#18 Restoring Wetlands to Climate Coolers with Kuno Kasak

01/07/25 • 32 min

This Beyond BAFF podcast episode features Kuno Kasak, an Estonian environmental researcher. Kuno is a Professor in Environmental Technology at the Department of Geography, University of Tartu.
During the recording of this episode, he is actually temporarily back in the US, working at the University of California, Berkeley, as a Visiting Professor through The Fulbright Program. He is currently conducting research at the Biometeorology Lab focusing on wetlands methane flux dynamics.

Join us as we delve into the research of a prominent scientist focused on restoring damaged wetlands. We talk about the origins of his PhD studies in wastewater treatment to his current work on greenhouse gas fluxes and ecological systems, this episode explores the intricate planning, challenges, and collaborative efforts involved in wetland restoration. Learn about significant projects in California, the differences in restoration approaches across climates, the importance of community engagement, and groundbreaking findings that could shape future climate mitigation strategies.

At the podcast, we talk about:

Kuno’s background and PhD Journey
Importance of wetlands in climate change
Challenges and solutions in wetland restoration
Research in the US and California wetlands
Scientific curiosity and career development
Future of wetland research and personal insights

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Learn more about the scholarship opportunities provided by the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation to help Baltic Scientists fund their research in the United States: www.balticamericanfreedomfoundation.org

At the podcast, we talk about:

Kuno’s background and PhD Journey
Importance of wetlands in climate change
Challenges and solutions in wetland restoration
Research in the US and California wetlands
Scientific curiosity and career development
Future of wetland research and personal insights

Sign up to receive occasional emails with new episodes, updates, and behind-the-scenes content from the Beyond BAFF podcast: https://mailchi.mp/balticamericanfreedomfoundation/podcast-list

Previous Episode

#17 From Fermentation Science to Startup Acceleration with Paulina Streimikyte

Paulina Streimikyte is a Lithuanian researcher and a senior scientist at the Lithuanian Research Centre of Agriculture and Forestry. She is responsible for fermentation in the food & beverages field.

During her BAFF fellowship, she researched mousy off-flavors in sour beers and the complexities of detecting specific flavor molecules. She is an expert on methods to improve food preservation through fermentation, and also knows a lot about the historical significance of beer brewing.

Currently, she lives back in the US in Silicon Valley because she is part of the Plug'nPlay accelerator program where, together with a startup team, they are trying to bring fermentation sciences into regular people's food plates.

With the startup, they enhance grains which are used in breweries and other food industry waste into more sustainable and functional food using fermentation.

At the podcast, we talk about:

What is a sour taste in the beer and how can one research it
Researching the mousy off-flavors in sour beers and the complexities of detecting specific flavor molecules.
Joining a startup and her new daily routine in Silicon Valley.
Specific tips for training the skill of tasting.
Things she would bring back to the Baltics from the US.
Paulina's recommendations for someone, who is interested in pursuing science.

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Next Episode

#19 Behind the Scenes of Investigative Journalism with Inga Springe

Inga Springe is a Latvian Investigative journalist, who is also the co-founder and investigative reporter of Re:Baltica, a nonprofit Baltic Center for Investigative Journalism. It is based in Riga, but its work is cross-border on issues like RUS information operations, money laundering, etc.
In 2014, Inga Spriņge was named one of the “outstanding challengers from Central and Eastern Europe” in the project NewEurope100, supported by Google and the Financial Times. She has been the head of the Latvian Journalists Association and is co-teaching Media literacy classes.

Currently, she is based for nine months in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her husband.

At the podcast, we talk about:

The story of founding Re:Baltica and burning out due to poor business management.
How media management training gave her a new direction and aim.
What are the most applicable things she learned in the US for managing her business better?
How does writing about Russian influence look like for an investigative journalist?
Practical tips for fact-checking the news on social media?
Personal reflections and future goals?

Sign up to receive occasional emails with new episodes, updates, and behind-the-scenes content from the Beyond BAFF podcast: https://mailchi.mp/balticamericanfreedomfoundation/podcast-list