science communication
jtoney | May 1, 2012
Monosodium.
If you're one Facebook, and you're fascinated by science and nature, this is a terrific Subscribe to list.
25 Science News Organizations To Follow On Facebook
Organizations To Follow On Facebook
Created by Rebecca Searles ⢠1 subscriber
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Radiolab
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Space.com
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OurAmazingPlanet
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LiveScience
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National Science Foundation (NSF)
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SpaceX
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Hubble Space Telescope
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HuffPost Science
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PhysOrg.com - Science, Research, Technology, Physics, Nanotech, Space News
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Science
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration - NASA
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Universe Today
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National Geographic
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jtoney | March 23, 2012
Netwon's Apple Gravity (SodaHead).
Sir Isaac Newton punching his sister? How about pricking a friend with a pin?
Yes, even giants such as Sir Newton, are subject to being strayed from time to time. An amazing resource of his personal notebooks and library is now available, maintained by the University of Sussex.
Here's a sample of his recording of "49 sins" committed in 1662:
Before Whitsunday 1662.
Vsing the word (God) openly 1
Eating an apple at Thy house 2
Making a feather while on Thy day 3
Denying that I made it. 4
Making a mousetrap on Thy day 5
Contriving of the chimes on Thy day 6…
jtoney | March 18, 2012
Imagine spending a day with the brilliant physicist Stephen Hawking. What would you ask him? Guess who did, on St. Patrick's Day?
The up and coming science journalist Cara Santa Maria. I'm looking forward to learning about their discussion. Stay tuned.
Wonderful St. Patrick's Day with the most brilliant, inspirational man on the planet.
jtoney | March 12, 2012
You might ask yourself, "What in the world is this guy in the white lab coat talking about?"
Something potentially very cool, and possibly beautiful - although mostly fictional -, but it is lost in translation. This is a startling example of why we as scientists must be better communicators!
This scientist is about as effective a communicator as Charlie Brown's teacher:
Thanks, Cara Santa Maria, for sharing!
jtoney | February 24, 2012
(Not Really) the Last Word on DNA from Virginia Hughes on Vimeo.
Science writer Virginia Hughes brilliantly explains how DNA is packed into our cells using animation.
jtoney | January 25, 2012
Down Syndrome's Dolls.
One of this year's top finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search is a High School student studying self image of children with Down's Syndrome, using dolls.
Such creativity gives me hope for our next generation of scientists. This competition has launched many careers, including my own when I was a finalist in the then Westinghouse Science Talent competition {my topic was not as interesting, in retrospect.}
Below are the top 40 finalists. I love the diversity of topics!
California
Arcadia
Li, Jiacheng (Arcadia High School)
Algorithm-Based Fault Tolerance for…
jtoney | January 8, 2012
Building a résumé that gets an employer's attention is serious business. Most employers need to be convinced that the candidate can be flexible and is an effective communicator. I have reviewed many résumés over the years, and this one is likely the most unusual.
Dr. Michelle Noonan earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and was a postdoctoral fellow at CalTech. She oversees a website devoted to health awareness. The details of her CV is unusual, to say the least; without a doubt, Dr. Noonan represents someone with a flexible background and the ability to communicate well.
She reports:
*…
jtoney | January 7, 2012
Photo source.
Young ladies proudly displaying tattoos do not typically bring to mind a neuroscientist or a passionate advocate for science education, but that's the point.
Cara Santa Maria is a science correspondent for The Huffington Post, with the slyly named blog "Talk Nerdy To Me." I applaud her for her mission to sharing with the broader public about why science is so amazing and cool.
So who is she?
From her website:
Cara Santa Maria is not your typical neuroscientist. From cheerleader to jazz vocalist, model to tattoo enthusiast, she traveled many paths before pursuing her…
jtoney | January 6, 2012
Yes, I am well aware of skeptics of The Huffington Post, especially in coverage of science, medicine and technology. Skepticism is a healthy process in science. So let's look at the facts.
Below is a list of some of the first posts on the new Science section in The Huffington Post - and, in case you were not aware, writers at HuffPost are by invitation only.
I invite you to explore this site! While some may disagree with the writer's interpretations or conclusions, they would be hard pressed to challenge their credentials.
Bernie Bulkin: Can Science Save the Planet?
Former Chief Scientist…
jtoney | December 22, 2011
When I was an undergraduate student in Chemistry, I was treated to an unforgettable lecture by Prof. Carl Trindel on symmetry in nature. Vi Hart's example takes this concept in a mathematical direction with depth, insight and beauty. Enjoy!
jtoney | December 19, 2011
Yes, earning a degree from MIT can be costly. Believe it or not, MIT has been offering free course materials for ten years now. If you're an educator, and you're not familiar with their extraordinary OpenCourseWare, you're missing out. One hundred million people so far have learned from this free open source.
