commnatural — Page 2

A thought-provoking take on the synergy between activism and technical proficiency from theoretical physicist Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein. Spoiler alert, she writes, “While often necessary, [activism] is not a substitute for technical proficiency. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein is an American cosmologist, science writer and equality activist based at the University of New Hampshire. In addition to major work with NASA, FQXI and more, she maintains…

In recognition of #NationalIndigenousPeoplesDay, we’re sharing this Decolonising STEM Reading List from theoretical physicist Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein provides a powerful, necessary deep-look into the history and current practices of science and the relationship of science to oppression, colonialism, and more. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein recommends starting your reading with “Making Meaning of ‘Decolonizing’” to fully understand the context in which she situates her…

Extensive resources are available from the University of Michigan’s National Center for Institutional Diversity. NCID’s mission is: “We aim to create a more equitable and inclusive society through the production, catalyzation, and elevation of diversity scholarship.” See their website and Twitter feed to connect.

It is Pride Month! Here are a few resources on representation, inclusion, and intersectionality with science. Stay tuned for more in our Resource of the Week series*, as the month progresses. As always, we’d love to hear your recommendations on additional resources to share in the series. LGBTQ+ STEM DAY “LGBTQ+ people in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) continue…

C&E Section Member Ashley Riane Booth is a contributing author at Envirobites.org. We are happy to share this scicomm piece that Ashley recently published about a colleague’s work on paleoclimatology: “Trees, Tempests, and Time: What trees can tell us about weather in the past.”

This week, Kirsten Schwarz (the C&E Section incoming Chairperson) responds to the #MySciComm questions! Kirsten Schwarz is an urban ecologist studying environmental amenities and hazards in cities. Community engagement, social justice, and equity are central themes of her research. She has addressed community-level food insecurity and soil contamination in underserved neighborhoods of Sacramento, CA and the environmental drivers of soil lead…

Representation and perception of who belongs in a given space or field can be significantly impacted by who is depicted. Three sets of photos created by Women in Tech Chat, available through specific creative commons licenses, are available to help address representation in the tech sector. They may also be useful for science communication and engagement work. Before you use…

  According to their website, “myIDP provides: Exercises to help you examine your skills, interests, and values A list of 20 scientific career paths with a prediction of which ones best fit your skills and interests A tool for setting strategic goals for the coming year, with optional reminders to keep you on track Articles and resources to guide you…

  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.

Travel Support for #ESA2019 The information in this section is directly quoted from information provided by the 2019 Program Chair and Program Coordinator. We are posting it here to archive it. Deadlines may or may not have passed – contact funding sources directly. ESA Annual Meeting Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship Workshop organizers are invited to nominate speakers who bring diverse…

              Applications for the AAAS IF/THEN Ambassadors program are being accepted April 1 – July 21, 2019. The AAAS IF/THEN Ambassadors program will bring together 100 US-based women from a variety of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers to serve as high-profile role models for middle school girls. STEM professionals use their skills…

This week, Sarah Schneider (of ESA’s Editorial Office/publications) responds to the #MySciComm questions! We’re delighted to share her story with you, as it is a window into a type of SciComm career that is pivotal to how we do science. Sarah Schneider has worked for the Publications Office of the Ecological Society of America since 2013. These days, she works primarily…

In their article in American Psychologist, Drs. Kathryn J. Holland, Lilia M. Cortina, and Jennifer J. Freyd take a close, critical look at the beneficial assumptions embedded in university and college compelled disclosure policies and practices.  

A thought-provoking piece in Facets. What do you think?

The University of Michigan’s Career Center and Head-Heart-Hands provide resources on how to plan a career change in three stages (HHH) and how to talk about transferable skills developed during a PhD (UMCC).

Numerous articles, resources, podcasts, and whole ventures (e.g., StoryCorps; The Moth) address key aspects of narrative and storytelling that are valuable (even essential) for sharing science. See the following articles for a few we find particularly helpful, insightful, or thought-provoking. These resources may change how you do things and/or provide you with useful citations to justify how you tell science…

Carolyn Trietsch writes in Science about the significant role that regular craft-making has assumed in her entomology department at Pennsylvania State University-University Park. The article points to valuable benefits including transdisciplinary collaborations and networking across labs, art-based science communication and outreach, and entomological collections curation.

Effective November 2018, The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America will accept submissions for consideration in a new section dedicated to Communicating Science. All articles published in the series are free to publish and freely available via open access. This new space in the journal provides ESA members interested in communication and engagement a platform for publishing articles on…

New Web Articles on National Parks in the History of Science National parks in the United States have hosted some of the most significant and influential research projects in ecology and other fields. Many of those studies have launched new lines of inquiry, revealed new taxa, informed foundational ideas in a variety of disciplines, provided “real-world” complements to laboratory studies,…

This week, Johanna “Pika Jo” Varner responds to the #MySciComm questions! We’re thrilled to share her story with you, not least because she was the originator and on-going inspiration for our annual #SketchYourScience activity at the C&E Section booth at annual meetings.   Johanna Varner is an ecologist who studies how climate change affects pikas, small mammals closely related to rabbits….