Jeanne Garbarino, a Bronx native, currently serves as the Director of Science Outreach at The Rockefeller University in New York City.  After graduating from SUNY Geneseo with a BSc in biology, Jeanne went on to pursue her PhD in nutritional and metabolic biology from the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University.  During her doctoral studies, Jeanne developed an environmental and genetic model to study the process of lipid-induced cell death using yeast as a model system.  She continued her studies in lipid metabolism as a postdoctoral researcher at The Rockefeller University, where she characterized proteins involved in the cellular transport of cholesterol. In addition to her role as a scientific researcher, Jeanne has been involved in many science communication and outreach initiatives, including co-founding SpotOn NYC (SoNYC), which is a monthly science discussion series held at The Rockefeller University in collaboration with Nature.com and Ars Technica. She is also the biology editor of Double X Science.  You can connect with Jeanne on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.  

At the most basic level, science outreach can be defined as facilitating the understanding of science to non-scientists. While the overall objective of science outreach is clear, the ways in which engagement can occur are numerous. Traditional modes of science outreach include classroom visits by scientists, laboratory tours, public science talks, and science museums. But evolving technologies have opened the door for additional science outreach models. Continue reading →