Biosphere 2 Podcast

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Ty Roach. Ty is a molecular biologist, freelance scientist, and a decorated competitive surfer and wrestler. Ty is a former Postdoctoral Researcher at Biosphere 2, where he split time between the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology and living on site at Biosphere 2. He has done extensive research in the Biosphere 2 Ocean system, logging over 100 hours underwater. Today, Ty is making his way through academia as a freelance scientist with research focused on microbial and viral ecology, coral reef science, and theoretical biophysics. He is currently an Adjunct Research Professor at the Viral Information Institute at San Diego State University. Additionally, he is co-authoring a book with Drs Forest Rohwer and Breeann Kirby on the positive roles of viruses and bacteria in human and ecological health that will be coming out next year. As a competitive surfer, Ty has won two National championships and four consecutive East Coast Longboard championships, along with numerous professional level surfing titles. As a Division 1 wrestler, Ty was named a two-time Academic All-Conference athlete, an Academic All-American, and was presented the North Carolina State Top Scholar Athlete Award four times.

In this episode, Ty shares his experience at Biosphere 2 and reflects upon his journey as a molecular biologist exploring the frontiers of viruses and bacteriophages in coral reef environments all over the world. We cover many topics, including: the Biosphere 2 Ocean, coral reef resilience, viruses, Ty’s unconventional career path, professional surfing, designing surfboards, biophysics, phage therapy, and coral reef restoration, among other topics. Without further ado, here is Dr. Ty Roach.

Thank you for listening to the Biosphere 2 Podcast. I hope you enjoyed this conversation with Dr. Ty Roach. You can follow his surfing and science on social media @smokinroachjr This episode was co-produced by Keelin Joy Connely. As always thank you for listening to the Biosphere 2 podcast.

We are joined by Dr. Joost Van Haren, the research director of the rainforest biome at Biosphere 2. Joost has been conducting research at Biosphere 2 since 1995, executing experiments in the rainforest related to rainforest ecosystem responses to climate change, including carbon cycling, water cycling, temperature limits, and the effects of drought. He is also an assistant research professor at the University of Arizona, where he teaches science courses and facilitates internships through the W.A. Franke Honors College.

In this episode, we talk about the amazing research that’s been done in the Biosphere 2 rainforest- past and present. We discuss Joosts fieldwork in Brazil and what makes Biosphere 2 complimentary to field observatories. We discuss the wonder of tropical trees and their unique responses to stress. This episode can get a bit technical, but stick with us. Whenever we got into technical points, I was sure to double back to explain terms and concepts further with Joost. Here is Joost Van Haren.