Open Question: Talking science with family and friends
With Thanksgiving around the corner, many of us will soon be celebrating with friends and family who have no idea what we do. How do you talk about science over the holidays? If you don’t, why don’t you?
View ArticleIllustrated IPCC Haiku?
"I didn't deliberately set out to distill the Summary for Policymakers of the latest IPCC report into illustrated haiku. But, one weekend when I was too sick to leave the house, I found myself inspired...
View ArticleCalling for Science-Themed Limericks: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Style!
The best way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is to write a science-themed limerick--and then get it featured on The Plainspoken Scientist!
View ArticleSt. Patrick’s Science Limericks
Enjoy the greatest tradition of the holiday: science-themed limericks!
View ArticleScientists must use more jargon for public to appreciate science, study shows
Most of the public is turned off by scientists’ overly accessible and personalized descriptions of their work, new research shows.
View ArticleMapping fantasy: The story behind the Game of Thrones geologic maps
Science fiction can be a really cool gateway for sharing science fact. Earth science is imaginative, and can draw on pop culture, like the HBO show Game of Thrones. My graduate school friend and...
View ArticleSend us a postcard from the field
It’s exciting and eye-opening to see where people do fieldwork and what questions they’re asking--it introducesothers to the fun, majesty, grubbiness, hardship, and wonder of studying science. That’s...
View ArticleScientists and Reporters Just Want to Get to the Bottom of It All
After just a few short months, my desk at the Los Angeles Times had succumbed to the same peculiar malady as my desk at Oregon State University, where I did my Ph.D. in paleoclimatology: It seemed to...
View ArticleAnd now for the fun part: choosing your outreach activities!
The wonderful thing about science communication and outreach is that there are an almost infinite number of ways to share your science. We’ve made a quick list of some of the kinds of activities you...
View ArticleOpen Laboratory 2010 Now Available!
Do you like science? Do you like blogs? Do you like blogs about science? I sure hope so, because if not, what are you doing here? Anyway, assuming you answered the above questions in the affirmative,...
View ArticleVlogging about #AGU15
By Shane M. Hanlon Fall Meeting is an exciting time, not just for us at AGU, but especially for all of our members who attend the meeting. The meeting can almost feel like the holiday season – a...
View Article#MySciComm: Dr. Shane Hanlon
Wonder how to get into a career in #scicomm? Our own Shane M Hanlon shares his journey. Hint - it was not direct.
View ArticleWait, what’s #scijack & what’s it have to do with #scicomm?
By Shane M Hanlon Over the past month, I have noticed a new type of #scicomm emerging. It’s not through a new technology, rather, it’s exploiting an existing one. Spurred by the Tweets of President...
View ArticleBlogging about diseases – for science! (And fun.)
By Shane M Hanlon I’m a disease ecologist by training. As a graduate student I investigated how agricultural runoff, mainly in the form of pesticides, alters the effects of fungal disease in...
View ArticlePublic outreach: Be mindful, not fearful
By Shane M Hanlon One of the most important things to think about when reaching out, especially through means such as social or classic media, or writing letters to media outlets or journals, is that...
View ArticleThe Landslide Blog – the first ten years
Tomorrow will mark the tenth anniversary of the Landslide Blog. It is an opportunity to reflect upon the successes and failures so far.
View Article10 years
It's not very often that someone my age gets to celebrate a 10-year anniversary. But this year is one of those times, because it's been 10 years since I graduated from college, 10 years since I started...
View ArticleTime Scavengers is a web community exploring Earth’s climate and life through...
What happens when two frustrated grad students set out to educate folks about science? Time Scavengers.
View ArticleBuilding better tools for risk communication with user-centered design
By Sonia Stephens How can we build better tools to communicate about coastal risks? As a technical communicator, I’m interested in how we can make scientific information more understandable and...
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