Moving from why we communicate to improving how we do it
From the incomparable writer, Maria Popova, and her wide-ranging, powerful Brain Pickings site, comes a brief, thought-provoking “taxonomy” of the three levels of good science writing. Don’t stop at this article – her site is a treasure trove of big ideas, compelling quotations from science writers renown and obscure, and more.
In this article in the journal Natural Sciences Education, faculty from Kansas State University describe a watercolor training assignment that enhanced undergraduate ornithology students’ ability to identify several species of waterfowl.
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.
Excerpt from the paper Ten simple rules for drawing scientific comics: There are few scientists who haven’t heard of Randall Munroe, the artist behind the web comic “xkcd,” which features amazing graphic explanations on everything from climate change to data storage. These comics are widely appealing to a diverse audience and are posted on walls in laboratoriesRead more about Resource of the Week: 10 (ten) simple rules for drawing scientific comics[…]
This week, Bethann Garramon Merkle responds to the #MySciComm questions!
Bethann is an artist, writer, instructor, editor, and consultant who blends visual storytelling and science communication. She’s also a SciComm Section co-founder, the section chair-elect, and our webmaster. She is passionate about a) integrating drawing into education, research, and communication efforts, and b) the role stories play in shaping public perspectives of science and ecology topics. Connect with her @CommNatural and www.ecologicallytruestory.org.
The #MySciComm series features a host of SciComm professionals. We’re looking for more contributors, so please get in touch if you’d like to write a post!
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I have my high school biology and art teachers to thank. Read more about #MySciComm: Bethann Garramon Merkle on merging art and science to enhance scicomm …
Guest post by Bethann Garramon Merkle
Sketching in the field to complement data collection? #doodling4science #outofthebox #scicomm #ESA2014 #pinkjuniper pic.twitter.com/VxEzvMpGbn
— Pika Jo Varner (@johannavarner) August 10, 2014
There is even evidence that collaboration between scientists and artists may result in better science.
Read more about Drawn to Ecology: How sketch notes can enhance your science experience …
Our last post was about Johanna Varner and the research she does on pikas. Inspired by Johanna’s own sketches, produced during our workshop, the Pikas on Ice post featured some delightful pika sketches by Jennifer Landin.
Pikas on Ice! http://t.co/8awa46SayY Nice Ecotone piece by @DrHolly on our work with @pikaresearch! #ESA2014 #sciart #scicomm #pikas
— Pika Jo Varner (@johannavarner) September 8, 2014
Read more about #SketchYourScience takes off after ESA 2014 workshop …
*This list is dynamic, and in-development. Feel free to make suggestions (use the comments section or contact us directly) re additional resources and great examples that should be included. INSPIRATION Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (link to Facebook page) Nocturnal wonders: looking closely at moths New species at risk book written in indigenous languages by GNWT departments ofRead more about Resources: Sketching + beyond[…]