May
07

SciComm advice: NeuWrite SF with KQED reporter Amy Standen

 

On April 23rd a bunch of science graduate students met up in Mission Bay to learn about science communication from Amy Standen. Standen is a radio reporter for QUEST. This event was presented by Stanford’s NeuWrite West in a joint effort with Berkeley Science Review and UCSF’s Carry the One Radio to build connections between Bay Area science communication groups.

 

In her introductory comments, Standen said “The best thing about being a science reporter is that people will talk to you.…

May
05

This thing called outreach

So I say I want to be an Science Outreach Director, but what the hell is science outreach anyway? Outreach is a broad term that applies to diverse efforts to inform a larger community about scientific research. Often science outreach feels like the picture above—desperately trying to communicate scientific information to an unknown or uninterested audience. After giving it some thought I like to divide outreach into the following six categories.

 

Reaching out to young people

This seems to be what most people think of when they hear “science outreach.” We want more young people to grow up to be scientists, but more than that, we want young people to grow up fascinated by and full of respect for science.…

Mar
19

So much to do, only one life

In 2009 I traveled to Italy for the Gordon Research Conference on Dendrites. On my last night in Florence, I planned to go out to dinner and then to the opera. I ate a rich, decadent dinner at Il Cibreo, drinking a glass of wine with every course. I was dining alone but was enjoying my food so thoroughly that I had no concept of time. When I got my bill (€94!), I looked at the ridiculous large alarm clock I had bought and saw that it was 9:30pm. I had been sitting there, enjoying this meal by myself, for two and a half hours.…

Jul
25

I care, and it feels good

PierreMy daughter is one year old today. I wrote her a letter when she was just a little gummy bear of unknown character tucked away in the confines of my body. While re-reading the letter, I realized that she has indeed given me an incredible gift: I care!

***

My dearest,

You are only 10 weeks old, unaware of your existence, but with all vital organs in place. The most important thing I can do for you now is to take care of myself. I must treat my own body as sacred, for it is doing its most important work. I will be housing you for the next 30 weeks.…

Jul
24

Opportunity at the Berkeley Science Review

BSR_HiggsI have a new title to add to the list. I am the Director of Outreach for the Berkeley Science Review. Have you heard of the Berkeley Science Review? No? Well, that is why my newly created post exists. The Berkeley Science Review is a gorgeous magazine with well-written, fascinating content focused on recent scientific advances at the University of California, Berkeley and beyond. The magazine has been published every fall and spring semester since 2001. The Berkeley Science Review now regularly informs you of current science news via their blog, established in July 2010, Twitter and Facebook.…

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