Meet Tom Hata

Co-founder, VP AI at LookDeep Health

Oakland, California, USA

LinkedIn

Currently working on: Developing AI-assisted tools to improve patient health outcomes.

Talk with me about:

  • Biology, Computer Science, Engineering, Health, Physics
  • Low-cost tech/engineering projects and demonstrations

My STEM Story: I was an early team member of Foldscope, a low-cost origami-based paper microscope that started out as a project in a Stanford Bioengineering lab and eventually became the flagship product of a startup. Through this project, I was able to interact with many institutions, educators, and hobbyists throughout the world and run microscopy workshops locally and internationally.

Past Projects: Foldscope (www.foldscope.com), Data Science Fellow at Insight Data Science, R&D Process Engineer at RheoSense

Meet Tokiwa Smith

Founder and Executive Director, Science, Engineering and Mathematics Link Inc

Atlanta, Georgia

LinkedIn

Currently working on: Encouraging high school students to engage in STEM Research through an experimental design program that provides a digital learning platform to prepare high school students to conduct STEM research for STEM Fairs and STEM in the City, a community workshop that teaches youth techniques for field research.

Talk with me about:

  • Chemistry, Engineering
  • Non-profits
  • Science festivals
  • Virtual field trips
  • Grant writing

My STEM Story:  I have always loved STEM but I discovered my favorite STEM discipline was chemistry in 10th grade.

Projects: Since the last COPUSMeeting, I was honored by Atlanta Magazine as one of their 2019 Women Making a Mark Honorees, I received a Torch Bearer’s Award for Excellence in Science Education from Dekalb County Public Schools and I published a chapter Creating Support Systems for Black Women in Non-traditional STEM Career Paths in Women’s Influence on Inclusion, Equity and Diversity in STEM Fields.

Meet Stu Koretz

Docent, Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, Stanford University

Palo Alto, California

Email me

Currently working on: creating approaches to inquiry-based learning in a natural setting.

Talk with me about:

  • Biology, Chemistry, Ecology
  • Public outreach
  • Inquiry-based learning

My STEM Story: My interest in STEM benefitted enormously from childhood mentors and teachers, who stimulated my interest by posing questions and problems for me to solve.

Meet Stephanie Gillin

1_stephaniegillin Stephanie’s first experience with wildlife was working for the Salish Kootenai College, participating in a Reservation-wide survey of reptiles and amphibians. She began her career as a Wildlife Biologist Trainee in 1997 while attended the University of Montana, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology. Stephanie has been working as a Biologist with the Tribe for 14 years. She has worked on several projects, including monitoring of Chronic Wasting Disease in ungulates, big game hunting permit organization, permit issuance and compilation of harvest data. She annually conducts numerous public outreach and environmental & cultural education on local wildlife and wildlife issues for local schools and other groups. She represents the Tribes as the Wildlife Biologist on issues related to Yellowstone bison hunting issues and management. She also assists with a wide variety of wildlife projects, including the Highway 93 post-construction monitoring of wildlife crossings and avian surveys.

Three words that describe Stephanie:
Positive, kind, team player

The dots Stephanie connects:
“I am the “middle child”, so I connect as many dots as I can!!”

Meet Russ Campbell

1_russcampbellRuss Campbell is the Senior Communications Officer at the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, a private foundation located in Research Triangle Park, NC. Russ has created and published the Fund’s series on career development for scientists and STEM outreach efforts. He understands the critical role of communications in creating authentic connections leading to substantive policy and community change.

Three words that describe Russ:
creative strategic connection

The dots Russ connects:
Passionate individuals desirous for change

Meet Mónica Ivelisse Feliú-Mójer

Monica Feliu-Mojer
Mónica grew up in rural Puerto Rico, surrounded by nature and with a cow in her backyard, which sparked her interest in all things biology. A scientist-turned-communicator, she loves building connections to make science and scientists accessible to all. Her bilingual outreach and communication efforts focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) topics and opportunities, as well as increasing equity, access and diversity in science and science communication.

Mónica has received numerous awards and recognitions, including a graduate research fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the COPUS Paul Shin Memorial Award (2013) for her efforts to increase public understanding of science among Hispanic audiences. Her work has been featured on international media outlets, such as UnivisiónVOXXI, and Scientific American among others.

She has a bachelor’s degree in Human Biology from the University of Puerto Rico in Bayamón and a Ph.D. in Neurobiology from Harvard University. Mónica is the vice-director and news editor-in-chief of Ciencia Puerto Rico (@CienciaPR), an organization leveraging social networks to engage Hispanic scientists in science communication and education. Mónica is also the Science Outreach Program Manager for iBiology, an UCSF-based non-profit organization that produces educational open-access videos on research and science-related topics featuring the world’s leading biologists.

Three words that describe Mónica:
Borinqueña, curious, loves stories

The dots Mónica connects:
She leverages online communities to connect scientists, educators and the media to empower people through science.

Meet Diego Román

Assistant Professor in Bilingual/Bicultural Education, University of Wisconsin at Madison

Madison, Wisconsin, USA

LinkedIn, Facebook

Currently working on:  science education for multicultural students.

