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"Discovery Files" Features from the National Science Foundation
"Green Mile"
Fully produced report in MP3 format:
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96 kbps
(90 seconds)
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READER SCRIPT
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A NEW "GREEN MILE"... THE "DISCOVERY FILES": NEW ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. A GROUP OF INMATES AT CEDAR CREEK CORRECTIONS CENTER--A MEDIUM-SECURITY PRISON IN LITTLEROCK, WASHINGTON--HAVE GONE GREEN; THEY'VE BEEN CHOSEN FOR THE "MOSS IN PRISONS" PROJECT--IN WHICH THEY HAVE BECOME DE-FACTO BOTANISTS, TO CULTIVATE AND STUDY NATIVE MOSSES. IT ALL GREW OUT OF AN IDEA FROM RESEARCHER NALINI NADKARNI OF NEARBY EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE; SHE DEVISED A UNIQUE SOLUTION TO THE GROWING PROBLEM OF "MOSS LOSS" IN THE PACIFIC-NORTHWEST ECOSYSTEM. A LOT OF THE NATIVE MOSSES ARE BEING HARVESTED, ILLEGALLY, BY HORTICULTURALISTS; AND, AS YOU KNOW, MOSS TAKES ITS TIME GROWING BACK. NADKARNI NEEDED PEOPLE WITH TIME AND PATIENCE TO NURTURE, STUDY, AND HELP RESTORE THE ALMOST-PAINFULLY-SLOW-GROWING PLANT. AND, WHO HAS MORE TIME ON THEIR HANDS THAN, SAY, PRISONERS? ESSENTIALLY, THE HORTICULTURALISTS HAVE BECOME CRIMINALS--AND THE CRIMINALS HAVE BECOME HORTICULTURALISTS. THE INMATES ARE CULTIVATING, PERFORMING EXPERIMENTS, AND OFFERING NEW PERSPECTIVES ON THE MOSS PROBLEM; NADKARNI HAS ALSO HELPED THEM CREATE AN ORGANIC GARDEN THAT PUMPS OUT 15-THOUSAND POUNDS OF FRESH VEGETABLES, EVERY SUMMER--AS WELL AS A BEE-KEEPING OPERATION, AND A COMPOSTING SET-UP THAT PROCESSES A TON OF ORGANIC MATTER, EVERY MONTH. GATHERING MOSS, THESE "ROLLING STONES" ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE GRADUAL RECOVERY OF THE LOCAL ECOSYSTEM--AND THEIR OWN REHABILITATION. THE "DISCOVERY FILES" COVERS PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOU! LEARN MORE AT "N-S-F"-DOT-GOV--OR ON THEIR PODCAST.
For additional "Discovery Files" features from the National Science Foundation, click here.
