(upbeat music) - Coming up next on NewsDepth: Kent State fashion students get inspiration from birds.

Cleveland is home to one of the world's most famous fossils.

We learn about our state's unique culinary heritage.

Plus Ohio University students call attention to an accessibility issue.

NewsDepth is now.

(upbeat music) Birds, biomimicry and bold design.

Kent State fashion students brought nature into couture for Earth Day.

- Hello everyone, I'm Gabriel Kramer.

Thank you all for joining us.

Students at my alma mater, Kent State University, are showcasing their love of animals with a special Earth Day fashion exhibit.

These fashion students partnered with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History to bring elements of birds into their designs.

The exhibit is called "Fashion and Feather."

The students apply the idea of biomimicry into every step of design from sketch to fabric.

Biomimicry is the study of organisms like animals, plants, and even bacteria, and applying it to solve human sustainability problems.

NewsDepth intern Olivia Stein, sat down with the minds behind the exhibit to learn more for this week's sketchbook.

(air whooshing) - So this exhibit is really inspired by nature.

We once lived in a time where feathers were used as fashion, particularly with women and women's hats.

And then there was a migratory bird act that was passed in 1918 and it was really to protect birds from people.

One of the things that we've been able to do through this exhibit is to showcase those beautiful birds.

- [Daniel] I mean, we had amazing designs.

We had 105 students that all participated in this project.

In the selection, pretty much we went through and we said, you gotta make sure that it is runway ready.

It's gotta be industry standard and it also has to be complete.

That was pretty much like the three qualifications to get through the first paneling process.

- Well, this exhibit, our professor gave us the project, which was called biomimicry.

So we literally had to mimic biology.

We were given birds, over a hundred birds.

- So after we picked our bird, we were kind of tasked with like finding an inspiration through it instead of just like designing a bird because we weren't allowed to use like feathers or anything.

It had to be, you know, feather like, or like a representation of the bird.

Aside from it being like the bird itself.

- I picked the Spangled Cotinga.

It is from South America.

I normally work with like blacks, but I wanted to try something different.

So I picked a bird that was colorful, but I didn't want a bird I've already known.

Through some research, I found the Spangled Cotinga and it's this beautiful turquoise bird with this pink like neck.

- Oh, so I picked the ostrich.

So I'm really into like the dream dictionary and like looking up what like things I see in my dreams are about.

And so I looked it up in the Dream Journal to find out what it kind of represented and the ostrich represents hiding away a piece of yourself.

So I wanted to kind of take that literally with my dress.

My dress was the digestive system of the ostrich.

So it had like a big three tier skirt because the ostrich has three stomachs.

It was a corset because it's rib cage kind of like wraps around to like cradle their eggs and it was laced up with 30 to 40 feet of ribbon.

Their digestive tract is about 42 to 75 feet long.

- Yeah, my research for the project, it started off with obviously finding my bird.

Then I dove into like everything about the bird pretty much.

And then I started my color palette, which was only two colors 'cause it only has two colors.

I decided to go like the literal route of it, of how it looked itself.

- I feel like for people who don't really tend to take a big part in conservation, a good way to get them to start is through art and through beauty.

(air whooshing) - Special thanks to NewsDepth intern Olivia Stein for producing that sketchbook.

Are you feeling creative after watching that last segment?

I hope so, because we want you to put your creativity to work.

Your assignment for the week is to design an outfit based on your favorite animal.

You can use our inbox form online to send us your sketches and descriptions.

Last week we celebrated Earth Day at the Cleveland Zoo, and we wanted to know what steps can you take to help our environment.

Let's see what you had to say by opening our inbox.

(air whooshing) A sixth grader from Strongsville School in Strongsville said, "I think a major priority is about soil and compost.

My school has an outdoor area right outside the lunchroom with a garden, and you hopefully guessed it.

We have a compost bin where we put food scraps and then we turn the bin over and over, effectively turning it into some nice compost for gardening."

A fourth grader from New Richmond school in Cincinnati said, "I think a good environment protection would be a fence.

For example, in Africa, there would be a sign that says Animal Preserve with a fence on it to protect the animals such as gorillas and monkeys.

This is how my idea could help the animal environment."

