Category Archives: Science Online NYC

PhDelta: Doctoral Training Centres or Bust

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At August 20th’s SoNYC discussion, which this month is held in collaboration with the New York Academy of Sciences, we’re going to be focusing on science PhDs. Does the current PhD system need revamping to better equip researchers to continue in academia or to pursue other careers after graduating? In our latest series of guest posts on Soapbox Science, we’ll hear from a variety of contributors about how the current system works, where the gaps are, which additional skills they think PhD courses should incorporate and what their personal experiences have been. Follow and join in the conversations online using #PhDelta and share your thoughts in the comment threads on the blog posts too.

Rich Walker is a Science Executive at the Royal Society of Chemistry. He graduated from the University in Oxford in 2007, only to return to study for a DPhil in Physical and Theoretical Chemistry investigating the behaviour of novel, mid-infrared lasers with applications in atmospheric monitoring and medical sensing. Since graduating in 2011, his work at the RSC has involved education and science policy roles, the latter of which is now his main concern. He can be found on twitter as @ivelostmysock or during the day contributing to @RSC_Roadmap. Continue reading →

PhDelta: PhD2.0 and anecdotes from the trenches

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At August 20th’s SoNYC discussion, which this month is held in collaboration with the New York Academy of Sciences, we’re going to be focusing on science PhDs. Does the current PhD system need revamping to better equip researchers to continue in academia or to pursue other careers after graduating? In our latest series of guest posts on Soapbox Science, we’ll hear from a variety of contributors about how the current system works, where the gaps are, which additional skills they think PhD courses should incorporate and what their personal experiences have been. Follow and join in the conversations online using #PhDelta and share your thoughts in the comment threads on the blog posts too.

Jeanne earned her PhD in nutritional and metabolic biology from Columbia University and is currently studying how cholesterol moves inside of our cells as a postdoc at The Rockefeller University.  In addition to her role as a scientist, Jeanne is a science blogger, writing for her personal blog, The Mother Geek, as well as for new and exciting science site for women and all those who like women, Double X Science.  Tying together her research and blogging, Jeanne serves as co–organizer of Science Online NYC (SoNYC), which is a monthly meeting open to anyone who is interested in how science is conducted and discussed.  If you want to know more, you can easily find Jeanne on Twitter, tweeting as @JeanneGarb.  

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PhDelta: How to Patch the PhD Problem

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At August 20th’s SoNYC discussion, which this month is held in collaboration with the New York Academy of Sciences, we’re going to be focusing on science PhDs. Does the current PhD system need revamping to better equip researchers to continue in academia or to pursue other careers after graduating? In our latest series of guest posts on Soapbox Science, we’ll hear from a variety of contributors about how the current system works, where the gaps are, which additional skills they think PhD courses should incorporate and what their personal experiences have been. Follow and join in the conversations online using #PhDelta and share your thoughts in the comment threads on the blog posts too.

Alison McCook, a science writer based in Philadelphia, is a Comment editor at Nature. To find out more, visit her website. 

At the moment, the state of the PhD system is somewhat unclear. Are we training too many young scientists, or too few? And are we preparing them for a long, lustrous career, or using them as primarily temporary, cheap labor?

Even without clear answers to these questions, some researchers and administrators are already taking action to try to tinker with the formula for training new scientists. Continue reading →

Why Cartoons, sex and music are necessary in science communication

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Emily Coren is a science illustrator in California. She has a BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UC-Santa Cruz that led to a position making transgenic butterflies at SUNY Buffalo. She graduated from the UC Santa Cruz Program in Science Illustration and drew bugs, plants and dinosaur bones at the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History and developed educational content for Walden Media in Los Angeles. Her goal as a science illustrator has always been to use popular media to make science accessible to people with non-science backgrounds.  Current project for connecting is WalkaboutEm.com and can be found at on Twitter as @emilycoren.

 

I want to express my appreciation to all of the scientists and science communicators who have spoken up before me. There have been some wonderful issues raised in June’s Soapbox Science #reachingoutsci  series, and I hope my ideas continue the discussion. Continue reading →

Reaching Out: So You Want To Communicate Science Online: The Flowchart

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Science Online New York (SoNYC) encourages audience participation in the discussion of how science is carried out and communicated online. To tie in with June’s event which will discuss how scientists can reach out of the ivory tower, we’re hosting a series of guest posts on Soapbox Science. We will hear from a range of contributors: scientists, writers, enthusiasts, communicators, events organizers, policy makers and teachers, each sharing details about how they reach out to engage with the public. 

Miriam is a Ph.D. student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where she studies the ecological impacts of plastic trash in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. She blogs at Deep Sea News and tweets at @MiriamGoldste.

