Edited by Simon Bakke Working with animals is one of the most gratifying and frustrating things during experiments. As an elephant researcher, I get to interact up close with the trunk of the African elephant both domestically at Zoo Atlanta and in the field in South Africa. Working with elephants is something I’ve wanted to […]
A Science Blog
A Science Blog
Do you have something to say about science communication and looking for a good forum? Please see our pitching guide and then email blog@sciencecomm.org with your pitch and we’ll discuss the details.
PSST – We Don’t Know Anything About What’s in 98% of Our DNA!
Edited by Simon Bakke Flies, humans, and tomatoes have approximately the same number of genes in their genomes — but humans are clearly a complex species when compared to flies or tomatoes. One aspect of the human genome that I study, called Long non-coding ribonucleic acid molecules (referred to as LncRNA), can potentially explain the complexity of […]
How to Show Up, Speak Up and Get Your Ideas Heard – Part 2
When it comes to getting your ideas heard, the words you choose and your timing can make all the difference. So can using influence to bring people into your ideas. In part two of this blog (read part one), you’ll get practical tips on how to frame your ideas and build support for getting them […]
How to Show Up, Speak Up and Get Your Ideas Heard – Part 1
You may be surprised to find that what you say matters less than how you say it. More than 250 attendees at the annual scholarship luncheon for the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory Women’s Association learned what it takes to create a strong, engaging presence and how to use voice, words and timing to gain support for […]
A Digital Walk in the Woods
Damian Davalos shares wildlife and wild places through livestreaming his hikes.Originally published in American Scientist The environment is threatened like never before in human history, and some environmentalists worry that outdoor activities that lead to increased support for wildlife conservation are less popular among the current generation of children than staying inside and playing around on the internet. The concerns about this […]
Why We’re Writing a SCICOMM Book for Teens
Two-part blog by high school students involved in Science & Us, a student-led organization helping teens discover science communication, policy, media, and related fields.By Katherine Huang, Founder and Executive Director When I was eleven, I was obsessed with Percy Jackson, a book series about the adventures of a teenage demigod. While watching the movie, I thought Apollo was pretty good-looking, and ended up on a video montage of Greek male models. What captured my attention, though, was the Greek […]
Don’t Fix What Ain’t Broke
Unconference Model continues for SCIENCE TALK '20Greetings All! Science Talk wants to remain responsive to the needs and interests of our conference attendees. So, once again, we will use a modified unconference model for SCIENCE TALK ’20. Our conference-unconference hybrid is similar to a traditional conference in that the Programming Committee will continue to organize the overall conference schedule, coordinate details, and invite Keynote speakers […]
Crunching the Numbers to See What Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory Would Cost IRL
One of under-appreciated joys of being a denizen of a STEM field: you get to apply your knowledge to investigate real-world answers to questions as fantastical as you can dream up. Ever wanted to know what Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory would cost if you had to power it, pay your Oompa Loompas, and install a […]
Science Talk 2019 Illustrated
Big takeaways from the annual science communication conference for scientists, journalists, multimedia creators and more — in pictures.Written by Bruce Kirchoff, Department of Biology, UNCG. Illustrations by Jon Wagner, East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, Portland, OR. Edited by Simon Bakke. Science Talk (#SciTalk19) is an annual two-day conference that brings together scientists and science communication professionals to improve scientific communication. I was there to talk about the work the University […]
Science, Culture, and Identity: An Interview with Dr. Mónica Feliú-Mójer
Edited by Simon Bakke I recently had the opportunity to interview Dr. Feliú-Mójer, Neurobiologist and Science Communicator. We talked about why owning your identity is key to making science inclusive, accessible, and fresh. To Dr. Feliú-Mójer, connecting science with community and culture opens all kinds of doors. I wanted to start off hearing a little […]
A Sleep Scientist’s Journey: From Labs to TV to Talking Science on NPR
Edited by Simon Bakke Science communication is not a field many scientists hold in high regard, since it is not within the common confines of the academic or career industry. Scientists are not encouraged to interact with people outside of their field unless it benefits them. When it comes to science communication, I want to […]
The Science Behind Science Communication: Q&A With Dr. Laura Lindenfeld
Edited by Simon Bakke Dr. Laura Lindenfeld has not followed a conventional career path. Attending school both in the United States and abroad, Lindenfeld discovered a passion for food and culture. These passions led her to focus on food as it relates to the environment, which in turn led her to focus on the people […]
Making Sense of Science and the Ethics of Storytelling: Q&A With Story Collider’s Liz Neeley
Edited by Simon Bakke We live through others and others live through us by way of storytelling. At some point on the evolutionary timescale, humans or human ancestors began telling stories huddled around the warmth of a campfire. Stories of success in warfare, failure in love, origin myths, and local gossip are ubiquitous genres. Cultural […]
Effective and Impactful Science Communication through Twitter
Edited by Simon Bakke Twitter is an incredibly powerful tool for networking with other researchers and connecting your work with new audiences. But while it seems lower-stakes than more formal modes of communication such as articles and public talks, it requires thoughtful use to get the most out of it. Why should you bother putting in […]
Connecting Scientists & Students as Old-Fashioned Pen Pals
Edited by Simon Bakke Imagine getting to have personal conversations with a real scientist when you were in middle school. You could ask them as many questions as you could write and learn about what being a scientist is actually like. How would that change your idea of what opportunities were open to you? How […]
“Isn’t this amazing?!”
