Episode 4.8: Leda Kobziar — Microbes in Smoke

“We took these sampling approaches from the lab and then we scaled it up to sampling in the field. And evolved from the ground-based sampling so that we could actually access higher-intensity fires. The types of fires that you wouldn’t want to stand your graduate student anywhere near. So, we developed a system that was lightweight enough that we could put it on a UAS, or a drone, an unmanned aircraft system. Now we sample using drones, and we fly the drones into the smoke columns and measure at different distances from the combustion zone to see how things change as the smoke ages and as we travel away from the combustion source. And at different heights above the combustion zone to see how high up these organisms go.” Meet Leda Kobziar (bit.ly/2OdzCpD), an associate professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Society (bit.ly/39zu0xk) at the University of Idaho. In recent years, many people living in the western U.S. have coughed through numerous unpleasant summer days during wildfire season. Leda has discovered that, in addition to the particulate matter making us cough, wildfire smoke actually contains living microbes (bit.ly/3mJs8Hw), something scientists have never known. For more, watch this video about Leda’s work (bit.ly/2QSH0HK). Visit our website go.uidaho.edu/thevandaltheory​. Email us at [email protected]. Learn about Idaho’s premier research university, University of Idaho, at uidaho.edu. More U of I Research: If you’ve found yourself enjoying “The Vandal Theory” podcasts, I think you’ll like listening to a new podcast from the University of Idaho’s Project ECHO program. Project ECHO is an educational resource empowering healthcare professionals in Idaho’s remote and underserved communities to treat complex chronic diseases with specialist-level expertise. I’ll let Project ECHO’s Sam Steffen introduce their new podcast “Something for the Pain,” (uidaho.edu/echo-podcast) which focuses on opioid and substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery in rural Idaho. Music: “Young Republicans” by Steve Combs (bit.ly/2PsMCpw) via freemusicarchive.org, not modified (bit.ly/2Ju7MQb). “We Are One” by Scott Holmes Music (bit.ly/3rJXleJ) via freemusicarchive.org, not modified (bit.ly/3m9WQcG).