Policy
How the Word "but" Could Save the World
It makes narratives more compelling—and if those narratives help the public appreciate science, that's a very good thing
Stories by Marc Kuchner
Space & Physics
The "Last Starfighter" Model for Citizen Science
Like the hero of the 1984 space opera, ordinary folks sometimes have extraordinary gifts that can be put to use—in this case, in service of discovery
Mind & Brain
We Are All Politicians Now: Science Communication and the Romney 47 Percent Video
This week, presidential candidate Mitt Romney got into hot water after he made some remarks at a fundraiser attended by the wealthy that seemed to denigrate middle-class and poor Americans...
Evolution
Bill Nye's "Don't Teach Creationism " Video Dissected by Business Communication Expert
Have you seen the new video by Bill Nye called “Creationism is not appropriate for children”? The video simply shows Nye standing in front of a white background and speaking, for two minutes, thirty seconds...
The Sciences
Marketing Your Science? Keep it Real: An Interview with Congressman Robert Walker
When I speak to scientists about marketing, I like to say how important it is to “keep it real”. Pardon me while I say that again in business-speak.
The Sciences
Flame Challenge Fails to Challenge Negative Stereotypes of Scientists
Scientists are aloof and socially inept. That seems to be part of the message of the video that won the Flame Challenge, a science communication contest run by the Center for Communicating Science...
The Sciences
Don t Be Arrogant, Do Tell a Story: An Interview with Congressman Robert Walker about How Scientists Should Interact with Congress
Congressman Robert Walker represented Pennsylvania in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican from 1977 to 1997. He’s has taken an interest in helping scientists understand Congress, and he invited me to his marble office building on K Street in Washington DC to interview him...
Stars to the Rescue
Science as a new cause célèbre
The Sciences
Entertainers Sticking Up for Science: The Help We ve Been Pleading For?
In magazine reporting (and maybe science blogging), they say three events suffice to indicate a trend. So let me announce a new trend: popular entertainers are sticking up for science.
The Sciences
The Open Science Paradox
I just read and enjoyed Reinventing Discovery: The New Era of Networked Science, a new book by Michael Nielsen, recently reviewed by Bora Zivkovic. The book tells how science is undergoing a revolution where new global online collaborations face off against secretive old-school researchers and profit-hungry journal publishers...
Environment
Hungry for Jobs and for Change, Scientists Join the Occupy Movement
Traffic backed up along Baltimore's inner harbor last week as protestors from the "Occupy" movement waved signs and shouted at the passing drivers. And among the protestors were scientists and science students, unhappy with their job prospects, their funding prospects, and the way science is viewed in America.I had heard about the protests on the news, and hadn't paid too much attention...
Mind & Brain
Optimism and Enthusiasm: Lessons for Scientists from Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs, cofounder of Apple Computers who died this week, had a reputation as a passionate business leader and a modern folk hero. In 1999 one of Jobs’s friends said, “He is single-minded, almost manic, in his pursuit of excellence.” That’s certainly a character trait we scientists can admire.Let’s take a look at another one of Job’s traits that we scientists can benefit from emulating...