Written by Bernardo Traversari Edited by Simon Bakke I recently saw a TedX Talk by Will Stephen, a writer for Saturday Night Live. The theme of his talk was… nothing. Absolutely nothing. His talk wasn’t about any topic in particular, it had no insightful data or quirky animations, he had no message to convey; yet he presented himself as this smart […]
Three steps to better climate conversations
Written by Aven Frey. Republished from Sightline Institute with permission. Esteemed climate communicator Dr. Katharine Hayhoe is back on the lecture circuit with a new talk, which I was lucky enough to catch at the University of Washington in mid-May. Dr. Hayhoe’s life and credentials make her uniquely suited to bridge divides and speak from the heart about climate […]
Same Science Communication Conference, Different Conference Model
Mixing Unconference Model elements into SCIENCE TALK ’19 Greetings All! Science Talk wants to be responsive to the needs and interests of our conference attendees. So, this year, we are trying out a new conference organization idea. We hope that the change will address the programming concerns that we and the attendees have voiced and allow […]
What is Climate to an eleven-year-old?
A research-biologist-turned-science-communicator forays into explaining complex ideas with an unfamiliar medium: videoEach idea, no matter how well-crafted, is best received when tailored to a narrow, specific audience. All the complicated jargon is great—for those that understand it… But, everyone else WILL glaze over and think about a chocolatey snack, the song stuck in their head, or their to-do list. I tackled the topic “What is Climate?” […]
Science Talk featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education
4/24/2018 0 Comments The Chronicle of Higher Education, a publication focused on college and university faculty members and administrators, just featured Science Talk! The Chronicle reaches over 215,000 readers and has been a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Read the article here, called “As Scientists Speak Out About Science, Women and Young Scholars Lead the Way”. Onward!
How to overcome the challenges of communicating science
More than a decade ago, I left the commercial advertising business and joined the nonprofit world as the marketing director for an environmental conservation organization. To prepare for my first assignment (updating the board of trustees on ongoing projects), I was given a stack of project reports chock-full of details on implementation sites, baseline and […]
How to Overcome the Challenges of Communicating Science
More than a decade ago, I left the commercial advertising business and joined the nonprofit world as the marketing director for an environmental conservation organization. To prepare for my first assignment (updating the board of trustees on ongoing projects), I was given a stack of project reports chock-full of details on implementation sites, baseline and […]
No specific ask means no action
1/29/2018 0 Comments I always feel sad when I see an ad that gets me energized and excited to support a cause, only to be left not knowing what I can do to support that cause. I get worked up, I get jazzed, I’m ready to do something but I have no place to channel […]
Why Scientists Should Communicate Science: Getting to the Heart of the Matter
In today’s world, it feels that scientific facts are increasingly under attack. As scientists, it’s tempting to reply by quoting impressive figures and statistics, brandishing our graphs, trying to win the argument. But winning the argument isn’t the same as winning the person.In a piece for Naturejobs by Dr. Eileen Parkes of Queen’s University Belfast, she argues that winning […]