media and science
cmooney | October 29, 2008My latest Science Progress column just went up...it's about the decline of science reporting in newspapers, and what we can do to fight back against this trend.
I start out with the story of Peter Calamai, until recently the staff science writer of the Toronto Star:
Peter Calamai describes himself--and only half jokingly--as a "grizzled veteran" of the newspaper industry. Over the course of his forty-year career, he has covered a wide range of subjects, but for the past decade Calamai served as the dedicated science reporter for Canada's most widely read newspaper, the Toronto Star. That's…
sheril | October 24, 2008Check out this TalkingScience video Ira Flatow featured during his keynote at Innovation 2008 about CERN's Large Hadron Collider:
sheril | October 24, 2008A highlight of Innovation 2008 was the keynote address by Ira Flatow, the host and Executive Producer of Talk of the Nation: Science Friday on NPR. His weekly show features interesting and lively discussions on science, technology, health, space, and the environment and he also founded TalkingScience, a non-profit dedicated to creating media projects which make science 'user friendly'.
Ira spoke after Tuesday's lunch about science in the media with a focus on what makes it onto television. Given yesterday's post highlighted an example of the ever-blurring line between news and entertainment…
sheril | September 23, 2008Science blogging. A couple years ago, I could never have imagined I'd try it, let alone share a site here at Sb. It's definitely changed the trajectory of my interests and pursuits, and it's an evolving medium that's proven extremely influential in some circles. John Wilkins recently had a paper in Trends in Ecology and Evolution analyzing how blogs function and now our sciblings Shelley Batts, Nick Anthis, and Tara Smith have an article in PLoS Biology proposing:
a roadmap for turning blogs into institutional educational tools and present examples of successful collaborations that can…
sheril | September 4, 2008by Eric Roston
I've observed with great interest the discussions about framing science, here, at Matt Nisbet's blog, and elsewhere. For two reasons, I've not weighed in on the topic directly. First, I defer to Matt, Chris, Sheril and others, as far as ownership and proper deployment of the phrase "framing science" go. On a logistical level, I was too buried in the manuscript of my new book, The Carbon Age, to duck out for even routine blogging. It's really only in the last couple of weeks that I've come back to life.
The other reason has something to do with this. At the heart of the framing…
sheril | August 10, 2008Yet again, stranded in a Jetblue terminal... needless to say this trip has not made me a fan of that particular airline--despite the complimentary Terra Blue potato chips. Since I'm biding time at JFK, here are two photos from our NYC meetup courtesy of Jennifer.
My Sb marine counterpart on the west coast
Fellow NC Scibling Bora
sheril | July 18, 2008It's no secret, I love space. From following the Mars Lander to cosmic collisions, I call it 'my dark side' along with complex adaptive systems theory. And now's our chance to shuttle up to the moon! Well, sort of...
NASA is inviting all of us to send our names along board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) later this year. It's mission:
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is the first mission in NASA's Vision for Space Exploration, a plan to return to the moon and then to travel to Mars and beyond. LRO will launch no earlier than November 24, 2008, with the objectives to finding safe…
sheril | July 15, 2008As if taking on evolution vs. intelligent design wasn't controversial enough, how about finding humor in global warming? Marine ecologist turned filmmaker Randy Olson has. In a big and poignant way...
I was first introduced to Randy Olson's work during Bob Steneck's invertebrate zoology course in graduate school. He told us about his friend and colleague who left a tenured faculty position at UNH to pursue film believing there must be a better way to educate broad audiences about the significance of science. Olson's decision to leave the comfort and stability of the ivory towers struck…
sheril | July 2, 2008Just before the Olympic Games, a 5,000 square mile blue-green carpet has covered China's Yellow Sea.
The event is likely due to excess nitrates from pollutants like sewage and agricultural run-off, which can act like extra fertilizer for plankton. (Remember The Simpsons?) While Chinese officials blame warmer waters--and yes, it may potentially exacerbate the likelihood of algal blooms--that influence more likely serves to compound the effects of a bad situation.
While it appears this species is not toxic, impacts may still be severe. Algae can deplete surrounding waters of oxygen and…
sheril | June 23, 2008Meet Vanessa Woods... internationally published author, journalist, and [full disclosure] among my most interesting friends. I've just finished her latest book 'It's Every Monkey For Themselves: A true story of love sex and lies in the jungle' and cannot recommend it highly enough--An honest, funny, and poignant account of her research in Costa Rica with capuchin monkeys, it's the tale of a brave, independent, and fascinating young woman as she learns about life; kind of like Sex And The City meets Gorillas in the Mist. Her witty commentary and incisive perspectives kept me turning pages…
sheril | June 16, 2008A 14-day mission to the International Space Station ended when Discovery touched down Saturday morning in Cape Canaveral, Florida. So what were seven astronauts doing up there for two weeks, 217 orbits, and 5.7 million miles? Details are now up in my post over at Correlations...
