Resources

Last year, we featured two #MySciComm posts by co-founders of Plant Love Stories, and at #ESA2018, we hosted Plant Love Stories at our booth at the Annual Meeting. Now, we’re highlighting a related publication informed by that project: a commentary in the journal Plants, People, Planet (published by the New Phytologist Trust). They write: We have a duty to conserve plants…

ClimateOutreach.org is, according to their website, “Europe’s leading climate change communicators, bridging the gap between research and practice and helping to widen engagement across a broader spectrum of society.” Until August 19, 2019, they are accepting participants for a climate change project to investigate the impacts of training on people’s daily-life conversations about climate change. They provide training, support, reporting mechanisms,…

LSU’s Science Communication Specialist, Dr. Paige Jarreau, shares advice about using social media in the classroom. Excerpt: “In college classrooms, faculty of all fields try to find new ways to engage students and help them gain more experience communicating in the science world. Some of them turn to social media. Science Communication Specialist for LSU College of Science Dr. Paige Jarreau utilizes…

NOAA has archived a webinar focused on visual communication of research results.  

Excerpts from www.tolerance.org: “Our mission is to help teachers and schools educate children and youth to be active participants in a diverse democracy.” Free resources include: Workshops Trainings Facilitator Guides Self-Guided Learning Webinars Podcasts “Teaching Tolerance provides free resources to educators—teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners—who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use our materials to supplement the…

A thought-provoking take on the synergy between activism and technical proficiency from theoretical physicist Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein. Spoiler alert, she writes, “While often necessary, [activism] is not a substitute for technical proficiency. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein is an American cosmologist, science writer and equality activist based at the University of New Hampshire. In addition to major work with NASA, FQXI and more, she maintains…

In recognition of #NationalIndigenousPeoplesDay, we’re sharing this Decolonising STEM Reading List from theoretical physicist Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein provides a powerful, necessary deep-look into the history and current practices of science and the relationship of science to oppression, colonialism, and more. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein recommends starting your reading with “Making Meaning of ‘Decolonizing’” to fully understand the context in which she situates her…

Extensive resources are available from the University of Michigan’s National Center for Institutional Diversity. NCID’s mission is: “We aim to create a more equitable and inclusive society through the production, catalyzation, and elevation of diversity scholarship.” See their website and Twitter feed to connect.

It is Pride Month! Here are a few resources on representation, inclusion, and intersectionality with science. Stay tuned for more in our Resource of the Week series*, as the month progresses. As always, we’d love to hear your recommendations on additional resources to share in the series. LGBTQ+ STEM DAY “LGBTQ+ people in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) continue…

This week, Kirsten Schwarz (the C&E Section incoming Chairperson) responds to the #MySciComm questions! Kirsten Schwarz is an urban ecologist studying environmental amenities and hazards in cities. Community engagement, social justice, and equity are central themes of her research. She has addressed community-level food insecurity and soil contamination in underserved neighborhoods of Sacramento, CA and the environmental drivers of soil lead…

  According to their website, “myIDP provides: Exercises to help you examine your skills, interests, and values A list of 20 scientific career paths with a prediction of which ones best fit your skills and interests A tool for setting strategic goals for the coming year, with optional reminders to keep you on track Articles and resources to guide you…

  Artist Mike O’Brien shares the drawing resource that has been most impactful for enhancing his ability to draw people. Read through the comments for trouble-shooting tips, if you have issues downloading the files in the linked-to article.

In their article in American Psychologist, Drs. Kathryn J. Holland, Lilia M. Cortina, and Jennifer J. Freyd take a close, critical look at the beneficial assumptions embedded in university and college compelled disclosure policies and practices.  

A thought-provoking piece in Facets. What do you think?

The University of Michigan’s Career Center and Head-Heart-Hands provide resources on how to plan a career change in three stages (HHH) and how to talk about transferable skills developed during a PhD (UMCC).

Numerous articles, resources, podcasts, and whole ventures (e.g., StoryCorps; The Moth) address key aspects of narrative and storytelling that are valuable (even essential) for sharing science. See the following articles for a few we find particularly helpful, insightful, or thought-provoking. These resources may change how you do things and/or provide you with useful citations to justify how you tell science…

Carolyn Trietsch writes in Science about the significant role that regular craft-making has assumed in her entomology department at Pennsylvania State University-University Park. The article points to valuable benefits including transdisciplinary collaborations and networking across labs, art-based science communication and outreach, and entomological collections curation.