A fourth grader from Akron school said, "At school I can help by making sure I put things in the right recycling bins, I can recycle my paper and not throw it away.

I can tell my classmates and family how to keep our earth healthy too."

A fifth grader from Lakota schools in Liberty Township said, "I think one step we could take is to help grow more trees.

What we could do is plant a tree by our school, by our homes, even at local parks if we can."

A sixth grader from Temperance School in Temperance Michigan said, "We could use more reusable shopping bags, water bottles, coffee cups, and straws to decrease plastic pollution."

Thank you all for writing.

I love reading how much you're all invested in our planet.

For our poll last week we asked you, what's your favorite animal to visit at the zoo?

30% of you said your favorite animal was not on our list.

Our producer Natalia said she always visits the llamas at a zoo.

18% of you voted for monkeys.

That's our intern Olivia's first stop at the zoo too.

Another 17% said you jump in with the sea turtles if you could.

About 16% of you said you look up to the giraffes, 14% voted for tigers and about 3% of you voted for elephants.

Those big fellows are my favorite, and another 2% said you always stop by the rhinos.

Thank you all for voting.

Since we have animals on our mind, let's check in with Lalo, the NewsDepth lizard to see what he's found for this week's petting zoo.

(lively music) (dog barking) Hey there, Lalo.

Enjoying a nice sunny day?

You and me both.

We are loving this warm weather.

It makes sense because reptiles are cold-blooded.

Being cold-blooded simply means the animal does not produce body heat and relies on external sources to warm up.

Oh, that's probably why you always have your heat lamp on in your tank, huh?

Well, what did you find for us this week?

What, you have a story about a Cleveland nonprofit called The Sanctuary for Stinky Noodlz that helps domesticate its skunks find their forever homes.

To learn more about these previously stinky critters, you can check out the full video on our YouTube channel and NewsDepth.org.

(air whooshing) Thank you for the special report, Lalo.

Now let's take it back in time to keep learning about animals.

But these animals are from millions of years ago.

Cleveland is home to one of the world's most famous fossils, Dunkleosteus, a massive fearsome fish that lived 360 million years ago, named after former Cleveland Museum of Natural History Director David Dunkle.

The Apex Predator has fascinated scientists since its fossils were discovered along Lake Erie more than 150 years ago.

Ongoing research is revealing new details about its powerful jaws and lifestyle.

Jeff stops by the museum for this week's spot on science.

- Fossils are the remains of ancient creatures and plants preserved in stone.

Most of what we know about extinct creatures like dinosaurs and ancient fishes, comes from studying fossilized bones.

Cleveland is home to one of the most famous fossils in the world.

A fearsome fish named Dunkleosteus.

(energetic music) Dunkleosteus has been fascinating scientists since the fossils were first found more than 150 years ago in a cliff on the Lake Erie shore.

I recently spoke with a paleontologist at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University about how the research for this 360 million year old creature is still evolving.

- Dunkleosteus is Ohio State fossil fish, and that's because we find them all over, especially in northeastern Ohio.

And that's because during the Devonian period, this was an ocean.

All over the northeastern Ohio area, we have the rocks that were essentially the ocean floor back during the Devonian period, and we can find them along a lot of our rivers.

So like Rocky River, places like that.

Any kind of dark shale rock wall that we see in this area likely has fossils from this time period.

And it takes a lot of looking to find them.

You have to move a lot of rock to actually find the fossils, but it contains an amazing ecosystem that was present during that time, including Dunkleosteus.

So we're limited by what we find in the fossil record, and sometimes that's a beautiful complete skeleton and we can work to put that together and figure out what that animal looked like.

When it comes to Dunkleosteus, it's a lot more complicated because we only really find their skulls preserved.

Dunkleosteus is a placoderm and that's a group of fish that had bony armor around their heads and they were also the first group of fish that had jaws.

- Russell Engelman is a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University and an expert on primitive fishes like Dunkleosteus.

He's the first to do a complete study of the fish.

Since the 1930s, Engelman has focused on its unique set of chompers.

- So this is a jaw of a very large Dunkleosteus.

In fact, this is the largest known specimen of Dunkleosteus.

