Every year, CollegeScholarships.Org offers a $10,000 scholarship for a student blogger. Students can nominate themselves or other blogging students by sending in a why not? and threw my hat into the ring. Well guess what? I made the initial cut, and got chosen as a finalist! But to actually get the scholarship, I need your help. The winner is chosen by popularity, so I need votes, and a lot of them. Please check out the nominees, and if you feel like I'm the best, click the button to go to the voting page and vote for me, Christie Wilcox!
Here's the essay I submitted to get to this stage:
While I appreciate biology from a purely scientific standpoint, I strongly believe research is useless if you can't communicate it. There's a great quote by Jules Poincaré that says: "Science is facts; just as houses are made of stone, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house, and a collection of facts is not necessarily science." In my mind, what turns facts into science is the integration of research into society, whether for purely educational purposes or society's benefit, and that the key to that is communication. That's why I decided to start a science blog in 2008. As a scientist, I really believe that it is my responsibility to engage non-scientists and the public in general in my endeavors to give my work meaning.
Scientists already share what we do with each other. That's what journals are for. I wanted to share what I loved with everyone, not just my like-minded peers. I feel it is important to take jargon-filled scientific publications and break them down in such a way that everyone can understand what is being studied and why it is important. In modern media, science is only talked about if it can be sensationalized. So-called "real" journalists seem to think experiments are only worth mentioning if they can be summed up in a catchy but untrue headline or are controversial. But every day I read papers no one hears about that are just so.... *cool*. Science is unbelievably cool, and I blog because I think that maybe if the rest of the world saw science how I do, they would think it was pretty cool, too. And maybe if they did, there would be more scientists doing unbelievably cool stuff for me to blog about!
PS: For those of you who arrived at this page and *haven't* read my blog before, here's some supporting info: I've been published in the Open Laboratory (anthology of the best science blogging of the year) in both the 2008 & 2009 editions, and am in the running for 2010. My posts have been finalists in the 3 Quarks Daily Science blogging prize for two years straight. I've had a number of posts chosen by the Research Blogging Editors for their Editor's Selections, and was a finalist in the first annual Research Blogging Awards for three categories, including blog post of the year. Recently, my post on the gulf oil spill won The Post With The Most. Snoop around, read a few posts (lots of good choices in the Editor's Selections list) and see what I do - and if you like it, I would really appreciate your vote in this scholarship competition!
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Good luck!
How many times are people allowed to vote? And do they have checks in place to stop automated votes?
It seems that they are rationing it to one vote per ip-address.
Hope you win ... tough competition and they started east coast time too ...
Contact CA and see if they will post it anywhere they can ... CA has a FACEBOOK page ... ;)
add links to your best / favorite / award-winning / etc ... blogs
Done. But the current results are astonishing to all but the most hardened cynic: 59% of voters, with ten blogs to choose from, have voted for a blogger who reviews and recommends cosmetics products. How can that be more interesting than science?
Voted, and good luck.
Ping!
http://neurodojo.blogspot.com/2010/10/rally-round-your-nerd.html
1 vote for the cute science nerd!
Choosing a winner by popularity is a very unscientific way to run a competition about anything more important than American Idol.
Voted, and FaceBooked.
Pharyngulated.
You are by far the best blog of the lot. BTW, I'm glad I found my way here. I have you bookmarked.
I really enjoyed the essay - it is so true. I've been a long time reader of your blog and think your really accomplish what your essay is all about. Your's is the only science blog I read.
Good luck.
I was sent by the horde. But I will stick around because your writings seem relevant to my interests.
PZ has unleashed his minions, and you seem to be gaining 10 to 20 votes a minute. I foresee victory.
Voted. I'll see what troops I can rally.
Wow, I hope no one challenges your huge margin of victory.
Congratulations.
You got my vote! Wish you the best of luck.
The Gam's got your back.
i took a look at your blog, liked it, voted it. Hope you can get the Scholarship (i came here trough PZ Myer's blog). Good luck! and greetings from Argentina :)
I do read your blog occasionally (and I enjoy it!), but I'll admit that it was on Pharyngula that I first read of the scholarship. :) Good luck!
I do read and enjoy your blog. Looks like you are well in front of the voting - good luck!
I voted for you and was happy to do it. I took to task, in my comment there, Daniel and the several "annoyds" for their postings, one of which questioned whether your voters were "actual humans", I identified myself as an "actual human". Later, commenting about my vote at pharyngula, I admitted that I had been tempted, in that post, to identify myself as a "malign, hyper-evolved, cephalopod directed there by the wrathful PZ Myers".
Your blog now occupies a place on my Favorites bar.
Scientists truly stand on the shoulders of giants! =)
Thank you to all of you who voted! The sudden and strong outpouring of support over the past couple days truly took me by surprise. I have to say, when I saw my where my numbers were by the end of the first evening, I actually started to cry a little. This means so much to me, and I don't think I can ever properly express my gratitude to all of you who took the time to vote for me, especially those of you who posted this link on your blogs or persuaded your facebook friends or tweeps to join in the crusade.
So, at the lack of a better way of expressing it: THANK YOU.
(PS, if I do win, PZ is getting some really nice gift sent from Hawaii. I haven't figured out what yet, but it will be completely awesome.)
Very good essay! I just sent out a Twitter message to my followers to help you a bit :-)
Good luck, i hope you win
So I'm a regular reader of PZ Myers, and I first came across your blog when he advertised your entry in the contest. I'm very impressed by your blog and will be coming back to read more! Yay for science! :D
very good essay.. :) i hope you win :)
I am also looking for some scholarship, but didn't get any. I hope soon I will find.
I do read your blog occasionally (and I enjoy it!), but I'll admit that it was on Pharyngula that I first read of the scholarship. ;)
Well, I voted for you.
A friend of PZ is a friend of mine. +1 vote
+1 more vote. Looks like you don't need any more help but I still don't want the guy with the blog about bathrooms to win
Good luck Christie!
Good luck, for now you are in good shape. Great job with the blog. Keep up the good work.
I took a look at the other candidates, but you looked to be the best in my book. The world needs more great scientists. Hopefully, this scholarship will help you on your way.
(P.S.: Adorable creatures are my thing...check out my site /shamelessplug)
^Fixed my site-link and will tell my other nerd friends!
Greetings from Norway! Dear Leader/Hivemind/Reddit told me to vote for you. After looking around your blog, I see you totally deserve it. Good luck!
Ps. You better do an AMA or something if you win, or else... Erh... Well... Something will happen, I guess... Involving Koalas?
Here is another great blog to use. my son has got 2 grants already. a lot of great info and ways to save money http://freescholarships4me.blogspot.com
Voted. I'll see what troops I can rally.
Hey congrats on winning this last year.
I actually submitted my article for this year as well.
What I'm sad to find out about is that it turns out to be a popularity contest. That's pretty sad. It should be based on quality essay, recommendations, and overview of the blog.
I can understand why you won just based off your writing and blogging -- not the amount of votes you received.
Any tips on how you won? I'd appreciate it. If you have the time, check out my website =]
Again, congrats on winning. It must have felt amazing.