Why I hate science by press release - a new I Wouldn’t Normally Call blog post
I read today about another exoplanet that is high up on the Earth Similarity Index, meaning it has a reasonable likelihood that it is habitable. By habitable, we normally mean that it’s at the right distance from the star that liquid water might exist on…
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New blog post: Taking Public Outreach seriously
A recent conversation on twitter with AstroKatiestarted me thinking about how seriously employers take public outreach, and how seriously funding agencies take it. She questioned whether including her outreach work on her webpage might not be taken…
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New blog post: Reflections on I’m a Scientist Australia
Readers of this blog will know that I’ve just taken part in I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here! What you probably don’t know is that I won the Boron Zone! YAY! For my efforts I will receive $1000 to spend on communicating science. Double YAY!
Now, that…
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Public lecture - From Planets to Starquakes: A new view from the Kepler space telescope
Okay, shameless plug time.
I will be giving a free public lecture at the University of NSW this…
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY&w=640&h=390]As I mentioned in my last post, I have just taken part in I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here, a project that connects scientists and school students over two weeks of intensive chatting and…
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A lot of my outreach activities have been done in person: public talks, school visits and the like. I also do media interviews too, but there’s nothing like speaking in front of a group of people to keep you on your toes. (Actually, live radio also gives…
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New blog post: Fly me to the Moon…
There are some questions that come up a lot in astronomy outreach with kids, and this is about one of them. The question is “have you ever been to the Moon?” There is a variant: “have you ever been to space?” I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to primary…
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I seem to know a lot about Things That Can Go Wrong™ in public outreach. I’d love to say it’s only because I’ve seen otherpeople do them, and have never done them myself. Sadly, I’m as guilty as the next person. Here are some of the blunders I may or may…
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New blog post: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to School Visits: Fit the Second
The Primary PhaseSchool visits are fun, and I’ve found visiting primary schools to be a wonderful experience. I’ve done visits through Scientists in Schools, MyScienceand through people I know (and I’m always happy to do more!). There are a few things…
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Looking at the nuance and interpretation of words in science.
