation. But the number of scientists looking for new species is dropping and university programs to train them are disappearing. So the academy is stepping up its effort to inspire and train a new generation.

Dave Kavanaugh is senior curator of the academy's entomology department. He says "It's very frustrating to realize that the students that can do this kind of work are not being developed and the skill is being lost." So Kavanaugh and other academy scientists are mentoring promising high school students.

For the past year, Kavanaugh has worked with 18-year-old Mollie Cueva-Dabkoski. Cueva-Dabkoski says she never expected to be bonding with beetles. "My idea of science was kind of wrapped up in a book, something very dry." But, that was before Cueva-Dabkoski joined the academy's Careers in Science program, aimed at high school students from under-served communities. She went on a field trip collecting bugs near the Oregon border and she was hooked. "I discovered I really like beetles. They are gorgeous. All my friends laugh that I say that."

But Kavanaugh isn't laughing, he's cheering. Cueva-Dabkoski is now a Student Science Fellow, part of a new academy program to train future scientists and give them hands-on research experience. Kavanaugh says "The school system doesn't really offer an opportunity, even at the college level in most universities, to do what these students are getting to do."

For the past 10 years, the academy has worked with Chinese scientists to collect all kinds of specimens in a remote part of China. Kavanaugh himself collected 50,000 beetles. Now comes the detective work -- figuring out whether any of the beetles are new species and how each one fits into the eco-system. Cueva-Dabkoski is on the team. She says "It's given me an idea of what it is to be a scientist."

Cueva-Dabkoski spent months tracking down ancient descriptions of beetles, corresponding with curators of insect collections all over the world, and examining historic specimens that were sent to the academy for comparison.

The work is paying off. Kavanaugh and Cueva-Dabkoski now believe they have discovered at least one new species. Cueva-Dabkoski says "It's really exciting!"

She starts at Johns Hopkins University this fall and plans to keep learning about the natural world creature by creature, with an eye toward a future career "saving the organism and also the large eco-system that it lives in."

Written and produced by Jennifer Olney

Scientists map local underwater Grand Canyon

SAN FRANCISCO BAY (KGO) -- Government scientists have released an animated fly-through of the ocean floor off the coast of San Francisco. It's a first-of-its-kind look at the dramatic mountains and ravines that make up what some call an underwater Grand Canyon. We took a look at the latest high tech tool to help preserve critical ocean eco-systems.

When you head out beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, you are heading into the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, which is 1,300 square miles of underwater habitat protected by law. And we are only just beginning to learn what natural wonders may be here.

"We mapped the sea floor and we found some new geologic structures that we didn't know were out there before," said Maria Brown, a sanctuary superintendent.

Brown is part of a coalition of government agencies that created a 3D animation. They are the most detailed images of the sanctuary geography ever made. They were turned into a video with narration to help the public understand what is here.

Some of the narration said, "The Farallon Islands emerge from the sea 27 miles offshore. They are a bed and breakfast for over a quarter million seabirds."

Just beyond the islands, on the edge of the continental shelf, there is a steep wall of ravines and canyons that plunge more than 6,000 feet deep. This mapping was done with a technique called "multi-beaming".

"You send beams of sound down and it bounces off the sea floor and brings back an image. This allows us to see the relief of the sea floor, to see it go up and down," said Brown.

North and west of the Farallon Islands, the mapping project revealed details of even more canyons and huge shallow banks that create underwater islands. Scientists believe much of this may be critical habitat for a wide variety of different creatures.

One area scientists looked at is few miles south of Cordell Bank. They visited and took video of the area two years ago. Cordell Bank is full of spectacular life and the newly-discovered areas hold the promise of similar diversity, huge schools of fish, sea urchins, sponges and deep sea corals.

"Coral reefs provide habitat for commercially valuable fish so it's really important we protect these areas. If we have a strong, healthy ocean environment, that's going to support ocean industries such as commercial fishing," said Maria.

Exploring the ocean is challenging -- conditions can be harsh and many of the of habitats are too deep for divers. Now that scientists have a detailed map to show them where to look, the next step will be an expedition this fall with a remotely operated vehicle to take pictures.

"In order for us to adequately protect the sanctuary and marine environment, we need to know what's out there," said Brown.

If you would like to see the full animated fly-through, click on this link: Fly-Through Animation of the Gulf of the Farallones

Written and produced by Jennifer Olney.

(Copyright ©2012 KGO-TV/DT.

View the original article here