What's unique about these jaws is, unlike let's say a shark or a human, the teeth of Dunkleosteus are fused to the bone and they only have a single set of them throughout their lifetime.

They're never replaced.

So what happens is, at first the teeth wear against each other like they do in any other living animal, but because they're never replaced and they're kind of small, the the teeth are worn to nothing and then the bone begins to wear against the bone.

As they wear against each other, the jaws are positioned at an angle where they sharpen against each other and form the sharpen edges of bone.

You get at the back, you get these cutting blades, at the front, you get these large spikes called odontoids.

A major thing about Dunkleosteus is, even though this specimen in particular has replicas in museums all over the world, there was no measurements of it published.

There was no pictures of it published.

So having access to these 3D models were useful.

I was able to better talk with my colleagues and show them unusual feature of the anatomy, such as this groove here, which it turns out is much larger than people thought in Dunkleosteus.

And based on that, we think it may have served as a track for a jaw muscle extending across the face.

Similar to what you see in modern sharks.

- Fossils are like a time machine that allows us to see how bizarre and amazing animals lived long ago.

But fossils don't give up their secrets easily.

Sometimes generations of scientists worked together to tease out details from the fossil record, and new discoveries are being made every day, giving us a better idea of fascinating and long extinct life on Earth.

(air whooshing) - Cool stuff.

Thank you, Jeff.

If learning about ancient creatures like Dunkleosteus sparked your curiosity, you might be interested in the scientists who uncover these fossils.

Paleontologists.

Paleontologists are scientists who study fossils to learn about ancient plants and animals and how life on Earth has changed over millions of years.

If your favorite subjects in school are science or math, paleontology might be for you.

Paleontologists are also curious, patient and have great observation skills.

Paleontologists typically earn a bachelor's degree in geology or biology, followed by a master's degree or even a PhD.

Most professional paleontologists work in museums, universities, or research institutions.

The salary range for a paleontologist in 2026 is 70,000 to $100,000 a year.

The Cincinnati Museum Center is home to a host of fossils and artifacts that help us take a glimpse of the past that might inform our present and future.

NewsDepth reporter Hernz Laguerre Jr.

sits down with paleontologist Dr.

Brenda Hunda to discuss her pathway to this field in this week's career call out.

(playful music) - The Cincinnati Museum Center is a one-of-a-kind institution with multiple exhibits, including one dedicated to paleontology, which is the study of prehistoric life.

I met with one of the museum curators, Dr.

Brenda Hunda for a tour.

Tell me a little bit about what makes this center unique in the world of paleontology.

- Yeah, so Cincinnati is in a hotbed of paleontology.

So the rocks that we have around here are actually world famous.

If you wanna study geology and paleontology at about 450 million years ago, we're the best in North America, so there's actually more paleontologists per capita in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky than anywhere else in North America.

- [Hernz] Dr.

Brenda took me on a tour to learn more about Cincinnati and the animals that used to exist in this area.

- This is really, really cool.

These animals are called crinoids.

They're related to kind of derms like starfish and sea urchins, and we do have them in the modern today in the oceans, although they're a little bit different looking.

And we have almost 500 of them that are displayed here because they were buried by a submarine mudslide at the bottom of this ocean 450 million years ago.

This is an example of how powerful the Cincinnatian fossil record is because it really is one day, one moment in the life of what life was like on the sea floor nearly half a billion years ago.

- Trilobites, I know know this is like your area of expertise.

What makes trilobites so interesting?

- So they're fascinating because we can find them everywhere on the globe, on every continent.

They've been around for a really long, long time.

They have so many different kinds of shapes and morphology.

Some of them swam exclusively in the water column.

Some of them burrowed into the substrate and they tell us an awful lot about the types of environments and how things changed over time.

- [Hernz] There are so many fascinating things to uncover about the world, and Dr.

Brenda says, being a paleontologist is a cool way to dig them up.

- [Brenda] I think it's a a phenomenal field of study because it tells us so much about what animals and plants were like in the past and we can learn from what we expect might be happening for us in the future.

(air whooshing) - Special thanks to Hernz Laguerre Jr.

for producing that career call out segment.

Now that we've explored careers, it's time to explore Ohio, one bite at a time.

