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28 September 2020
Storytelling basics: Narrative themes
All good stories follow some sort of structure and contain certain elements to make them special. That’s not entirely prescriptive but it does provide a good outline. One of the other major components of any good story, science-related or otherwise, is the adherence to a narrative theme.
25 September 2020
Drawn to Geoscience: Crowdsourced science at the intersection of art and science
Today, I am an interdisciplinary researcher, environmentalist, artist, and educator that employs art-based research methods in tandem with Western science methods to study environmental issues in the field. But life didn’t start out that way.
14 September 2020
Making the switch from in-person to online scicomm storytelling shows
…for this post, I’m taking off my AGU hat (mostly) and stepping into one of my other roles as storyteller and producer. I also work for the science storytelling organization The Story Collider, where scientists and non-scientists alike tell true, personal stories, live on stage. Er…or at least they used to.
9 September 2020
Want to do outreach but don’t know where to start? We got you.
Science communication is a catch-all phrase that means so many things. Even when narrowing it down to scientists talking about their research to (mostly) non-scientists, there are still so many avenues and places to start.
4 September 2020
#AGURocks: The Intersection of Music and Science
I didn’t start making and recording music until college, where I met some friends who had similar interests to me. They pushed me to write songs with them in a band, which was something I had wanted to do forever, but had lacked the courage to create and perform in live settings. As I progressed through my microbiology degrees, both as an undergraduate and graduate student, I used music as a way to vent about broader institutional issues I saw in the sciences.
17 August 2020
International Observe the Moon Night: An Opportunity for Global Outreach
International Observe the Moon Night is an annual worldwide public engagement program that encourages observation, appreciation, and understanding of our Moon and its connection to planetary science and exploration. It is also a time to celebrate our personal and cultural connections to Earth’s nearest celestial neighbor.
12 August 2020
#DrawnToGeoscience: Spot the Differences
During the first few weeks of lockdown, I spent my weekends coloring microbes, soil, and Sonoran Desert-themed drawings. In addition, I started following scientist who use art for #SciComm and science artists on social media. I was extremely inspired by Drs. Karen Vaughan and Yamina Pressler’s For The Love Of Soil art prints. Fortunately, I was able to attend a live session hosted by Dr. Pressler on how to create whimsical soil profiles using watercolors. There was no turning back from there.
11 August 2020
Advocating for climate science
A growing number of scientists in the United States are politically active and engaged, especially around issues affecting science. And researchers have the right to participate in advocacy, even if they work for federal agencies or state-funded institutions. Despite this, we at the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund frequently speak with scientists deterred from advocacy after hearing of well-meaning colleagues who’ve been accused, for example, of violating anti-lobbying laws for writing an op-ed.
10 August 2020
#AGURocks: Breathing new life (i.e. geology lyrics) into old songs
#AGURocks is a series of posts by musicians who create science-inspired music and explain their process and inspiration while also showcasing their pieces. Learn more about contributing. The views and lyrics expressed in this post and song do not reflect those of Sharing Science and AGU. This week, Ben Edwards. I started playing the acoustic guitar when I was about 10, had a few years of piano and coronet lessons, …
5 August 2020
#DrawnToGeoscience: Imaginations to animations
As a kid, I could sit quietly for hours entertaining myself if I were handed a pen and a paper. Now as an adult, I still find myself doodling and sketching when I’m bored, or when I’m trying to explain something. Putting imaginations and thoughts into drawings is apparently a useful skill later in life, also as a scientist. Illustrating processes and how things work, even in the most basic form, is a useful science communication tool.
The Plainspoken Scientist is the science communication blog of AGU’s Sharing Science program. With this blog, we wish to encourage scientists to reach out to non-scientists and to do so with plainspoken discussion.
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