OpenCourseWare, a free online publication of nearly all of MIT's undergraduate and graduate course materials. Now in its 10th year, OpenCourseWare includes nearly 2,100 MIT courses and has been used by more than 100 million people.
MIT announced today that OpenCourseWare was just…
tsmith | November 8, 2011As you may have noticed from the extended radio silence, it's been a busy few months between classes (both taking them and giving them), tenure packaging, and research. To add another responsibility to the mix, I gave a talk a few weeks back at the National Institute for Animal Agriculture's annual symposium. This year, the featured topic was antibiotics and agriculture, so I was invited to give an overview of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and livestock.
While I'm always happy to give talks to new audiences, discussing my work and the state of the field in general, I have to…
jtoney | July 30, 2011
"Daddy, do you know where this cheese came from?"
I absolutely love this video demonstrating that learning science can be - and should be - fun. Enjoy!
This series is a result of a collaboration between broadcast media (NBC) and scientists (National Science Foundation.)
From Eureka Alert:
National Science Foundation and NBC Learn launch 'Chemistry Now' video series
Videos celebrate International Year of Chemistry; available cost-free to students, teachers and fans of chemistry.
In celebration of the International Year of Chemistry, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NBC Learn, the…
jtoney | July 28, 2011
Why is the sun so hot?
Well, the sun is "like a big nuclear submarine - in the sky."
Henry Reich, who studied Physics at Grinnell College & Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and is now working on an MFA in Film Production at the University of Southern California, explores this question in, yes, one minute. He is developing a series of these innovative videos to explain concepts in physics to help us understand our world.
I invite your feedback and hope you enjoy this minute.
Note that Greg Laden posted this on July 26; my apologies for the redundancy.
jtoney | July 22, 2011
Source.
A newsworthy study about a genetic signature of centenarians published in Science has not stood up to scrutiny by the blogosphere and peer scientists and has now been formally retracted by the authors.
Until recently, such retractions - whether by Editors or by the authors themselves - have been quite rare. With the blogosphere and 24/7 news media becoming more and more prominent, I suspect that we may begin to see more examples. Ultimately, it is a healthy process and good for science.
Below is an excerpt, with my emphasis, from their Letter to Editor in Science:
...we discovered…
jtoney | July 13, 2011
Source.
Disagreements can arouse passions. The blogosphere can be a battlefield, with rapid fire blog posts and comments flying to and fro, sometimes helpful and thoughtful, sometimes off point unbridled ranting.
There's been a lot of discussion amongst my fellow Sciblings and our sponsors on this topic - dare I say it? It begins with the letter "C" - no, sorry, I can't use it - at least at this moment.
Here's a simple test: would you feel comfortable for your spouse or your employer to read what you posted?
There is an allure to venting, especially anonymously, because the reader - and…
jtoney | July 12, 2011
Winners (from left to right): Lauren Hodge, Shree Bose, Naomi Shah
Girls swept all three age categories at Google's first science fair!
CONGRATULATIONS!
* Lauren Hodge in the 13-14 age group. Lauren studied the effect of different marinades on the level of potentially harmful carcinogens in grilled chicken.
* Naomi Shah in the 15-16 age group. Naomi endeavored to prove that making changes to indoor environments that improve indoor air quality can reduce people's reliance on asthma medications.
* Shree Bose in the 17-18 age group. Shree discovered a way to improve ovarian cancer…
jtoney | July 12, 2011
Ridue's Flickr photostream. This is not an endorsement for use of marijuana.
I've always known that scientists and the news media don't get along so well, but this is a bit much.
A study just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes how fatty foods can increase your appetite:
UC Irvine researchers Daniele Piomelli, Nicholas DiPatrizio and colleagues found that fats in these foods make them nearly irresistible and trigger a surprising biological mechanism that likely drives our gluttonous behavior. The apparent culprit? Natural marijuana-like chemicals in…
jtoney | July 6, 2011Can animals be immortal?
This question is explored by RocketBoom in an interesting way - providing examples of regeneration in nature, from fungi to jellyfish to...well, I'll let Molly explain.
Nothing lasts forever, but the animals on today's episode stick around a lot longer than the rest of us. Molly
In case you're not familiar with their website, it provides fresh perspectives to a wide variety of topics:
Rocketboom is a daily international news and entertainment network of online programming based in New York City. We cover and create a wide range of information and commentary from…
jtoney | July 2, 2011
Photo Source, D W S' Flickr Photostream.
Dr. Cynthia Boaz, an assistant professor of political science at Sonoma State University, published a thoughtful article at Truthout that deconstructs an example of a news media outlet that is not "fair and balanced." I would like to share her analysis as "14 Ways to Skin a FOX {News}", supplemented with my own commentary. Note that this is in no way unique to FOX News and is presented to readers as a case study for your consideration.
As one of my mentors once told me:
Sometimes when you make an omelet you've gotta break a few eggs.
Below are…