In this edition of Know Ohio, Anna explores how the state's food traditions reflect its deep immigrant roots and history.

For example, Cincinnati chili traces back to Macedonian immigrants in the 1920s.

Akron's sauerkraut balls highlight the German influence in our state.

And of course, Cleveland's famous ballpark mustard was created by Polish immigrant Joseph Bertman.

Together these dishes tell the story of Ohio's diverse cultural heritage.

- Is it lunchtime yet?

My belly is rumbling and my mouth is watering.

As it happens, Ohio has some odd dishes that can tell us a lot about our state's history.

(lively music) Cincinnati chili, you either love it or you hate it, but no matter what, it is an Ohio icon.

The dish is a meat and tomato sauce with a mix of spices, including cinnamon, cumin, and chili pepper.

Traditionally, it is served on spaghetti with cheese, onions, or beans.

Cincinnati chili originated where?

Yep, you guessed it.

In Cincinnati.

In the 1920s, two brothers moved here from Macedonia in Southeast Europe.

Tom and John Kiradjieff opened their Empress Chili parlor next to a theater when they arrived.

Their food sensation started as a Mediterranean stew, but they soon adapted it to the taste of American customers, adding the pasta underneath and the cheese on top.

More immigrants to Ohio tweaked other recipes too, like sauerkraut balls.

These round appetizers are found almost exclusively in Akron where they were invented.

They're a mix of ground meat and sour cabbage that is breaded and deep fried.

No one has laid claim to being the first to make these treats, but they were most likely invented by German immigrants who in the 1920s and 1930s made up most of the population there.

A Polish immigrant is behind a big Cleveland condiment craze.

Baseball fans know that no Guardians game is complete without a hot dog covered in Bertman ballpark mustard.

Joseph Bertman moved to Cleveland in 1902.

When he was just 19, he began a pickle company that soon grew to sell other products like barbecue sauce, sliced pineapple, and in 1921, the iconic mustard.

it is made with vinegar, brown mustard and spices.

Bertman devised the exact recipe in his Cleveland garage and would deliver to stadiums around the city.

Ohio's culinary landscape is as diverse as its history with unique dishes that reflect our state's rich heritage and immigrant influences.

So which one of these Ohio culinary delicacies would you wanna try?

(lively music) Mm!

(air whooshing) - I've definitely eaten all of these foods, but my favorite Ohio food is definitely that ballpark mustard.

Ohio's cuisine has a lot of international influence.

The International Street Fair in Athens returned last month drawing crowds eager to sample food from cultures around the world.

Student organizations showcase traditional dishes including Nepalese, Momo dumplings, Indian pav bhaji, Ecuadorian Hominy dishes and Indonesian lamb skewers.

Student reporter Charlie Ihlenfeld takes us there.

- We are outside the International Street Fair, which has long been an Athens staple, but it's been rained out the last two years.

There's a lot of great things about this event, but there might not be anything better than the food.

So we are at the Nepali's Student Association.

What are we get?

What am I trying here?

- Now say, we are Nepalese Student Association and today we are presenting dumplings.

It is one of the most common Nepalese foods and we have two kinds here.

One is veg and one is non veg.

- Alright, go in for our first.

It is really good.

Really good.

Not too spicy either.

They were kind to me today.

What are you making here?

What group are you with first?

- So we are from South Asian Fusion Club.

- Okay.

- And we make, we are making something called like mashed vegetables, but in the real term we call it pav bhaji.

So pav means the sweet buns and bhaji means like mashed vegetables with our Indian spices.

- Next one, now two for two.

- We're Ecuadorian Student Association.

We're making hominy with pork and hominy with eggs.

That's a type of corn with pork belly and a type of corn with eggs.

- Here we go.

Going for a taste here.

Mm, that was really good.

I mean, I'm a broken record here.

Everything here is really good.

I'm gonna try not to talk with my mouth full now.

- We are making some Indonesian lamb skewers.

So you cut up the meat and then you marinate it in seasoning and then put it in a skewer.

- Try a little bit here.

I mean, it's excellent, that this is just, it's absolutely delicious.

I mean, I'm biased.

I do love a good lamb skewer.

- Special thanks to Charlie and their editor Atish Baidya from WOUB in Athens for sharing that story with us.

