Portfolio – Alan Reid Design

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THE LIVING SHORELINE

Written by Valerie J Frey, The Living Shoreline is a children’s story that journeys into the salt marsh ecosystem by exploring the fascinating life cycle of oysters. Oysters are humble animals, but the reality is that they are vital to the health of our coast. This keystone species helps filter coastal waters and protects shorelines from undue erosion. Oysters are a source for both food and physical shelter for a wide array of other animals as well as some plants.

Rebuilding the shore

This book began with a federal grant to create a living shoreline, a manmade slope carefully engineered to provide optimal living conditions for oysters and that will function as a seamless part of the natural environment. Such living shorelines allow oysters to thrive while also helping to protect the land from problems resulting from climate change.

From the shore to the classroom

Why add a children’s book to an ecological building project? Learning about oysters and their role in the environment will help our young people to grow into adults who are good stewards of our planet. Life cycles and the interconnections among species are crucial to that outcome, and oysters are a fascinating and compelling way to explore those concepts.

This book is sponsored and supported by:

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Georgia Southern University
Little Cumberland Island Science, Research, and Conservation Committee
The Nature Conservancy
The University of Georgia’s Odum School of Ecology

A percentage of the proceeds from this book support The Caretta Foundation, Inc. This nonprofit organization supports research and conservation on the Georgia coast.

Influenza is a clever foe — vaccines are the most effective way to prevent the flu’s spread, but they’re often unreliable. So how do we fight this ever-evolving, omnipresent threat? Richard Plemper has developed a new way an antiviral drug can conquer the flu — by tricking it.

STEP 1

The influenza virus sickens its host by breaching epithelial cell walls in the lungs and injecting its genetic information into the cells, starting a replication cycle.

STEP 2

The drug targets the virus’ RNA polymerase, the enzyme responsible for replicating the flu’s RNA.

STEP 3

The drug tricks the virus’ RNA polymerase into making inexact, error-prone copies of its genome. The result is genetic error catastrophe — excessive, errant mutations that lead to the virus’ death.

STEP 4

The mutated RNA copy is incapable of infecting other cells. Only a few mutations need to occur for the genome to become nonviable.

written by Benjamin Hodges

The legend of one of the most celebrated and fearsome pirates is more alive than ever, thanks in part to the ongoing recovery of his prized ship off the coast of North Carolina. For nearly two decades, Linda Carnes-McNaughton has been analyzing the treasures found aboard the shipwreck of the Queen Anne’s Revenge — 400,000 of them and counting. | Full story

THE MEASURE OF A MIND

Psychiatrists and psychologists are interested in how people feel, think, behave. In a world in which data are used to evaluate nearly everything, mental health has seemed a category apart. How could you possibly use data science to evaluate the complex machinery that makes up a person’s mind?

PREPARING FOR THE NEXT PANDEMIC

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us many lessons. It is imperative to not only have ways to prevent severe diseases, but also treat them. The availability of antiviral drugs can often determine whether someone lives or dies. Antiviral medications can ease symptoms, shorten the length of disease and interrupt viral transmission chains in the community.