Last week I wrote about the phrase science literacy, and whether or not we should use it in science communication. Ultimately, I decided that it’s not as useful a tool as we think it is, particularly when you consider this this paper, which suggests that people who are more scientifically literate have “more polarized beliefs…
In early November I had an email from Kelly, an environmental science student finishing her MSc. She’s at a crossroads, with loads of questions about career trajectories. Should she do a PhD? Can she be a writer AND a professor? Would she enjoy being a professor as much as she’d enjoy writing? What are the…
When I was a kid I played ‘newspaper reporter’. I’d drag my dad’s heavy typewriter out of the closet, roll in a sheet of scrap paper with a flourish, and pound away. My ‘newspaper’ consisted of a letter-sized piece of paper, with each story (and catchy headline, of course) taking up a short paragraph. Everything…
Watershed Moments: Thoughts from the Hydrosphere 