Teachers, if you liked the stories from across the state we've been sharing the season, let us know by filling out the survey at the bottom of this episode page.

These stories have been making me hungry.

Our poll this week might make you hungry too, but we'd like to know what's your favorite street food?

Which of these foods makes your mouth water?

Hot dogs, tacos, Cincinnati chili, Nepalese dumplings, AKA Momos, Indonesian lamb skewers, or a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich.

That list makes me wanna stop by Asia Town for lunch after this episode.

Student reporter Charlie Ihlenfeld has a second Athens story for us.

This one is about wheelchair accessibility in the historic college town.

Athens residents and Ohio University students are calling attention to accessibility issues on the city's brick streets during the eighth annual Walk, Talk, and Roll event.

While participants of the event recognized recent city improvements like accessible ramps and stamped brick designs near City Hall, advocates say more work is needed to ensure the streets are safe and welcoming for everyone.

- [Charlie] Ty Covington is an Ohio University student from Cincinnati who came across the eighth annual Walk, Talk, and Roll.

Covington took on the challenge one close to home.

- My uncle has cerebral palsy and I've been pushing him around in wheelchair since I was as old enough as I could.

As soon as I could push him, I was doing people in wheelchairs.

It gets overlooked a lot.

It's this very simple... There's this very simple solution to this problem, and it just, nobody wants to fix it for some reason.

- [Charlie] Covington's experience couldn't help him, unlike the champ, Brian Woodward.

Woodward took home the $50 prize for crossing the street.

- Oh yeah.

These streets should not be this hard to cross.

They should be really easy for anyone with a prosthetic, with a wheelchair, with a walker.

Even ladies with high heels.

I don't know how they don't break a heel in the bricks.

- [Charlie] Athens faces an uphill battle with its famous brick streets.

While the city has made strides over the last year with accessible sidewalk ramps, accessibility remains a work in progress.

- I think compromises like switching to stamped brick patterns that really difficult for people to even notice have been successful in other communities.

And even here in Athens where people haven't noticed yet.

- [Charlie] Just outside City Hall, the city has already implemented stamp bricks improving accessibility, but the work isn't over.

- [Announcer] Six, five, four, three, two, one!

(group cheering) - Thanks for the report, Charlie.

You can probably tell that here at NewsDepth Headquarters, we believe that sharing news and information is important.

It helps people make decisions, feel connected to their communities, and learn new things.

We recently caught up with nine fifth graders at Bath Elementary who have the same belief, and they are this week's A+ award winners.

(air whooshing) "The Voice of Bath" is the team at Bath Elementary that is in charge of the announcements at the school.

When we met with them, they showed us some of the equipment and technology they use, and some of it is the same as ours.

"The Voice of Bath" edits each episode using Canva and they make them available on demand to teachers on YouTube.

They even have QR codes so that people can easily find the announcements.

The team told us that they create different stories for each episode, including "On this day in history," "random fact of the day" and "Bath team hero character traits of the month."

They also announced today's weather and lunch menu.

Ms.

Hetman, who supervises this group of aspiring newscasters told us that each year over 60 students apply, but only a few are chosen.

Students are chosen who exemplify good character, and students who show respect, responsibility, and problem solving skills.

Here's a big congratulations to "The Voice of Bath" for winning this week's A+ award.

Maybe pretty soon one of you will be hosting NewsDepth.

Keep up the great work.

Well, that's a wrap for today's show, but we'll be back next week with our final episode of the season.

I know, I know, we're gonna miss you too, but I promise the next episode will be a real home run.

Teachers, we'd love to hear your thoughts on the show.

To share your feedback with us, you can fill out the end of season survey linked at the bottom of this episode page.

And students, you know, we always want to hear from you too, and there are plenty of ways for you to stay in touch with us.

You can write to us, we're at 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio.

Our zip code here is 44115.

You can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org.

Plus you can catch all of our special segments on YouTube.

Hit subscribe if you're old enough so you don't miss out on any of our new videos.

And special thanks to my mom for stopping by the studio today.

I'm Gabriel Kramer.

We'll see you next week at the ballpark.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] NewsDepth is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

(bright music)