sheril | June 4, 2008My new pal Dr. Anthony Crider gave a fantastic talk at last month's AAAS Forum on Second Life and virtual worlds. Full disclosure: I was skeptical and even mildly anxious at the thought of wandering into a simulation I'd heard might rival scenes from Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut--only with vampires and uh, furries. Then I met Tony who convinced me it opens the door, errr... 'laptop', to seemingly infinite possibilities in science education! But you don't have to take my word for it--I'll let the brilliant and funny SciLands creator explain virtual worlds himself and skeptics can decide whether…
sheril | May 29, 2008
Go visit AAAS for their news release on my recent panel at the 33rd Annual AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy.
New Media Pioneers Convey the 'Cool' of Science
[27 May 2008]
Speaking at the 2008 AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy in Washington, D.C., the speakers showed off online islands with virtual telescopes, blogs that network millions of science aficionados around the world, and media empires that include dozens of blogs and glossy publications that reveal the beauty and sexiness of science and technology.
My entire talk is now now available here and you can also…
sheril | May 27, 2008After a 423 million mile journey, Phoenix touched down on Mars. The first pictures have been beamed back, and so far, it's nothing like my my favorite Heinlein novel.
The immediate goals of the Phoenix mission are to study the geologic history of water, and to search for evidence that Mars may have sustained life. Continued research will be done to determine whether dormant organisms could come back to life.
We must now patiently wait for news of whether conditions on the red planet could have ever supported life. For complete coverage, visit NASA or Bad Astronomy. Of course, if…
sheril | May 21, 2008Last week I participated in a panel discussion on 'The Agenda with Steve Paikin.' The evening's show was called The Assault On Science so obviously it wasn't complete sans Chris.
Topics included climate change, the theory of evolution, science in the media, and religion (complete with a clip from 'Expelled'). My co-panelists were nice enough fellows, though I disagreed with climate change denier Lawrence Solomon, and philosphy professor James Robert Brown who believes science and religion are always incompatible. The other guests were science reporter Arthur Allen, author of Vaccine: the…
sheril | May 15, 2008One week ago I left for the 33rd Annual AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy...So what went on over two days in our nation's capitol? LOTS!
The event was fantastic! In fact, with so many wonderful contributions, there's no way I could possibly do it justice with a single post, so I'll highlight some of the details of my session here and encourage readers to check out the presentations, listen to talks, read transcripts, and view photos as they're posted throughout the week.
My panel was on 'Science and the New Media' along with Seed's Adam Bly and Dr. Anthony Crider, who teaches…
sheril | May 8, 2008I'm back in the District to speak at the 33rd Annual AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy alongside Adam Bly and Dr. Anthony Crider. We'll be discussing 'Science and the New Media' and there's still time to participate online!
I'm looking forward to connecting with SciBling Jessica Palmer of Bioephemera and would love to meet any readers in attendance as well... Come on over to say hello and I hope you'll stay for my talk Friday at 1:45:
I Am New Media (And So Can You!)
Communicating Science And Policy Through The Series Of Tubes And Beyond
sheril | May 5, 2008While I love Randy Olson's 'Flock Of Dodos', one science documentary remains the most memorable of all... 'Cane Toads: An Unnatural History'. I had the pleasure of watching this fantastic film once again with a number of graduate students last week and I'm convinced it gets better every time. If you somehow missed out catching it during biology 101, the product description from Amazon.com provides a good synopsis:
"A fat, ugly creature whose sole purpose in life is the pursuit of sexual gratification is rapidly taking over Australia! The Cane Toads were imported by the sackload from Hawaii…
sheril | May 2, 2008A reminder to readers that in exactly one week, I'll be speaking at the AAAS Forum On Science And Technology Policy about 'Science and the New Media.' I encourage you to comment with thoughts on the topic HERE. I'll be showing the post live during my talk. For ideas, consider these questions:
* New media addressing S&T issues - what/where/who are they?
* Who do they see as their primary audiences?
* What do they try to convey (or try not to convey)?
* What do they see as missing from the current dialogues on S&T and policy?
* How are they addressing those…
sheril | April 23, 2008On May 9, 2008, I'm going to be speaking at the 33rd Annual AAAS Forum On Science And Technology Policy in Washington, DC. I am part of the last plenary session alongside Seed's Editor-in-Chief Adam Bly and Dr. Anthony Crider, co-founder of the SciLands, a science continent in the Second Life world. Our discussion will be about Science and the New Media, so I've decided to bring our readers with me.
That's right, the conversation begins here at The Intersection... Readers, I Want You!
I invite readers to comment with thoughts on the topic and I will be showing this post at the Forum. For…