Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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DECEMBER 30 - JANUARY 5, 2016 UCW 15 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Fayetteville Technical Community College's Science Division derived the Science Seminar series as an interpretation of National Public Radio's Science Fridays and the traditional science lecture series held at many four-year universities. The Science Seminar Series draws on the entertaining aspects of science and incorporates those aspects with the educational aspects to produce a seminar that is approachable for everyone. In fact, the series is open to all, including the general public. The goal behind creating the science seminars at FTCC is to help demystify some of the stereotypes associated with science and also show the fun side of science. Additionally, faculty members have been able to use the seminars to showcase their special interests and research projects. The hope of the series has been to make science more approachable and hopefully educate people on some science issues, especially now that science knowledge has become a critical factor for the public. FTCC's Science Division explored a variety of topics during the first three semesters of the Science Seminar Series which kicked off with a presentation about the "Chemistry of Sex." Exploring the molecular world of love and attraction, the seminar ranged from the ancient chemistry of "Spanish fly" (an extract obtained from a blister-inducing beetle) to the modern chemistry of Viagra. The series continued with discussions on the relative sizes of the tiniest atoms to spiraling galaxies, then an exploration of genetic "coin-tossing" looking at the probabilities of traits, such as sex, curly hair, and the ability or inability to curl one's tongue. Other topics explored included the origins of superstitions like the "bad luck" associated with Friday the 13th, modern advances in science including a polymer that is lighter than air, and the love-hate relationship humans have with the insect world. Although insects help humans avoid starvation through pollination benefits, insects have also been the vector for many diseases that continue to cause significant deaths. Last year's final seminar continued the themes of sex and death by exploring the "devious" world of certain plants that can feed on insects or use sex-promoting hormones to trick unsuspecting animals into aiding the plant's own reproductive cycle. The Fall Semester at FTCC began with a seminar exploring the effects of stress on our bodies and how not all stress is bad for us. The seminar on "epistasis" included a discussion on genetic variabilities and how the phenomenon of epistasis helps explain certain exceptions to expected trait patterns passed on from one generation to the next. The semester's series finished with a look at the chemistry of mind-altering drugs, exploring such wide topics as caffeine's ability to make us wired to a chemical understanding of the recent boom in heroin abuse. The Science Seminar Series events occur on the second Friday of each month and are open to the public. We invite you to join us as we continue to explore the fabulous and wonderful world of science! If you have questions, I can be reached at harmonm@faytechcc.edu. Visit FTCC or visit our newly designed website (faytechcc.edu) to learn about the many exciting programs of study available at FTCC. FTCC Offers Science Seminar Series by MELISSA CAMERON HARMON MELISSA CAMERON HARMON, FTCC Science Division Chair, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910.484.6200 FTCC's Science Seminar Series explores many aspects of science and how it relates to the everyday lives of most people. Discarded trees are picked-up and turned into mulch used to beautify local parks. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, there are about 25-30 million real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. every year. Unlike their artificial counterparts, which may contain non-biodegradable plastics and possible metal toxins, real trees are a renewable, recyclable resource. There are more than 4,000 local Christmas tree recycling programs throughout the U.S. and one of them is in Fayetteville. The Grinding of the Greens is a local partnership between PWC, Duke Energy Progress, Fayetteville - Cumberland County Parks and Recreation and the Fayetteville Community Garden. Through the program, discarded trees are picked-up and turned into mulch used to beautify local parks. City residents can place their discarded Christmas trees curb-side for pick-up by the morning of Jan. 4 to take advantage of the city-wide pick-up the first week of the new year. Anyone can take trees to the Fayetteville Community Garden, at the corner of Vanstory and Mann Streets, no later than Saturday, Jan. 9 by 8:30 a.m. PWC spokesperson Carolyn Hinson said that without the recycling program, most of the trees would end up taking up space in the landfill. "By recycling the trees and turning them into mulch, it's a win-win for the environment. We save money for the city, save landfill space and a need is being met by Parks and Recreation by not having to buy mulch for parks," Hinson said. The program is not new. "This is the 22nd year," Hinson said. "The general premise was to find a way to recycle live Christmas trees so they are not going into the landfill. It encourages recycling and is a nice end to the holiday season, a gift to the environment." The program could not be successful without the 40 to 50 annual volunteers who come out on the morning of the grinding and operate the grinders, she said. The event has become a tradition, she said, with many volunteers returning year after year. Mayor Nat Robertson will again be on-hand to give the official "Gentlemen, start your chippers!" call that begins the grinding. "We don't keep an exact count," Hinson said, "But we have several thousand trees that are picked up each year." Residents who put their trees curb-side are encouraged to remove all lights and decorations, which can damage chippers. "It's always interesting to see what we're going to find," Hinson said. "Some trees have been fully decorated [and put on the curb], tree stands still attached." "We always have some people who come by the morning of grinding," Hinson said. "We usually get 10-20 trees that morning." Local Program Recycles Christmas Trees to Benefit Parks by APRIL OLSEN Christmas tree Facts • The N.C. Christmas tree industry is ranked second in the nation in number of trees harvested and cash receipts. • The top Christmas tree producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington. • N.C. produces more than 19 percent of the real Christmas trees in the U.S. • The most common Christmas tree species are: balsam fir, Douglas-fir, Fraser fir, noble fir, Scotch pine, Virginia pine and white pine. • N.C. has about 1,300 growers producing Fraser fir Christmas trees on an estimated 40,000 acres. • Fraser fir represents more than 98 percent of all species grown in North Carolina. • The N.C. Fraser fir has been judged the nation's best in a contest sponsored by the National Christmas Tree Association and chosen for the official White House Christmas tree 12 times (more than any other species). The last N.C. tree in the White House was in 2012. • The N.C. Fraser fir Christmas tree is the most popular Christmas tree in North America and is shipped into every state in the U.S. as well as the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, Japan and other points all over the world. • For every real Christmas tree harvested, 1 to 3 seedlings are planted the following spring. • It can take as many as 15 years to grow a tree of typical height (6 - 7 feet) or as little as 4 years, but the average growing time is 7 years. Information provided by http://www.ncchristmastrees.com and http://www.realchristmastrees.org/dnn/ Education/QuickTreeFacts.aspx APRIL OLSEN, Staff Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com.