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24 February 2020
Dinosaurs Under the Tundra, Part 1: Talking about Climate Change with a Climate Skeptic
I was at home over Christmas when my father-in-law’s wife started talking about the dinosaurs that used to be in Alaska. At first, I thought she was just sharing a cool geologic fact, but it turned out she was making a point about natural climate cycles. She went on to say that she loved her little Honda and she just wanted to be able to drive it.
2 December 2019
SciComm, policy, and outreach at AGU19!
♩It’s the most, wonderful tiiiiiiiime, of the year! ♫
20 November 2019
Having “The [Climate Change] Talk” with your family
Thanksgiving can be a time for food, football, and family. And sometimes…uncomfortable family chats, especially around science. We live in a nation where there are disconnects between understanding and acceptance of major scientific issues such as GMOs, evolution, vaccinations, and (especially relevant to AGU scientists) climate change.
5 July 2019
Lyme Disease in Winter
Similar to other wildlife diseases, there are myths about Lyme disease. While many myths exists, one of the most interesting myths about Lyme disease pertains to transmission. People believe that ticks cannot survive in the winter; so, Lyme disease cannot be transmitted during winter.
27 May 2019
Revealing the baseline of geoscience outreach
Geoscience has been one of the least diverse STEM fields for nearly four decades, perhaps in part because our science isn’t making it to those who are outside our departments and institutions. In the era of climate change skepticism, geoscientists who practice science communication could provide immense value to their local and global communities by serving as Earth experts who can empower non-scientists to engage in reasoning and analysis in all aspects of life.
3 December 2018
Tell a story, sing a song, & learn some stuff at AGU18!
AGU18 is…next week! Wow, that happened fast. We have a full slate of amazing science communication, policy, and outreach events planned for the entire week of the meeting!
19 November 2018
Having “The [Climate Change] Talk” with your family
By Shane M Hanlon Thanksgiving can be a time for food, football, and family. And sometimes…uncomfortable family chats, especially around science. We live in a nation where there are disconnects between understanding and acceptance of major scientific issues such as GMOs, evolution, vaccinations, and (especially relevant to AGU scientists*) climate change. With climate change specifically, politics plays a role. Over half of Americans accept human-induced climate change, as well as …
26 October 2018
A boatload of scientists ran for public office this year. How are they doing?
By Shane M Hanlon Scientists have traditionally been underrepresented in public office, especially at the federal level. In Congress, there are only two PhD scientists – Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill), a physicist, and Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA), a mathematician. While efforts to get more scientists in public office are not new, they ramped up in response to the 2016 election. For example, 314 Action, a DC–based nonprofit leading an organized effort to …
23 October 2018
Imagine how hot the future will be by looking to your past
How do you frame the messaging behind changes in future climate? Remind people of the hottest days they’ve ever experienced.
12 October 2018
Sharing stories of consensus building: the missing step in the scientific method
By Kathy Kelsey As a kid in school, I learned the narrative of the scientific method: a scientist makes an observation about the world which inspires a question, they pose a hypothesis, carry out an experiment, and produce and share their results. Now that I am a practicing scientist I have learned that this narrative neglects a key component: the process of building consensus among scientists. It’s important that we …
The Plainspoken Scientist is the science communication blog of AGU’s Sharing Science program. With this blog, we wish to showcase creative and effective science communication via multiple mediums and modes.