Every so often, my colleagues drift into my office, wondering about this whole online science thing. For you, gentle Nature blog readers, I’ve distilled my standard spiel into a handy (somewhat tongue-in-cheek) flowchart. This is by no means the One True Way, and I welcome comments and feedback. Continue reading →

Reaching Out: 1,000 Scientists in 1,000 Days

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Science Online New York (SoNYC) encourages audience participation in the discussion of how science is carried out and communicated online. To tie in with June’s event which looks at how scientists reach out of the ivory tower, communicating science to the public, we’re hosting a series of guest posts on the nature.com blogs. We will hear from a range of contributors: scientists, writers, enthusiasts, communicators, events organizers, policy makers and teachers, each sharing details about how they engage and reach out to the public.

Rachel Scheer is the Corporate Public Relations Manager for Nature Publishing Group. She handles the PR efforts for Scientific American including writing press releases, facilitating partnerships and organizing media opportunities for the editorial team. Continue reading →

Reaching Out: Science has a PR Solution

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Science Online New York (SoNYC) encourages audience participation in the discussion of how science is carried out and communicated online. To tie in with June’s event which looks at how scientists reach out of the ivory tower, communicating science to the public, we’re hosting a series of guest posts on the nature.com blogs. We will hear from a range of contributors: scientists, writers, enthusiasts, communicators, events organizers, policy makers and teachers, each sharing details about how they engage and reach out to the public.

David Wescott is a Director of Digital Strategy at APCO Worldwide, a global public affairs firm. He has served as a legislative assistant to a United States Senator and administrator of a Pediatrics department at a public hospital in Boston. He blogs at It’s Not a Lecture and is a contributor at Virtual Vantage Points, Science Cheerleader, Earth and Industry, The Broad Side, and Global Voices Online. He lives in Durham, NC. Continue reading →

Reaching Out: Harvard Student Organization – Science in the News

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Science Online New York (SoNYC) encourages audience participation in the discussion of how science is carried out and communicated online. To tie in with June’s event which looks at how scientists reach out of the ivory tower, communicating science to the public, we’re hosting a series of guest posts on the nature.com blogs. We will hear from a range of contributors: scientists, writers, enthusiasts, communicators, events organizers, policy makers and teachers, each sharing details about how they engage and reach out to the public.

Tammy Slenn is a 5th year PhD student at Harvard University and current co-director of Science in the News, a graduate student organization focused on communication of science to the general public. Science in the News provides programming in the greater Boston area about current science for those who have completed their formal science education. Programming includes two lecture series, a science café series, an e-newsletter, education outreach, and participation in stand-alone events. For more information about Science in the News, visit sitn.hms.harvard.edu, “like” Science in the News at Harvard University on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @sitnharvard, or email sitnboston@gmail.com. Continue reading →

Reaching Out: Why Geeks Need a Manifesto

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Science Online New York (SoNYC) encourages audience participation in the discussion of how science is carried out and communicated online. To tie in with June’s event which looks at how scientists reach out of the ivory tower, communicating science to the public, we’re hosting a series of guest posts on the nature.com blogs. We will hear from a range of contributors: scientists, writers, enthusiasts, communicators, events organizers, policy makers and teachers, each sharing details about how they engage and reach out to the public.

Mark Henderson is the author of The Geek Manifesto: Why Science Matters, published by Bantam Press, which explores the relationship between science and politics. He is also Head of Communications at the Wellcome Trust. He joined the Trust in January 2011 after 15 years at The Times, where he was Science Editor.

At The Times, Mark was instrumental in founding Eureka, the newspaper’s monthly science magazine, and developed a reputation as one of the UK’s leading science journalists. He won several awards for his journalism: three prizes from the Medical Journalists’ Association, the Royal Statistical Society’s prize for statistical excellence in journalism, and the European Best Cancer Reporter prize from the European School of Oncology.

His first book, 50 Genetics Ideas You Really Need to Know, was published in 2009. Continue reading →

Reaching Out: Public Lectures at Gresham College

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Science Online New York (SoNYC) encourages audience participation in the discussion of how science is carried out and communicated online. To tie in with June’s event which looks at how scientists reach out of the ivory tower, communicating science to the public, we’re hosting a series of guest posts on Nature blogs. We will hear from a range of contributors: scientists, writers, enthusiasts, communicators, events organizers, policy makers and teachers, each sharing details about how they engage and reach out to the public.

James Franklin is Communications Manager at Gresham College, an independent educational institution in Central London which provides over 100 free lectures a year. He has a background in website management and online sub-editing. He is a Master of Philosophy born and raised in the Isle of Man. Continue reading →