Q: Can you tell us about your educational and professional background? A: I have an eclectic education! An undergraduate degree in Physiology (BSc Hons), a PhD in Health, and most recently, a Master’s with Distinction in Film. I thought I was going to be a bench scientist, but a disability and orthopedic surgeries stopped me […]
Volunteer Spotlight: Tamara Poles, ASC Accessibility Director
ASC volunteers represent a wide variety of science communication paths: editing Wikipedia, responding to foodborne illness complaints, designing museum exhibits, and more. Today we’re featuring someone who has trained hundreds of scientists to communicate about their science with broad audiences. Scott Hershberger (ASC’s newsletter editor) spoke with Tamara Poles, ASC’s accessibility director, about her full-time […]
Volunteer Spotlight: Amy Nippert, ASC Blog Editor
In previous ASC volunteer spotlights, we’ve featured science communicators who plan our annual conference, coordinate our year-round course offerings, and lead our marketing and communications team. This time, we’re featuring our blog editor, Amy Nippert. Scott Hershberger (ASC’s newsletter editor) talked with Amy about her lab research on chronic pain, her involvement in science communication […]
Volunteer Spotlight: Bre Kelsey, ASC Program Director
The Association of Science Communicators’ growth over the years has been made possible in large part by our passionate long-time volunteers. For our third volunteer spotlight, we’re featuring Bre Kelsey, ASC’s Program Director and a member of our executive board, who has been involved with ASC since 2018. Scott Hershberger (ASC’s newsletter editor) spoke with […]
Increasing Health Literacy in the World of Adult Entertainment
The sun was just starting to come up as I took off my heels, organized stacks of my ones, and laughed with the other dancers about the previous night. “See you tomorrow!” I say as I leave the dressing room and head to my little red car. The early morning hours of March 17th, 2020 […]
Volunteer Spotlight: Sky Hatter, ASC Marketing & Communications Director
The Association of Science Communicators’ volunteers are central to our efforts to serve the scicomm community. For our second volunteer spotlight, we’re featuring Sky Hatter, ASC’s marketing and communications director and webmaster. Scott Hershberger (ASC’s newsletter editor) spoke with Sky about her work as an artist and graphic designer, her experiences in museum exhibit design, […]
Volunteer Spotlight: Amanda Pluntze, ASC Course Coordinator
As a volunteer-run professional society, the Association of Science Communicators depends on our vibrant community for our success. Our volunteers help with conference logistics, community engagement, partnership development, and much more. For our first volunteer spotlight Q&A, we’re featuring Amanda Pluntze, ASC’s course coordinator. Scott Hershberger (ASC’s newsletter editor) spoke with Amanda about her work […]
ASC Q&A: Giving a Voice to Science–Key Takeaways from Science Talk ‘23
The Association of Science Communicators (ASC) hosted its 7th annual Science Talk Conference last month and the evolution of science communication was on full display. This year’s theme centered around “Giving a Voice to Science” and participants saw that message echo through keynote presentations from leaders in the community, panel discussions pulling back the curtain […]
Learning from the policy world to give a voice to science
If we’re to give a voice to science and society, we mustn’t forget the role of lawmakers – and the communication lessons they can provide. I’ve blogged a lot about science policy and how to get involved at the Fancy Comma blog. I’ve talked about being a scientist in politics, ways scientists can get involved […]
Finding our Common Thread through Conversation
What does it mean to “give science a voice?” Scientists develop an interest in science communication for many reasons (Besley et al., 2015), which can include informing people’s decision-making on forefront issues in their fields. Scientists, regardless of their specific areas of expertise, often find themselves in the role of advocates for science more generally […]
Study Underscores Lack of Diversity in Stock Photography Sites
A new study finds that the majority of images related to health topics on stock photography sites are of light-skinned people within a fairly narrow age range, making it more difficult – and expensive – for organizations to create health education materials aimed at reaching other groups. The findings are significant because using images relevant […]
Adapt and Adjust
It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself. – Charles Darwin Our dive boat bounces through another choppy wave, showering […]
Science Needs More Science Communicators in 2023
ASC is personally asking our community to take two-minutes to review and digitally sign the below open letter, committing to 2023 as the year we build wide-reaching trust in science. If you are looking for more information about our reasoning behind the letter, please visit this link. Science has been politicized to the detriment of […]
Singing my way through grad school
Anyone who has been in a grad program (or still is), knows the feeling of gnawing doubt. Unsure how you ever got into the program. Unsure how to do science. Unsure if you even still like science. Fortunately, when I was in grad school, I got the opportunity to participate in a stand-up comedy workshop […]
Guest Q&A: How to Unlock a Full-Time SciComm Freelance Career
Interest in full-time scicomm careers is skyrocketing, but landing a full-time position that matches your experience and interests can be harrowing. And navigating a freelance career can seem overwhelming without a guide. After hearing her present at Science Talk ‘22, the Association of Science Communicators (ASC) reached out to Marley Parker, freelance science writer, photographer […]
