Visualizing the Microbial Ecology of Sourdough Starters

In 2016, the Public Science Lab launched the Sourdough Project, an effort to characterize the microbial diversity associated with sourdough starters across the globe. We partnered with researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and Tufts University to collect and analyze 500 sourdough starters from 17 countries. In addition to discovering novel patterns in microbial membership and function across sourdough starters, we also discovered that bakers — the people who grow and tend sourdough starters — are uniquely attentive to their microbial gardens, and their collective observations, anecdotes and questions greatly enriched our research. But how do we report our findings effectively to our stakeholders?
During this virtual presentation, Erin McKenney, assistant professor of applied ecology at NC State, will share the different goals and strategies associated with designing effective data visualizations for publication versus public education.
This event is part of the NC State University Libraries’ Coffee & Viz series. Attendees will be entered into a drawing to receive their choice of a coffee bag or tea tin and a mug from locally-owned sweet shop Anisette.