As scholars, we train rigorously in our fields, and learn to communicate with each other, but not the people most impacted by our work. How can we learn to do better? The world and the Church need us. I’m an academic, but I spend more time writing for lay audiences than scholarly ones. I’ve done my share of academic writing, from undergraduate essays, to grant proposals, science articles, and poster presentations. I even teach students how to do this. As a science communicator, I’ve realized that there is a … [Read more...] about Five Tips for Academics on Communicating to Lay Audiences
communication
Science Corner: Should AI Stand for Alien Intelligence?
Over the holiday weekend, I chatted with my sister-in-law about a study her and her dog participate in on providing communication tools to canines. Maybe you saw this segment on CBS Sunday Morning or some other reporting on this work. The dogs are given buttons, each of which plays a recording of a spoken word. We know dogs have some capacity to understand spoken language, since they can be trained to respond to commands. The word buttons close the loop, allowing the dogs to use words as well. While the sophistication … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Should AI Stand for Alien Intelligence?
Science Corner: Telephone or Bucket Brigade
I may be alone, but I couldn't quite get that honeybee research I meant to write about last week off my mind. Honeybee dancing gets a lot of press, but that's not the only kind of message they can send. Honeybees can also use scents for signaling. The trick there is that pheromones will become diffuse. Like talking, it's fine for a chat with your neighbor but not long distance conversations. But sometimes honeybees need to get in touch with their far-flung friends. For example, sometimes a queen needs to gather a swarm … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Telephone or Bucket Brigade
Science Corner: Ain’t No Science High Enough
My preference with these blog posts is to cover topics beyond origins and Genesis. There is so much other fascinating science to talk about, all of which reveals something about our physical reality and by extension something about the one who created it. But I do sometimes dip into faith and science conversations elsewhere, and lots of people have lots to say and lots to ask about Genesis and origins. Many of these conversations tread and retread the same territory, but one recently stuck with me in a way that I felt … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Ain’t No Science High Enough
Healing through the ESN Steam Grant Project
When I was approached to lead conversations with graduate students about science and faith topics as part of the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) STEAM grant project, I accepted with a good deal of hesitation. I had grown up with a narrative of science and Christianity being in conflict, had no resources for resolving that narrative as an undergraduate chemistry major, and became totally exhausted of the topic by the time I was starting my graduate school journey. Things were no different by the time I graduated and … [Read more...] about Healing through the ESN Steam Grant Project