Bird migration and insights into being a veterinarian were the topics that Ira Flatow addressed Oct. 9 in his two-hour show, National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation: Science Friday," broadcast live from Bailey Hall before nearly 1,000 people.

Two panels of four experts each fielded questions from the audience, callers, Tweeters and even one listener in the virtual world Second Life. Flatow moderated the discussions, and at times asked questions that were likely on the minds of the audience.

During the first panel on bird migration, David Bonter, extension associate at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, said scientists are not exactly sure why songbirds, for example, migrate when they do.

"Most of these birds that are flying long distances eat insects, so they leave the northern areas in the wintertime because there aren't as many insects around," he said. They likely migrate at night to avoid predators and the daytime heat, he added.

Bonter described the bird banding procedure used on the shore of Lake Ontario, where scientists -- including citizen scientists -- catch migrating birds, tag them with a unique number and take measurements.

"If that bird is recovered elsewhere, we know exactly where that bird was banded and can connect those dots," Bonter said, adding that the banding also allows researchers to look at the birds' biology and ecology during migration.

Panelist Andrew Farnsworth, a postdoctoral fellow at the Lab of Ornithology, added that observations of changes in bird migration can also shed light on the effects of climate change and light pollution.

The second panel featured a small-animal veterinarian, two large-animal vets and a former chief veterinary officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Lisa Fortier, associate professor of large animal surgery at Cornell, said she performs transplants of stem cells and platelet-rich plasma to treat injuries in racehorses. "We have studies on cartilage and tendons, looking at the efficacy of the platelet-rich plasma for regeneration," she said. "What we're seeing is that we can get the horse back to performance faster, and they're much less prone to reinjury."

But vets also play a vital role in maintaining the health of livestock, said Alfonso Torres, associate dean for public policy in Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine. "The chief veterinary officer of any country deals with how to prevent introduction of a number of catastrophic livestock diseases that would damage our economy if they were to come into our country," he said, adding that the 174 countries in the World Organization for Animal Health communicate regularly on the emergence of infectious diseases.

The panel also addressed the need for more veterinarians and offered advice on applying to veterinary school.

"It was a privilege and a lot of fun to participate on the panel discussion and represent Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine on a national broadcast," said Fortier after the broadcast. "It was also clear to me how all the panelists had great passion and love for veterinary medicine."

The broadcast was sponsored by Cornell and WEOS-FM Radio.

Graduate student Sarah Perdue is a science writer intern at the Cornell Chronicle.