Many times when working across fields, there is a lot of miscommunication, misapprehension, and misunderstandings. Sure, there may be an overlap in ideas, but it’s the nitty-gritty details that trip people up. This poor fellow had a classic case of what a lot of interdisciplinary people feel when they are just starting out: lost for …
Author: Grace
I'm a "dirt-ologist". I love studying the interface of human and environment interaction, often asking the rather rhetorical question: "Do we change the landscape, or does the landscape change us?"
I also captain the ISS Insanitekian, a startup adventure of a lifetime.
The jaded public and the Freedom of Information Act
All too often I hear people say, âWhy should I care what goes on in science. It doesn’t affect me.â Flabbergasted, I point out to them that lots of environmental research was going on in their own neighborhood on water pollution or air pollution. I’ll show them an EPA site or two where they can …
The cultural journey from Samhain to Halloween
Transport yourself back to ancient times, and place yourself into the Celtic culture. It’s the end of autumn, and you’re around a bonfire dressed up to ward off the dead. This is the holiday known to the ancient Celts as Samhain (pronounced sow-in).
The R&D Cycle
So, you’ve had an idea in your head for a while, and you want to turn it out into a product. Do you know how to go about it? There is a certain process cleverly called “the R&D cycle” that walks you through the steps to get your idea from your brain and ready for …
Death by PowerPoint: Tips on giving successful presentations
Often times effective presentation skills seem like a forgotten art. They’re treated as an afterthought, as can be seen in lecture hall after lecture hall on any university campus. Presentations are marginally better during academic conferences where the speaker is talking to an audience that presumably cares about the topic at hand. However, even these can seem rushed and cobbled together. …
Generate interest, generate diversity
The hot topic of diversity is not exclusive to schools and the workforce; it also exists in museums. At a Board of Directors meeting at Imagination Station, they discussed not only how to generate diversity in patronage, but how to generate more interest in the museum. When I was asked for my opinion, I was …
The vocabulary of science
Language is probably the most important thing we have as human beings. It allows us to share ideas, feelings, thoughts, and news. We use it every day to communicate who we are, what we believe in, and express our emotions and desires. In communicating science, it has an additional dimension to it, whereas it shares …
Two unavoidable benefits of studying abroad
One of the best pieces of advice I got as an undergraduate was from a professor trying to convince me to join his study-abroad trip. Dr. Gordon Young said, “You are going to be in debt for the rest of your life, so you might as well have something to remember it by.” It took …
How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff {book review}
How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff My rating: 5 of 5 stars OK, first off, it isn’t normal that I give a math book 5 stars. I often find them dull, boring, and difficult to read. However, How to lie with statistics was as funny as it was informative. Duff does a good …
Hands-on exploration: A simple method of teaching the public
Without a doubt, our personal worlds are shaped by early experiences in our lives. For instance, my early childhood was filled with experiences in which I was encouraged to ask “why” as often as I could, explore the answers, and give my own answers to those precious questions. My brain was fuelled by my imagination, …