Morgan State University, a Baltimore, Maryland Carnegie R2 doctoral research institution,

offers more than 100 academic programs and awards degrees at the Baccliorate, Masters, and Doctoral Levels,

is furthering their mission of growing the future leading the world.

Morgan continues to address the needs and challenges of the modern urban environment.

With a four-year quadrupling of research, more than a dozen new doctoral programs,

and eight new National Centers of Excellence, Morgan is positioned to achieve Carnegie R1 designation in the next five years.

To learn more about Morgan and their ascension to R1, visit morgan.edu slash research.

Welcome to the science podcast for July 3, 2020.

I'm Megan Cantwell.

First up this week, I speak with news intern Rodrigo Perez-Otega about an

oasis of biodiversity in the Mexican desert. Next, we have researcher David Patnell. He talks with

host Sarah Crespi about a thermo-acoustic speaker, a device that uses heat to create sound.

I'm here with news intern Rodrigo Perez-Ortega, who is taking us to one of the most

biodiverse places in the world, Quattro Cienegas, a basin nestled in between the mountains

of northern Mexico.

Thank you so much for joining me, Rodrigo.

Thanks for reminding me, Megan.

Despite not being able to travel to Quattro Cienagas, you were still able to get a really good sense of place based on all of the maps, photos, videos, and interviews with researchers. What exactly is this basin like? So imagine you arrived there in the middle of the desert and there's this butterfly-shaped basin.

They call it a butterfly. It's basically this valley that is cut in the middle with a mountain called San Marcosipinos.

And that's what keeps the butterfly shape.

But also what's really interesting is you have all these pools, more than 300 pools of clear blue turquoise water and also rivers and lagoons.

That's why it's called an oasis in the middle of the desert.

...