Talk with me about:

  • Higher education (undergrad and postgrad)
  • Biology, Ecology, Bilingual Education, Linguistics
  • grant writing
  • publishing papers
  • curriculum

My STEM Story: a fond STEM memory I have is hosting science fairs at schools in the midwest.

Projects: check out my current and past projects here: https://ci.education.wisc.edu/ci/people/faculty/diego-roman.

Meet Lance Powell

Lance_PowellLance Powell has used the environment as a vehicle to teach science in the Bay Area for most of the last 19 years. He has been involved in a variety of schools ranging from the inner city of San Francisco to where he is now, down the Peninsula in the Menlo Park area. As an educator, he strives to bring science alive while improving student thinking and work habits. He is all about hands-­on science, inquiry work and getting kids outside.

Currently he is serving as an instructional science coach and helping his colleagues bring in the new Next Generation Science Standards into their courses. His most recent acknowledgement earlier in 2015 was the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Education.

Three words that describe Lance:
dynamic, creative, passionate

The dots Lance connects:
Besides the numbered ones, Lance connect kids with the outdoors and the science behind environmental issues that affect them… and maybe even an internship or job.

Meet Colibrí Sanfiorenzo-­Barnhard

Coli_250x333

Colibrí lives and works in Puerto Rico.

She is in the process of establishing a consulting firm that supports community groups and NGO’s in science education, organizational structure and administrative/fiscal support.

She integrates basic science (mainly ecology) into art projects, outdoor activities and urban participatory design.

She also connects larger NGO’s with community groups and farmers interested in conservation. Starting from scratch is hard but she loves what she does and is filled with joy everyday!

Three words that describe Colibrí:
outdoorsy, helper, researcher

The dots Colibrí connects:
NGO’s, community groups and individuals working towards the well-being of
Puerto Rico

Meet Joel Abraham

Joel_AbrahamJoel K. Abraham is an assistant professor of biology education in the Department of Biological Science at California State University, Fullerton. Joel and his students study a wide range of topics, including non-­native plant invasions in California ecosystems, sustainable urban agriculture, student conceptions and competencies in science, and teacher education and hiring practices. Many of his students have community-­based research projects, partnering with local urban gardens and schools.

Joel received his PhD in biology at UC Berkeley, and was a postdoctoral researcher at the Scheller Teacher Education Program at MIT. He is active in a number of programs and committees aimed at increasing diversity and public engagement in science.

Three words that describe Joel:
Ecology, Education, Community

Meet Gina Schatteman

Gina_SchattemanGina is the Co-­Director of iExploreSTEM, a non-­profit volunteer organization that
produces and supports public STEM events, primarily in rural and remote areas. Their focus is
STEM festivals, but they also work with communities to help them produce other types of STEM events as
well.

Read this feature about Gina from “Stem Women on Fire.” (http://stemwomenonfire.weebly.com/gina-schatteman.html)

Gina is engaged in research to help us better understand the impact of public science events on
the public value, appreciation, and understanding of science. She is an emeritus associate professor
at the University of Iowa where she taught and ran a lab researching the use of stem cells to treat
vascular disease in people with diabetes.

She likes being outdoors, especially in the mountains, and loves (non-motorized) winter sports.

Three words that describe Gina:
scientist, STEM festival advocate, policy wonk wannabe

The dots Gina connects:
She organizes science festivals, and these require the building of broad-­based coalitions in communities. She works to connect STEM education stakeholders in Idaho to share policy best practices in promoting STEM careers and enhancing STEM education.

Meet Amber Finley

Amber_FinleyAmber Finley is an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation, and is also Spirit Lake Dakota and Standing Rock Lakota on her maternal grandmother’s side. Although she was raised in California, her home is Mandaree, located on the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota. Amber was a two-time graduate of Fort Berthold Community College before receiving her Bachelor of Science in Fisheries & Wildlife Biology from Univeristy of North Dakota in 2006. In 2008, she earned her Master of Science in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco. Amber is a Gates Millennium Scholar alum, a lifetime Sequoyah member of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, and serves as a mentor for several diversity-­based organizations.

After returning to Grand Forks, Amber worked with other members of the American Indian community, exploring avenues for cultural awareness, development, and expression. In 2010, the group established Northstar Council, an organization with the mission of empowering indigenous people through research, education, and outreach. Finley is the Executive Director of Northstar Council.

In 2015, Amber received the Gates Millennium Scholars Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

Three words that describe Amber:
Honest, Kind, Humble

The dots that Amber connects:
Culture, Science,Traditional Knowledge, and Communities

Meet Denny Casey

Denny_Casey

Denny Casey is Director of Education and Public Programs at Virginia Museum of Natural History. He is also an adjunct instructor with state and private universities as instructor of science methods and education courses. His degrees are in natural science education and science curriculum and instruction, all from Virginia Tech.

His research interests include:

  • education for social justice, social constructivism
  • history and nature of science and technology
  • earth systems science education.

His professional service includes: Journal of Virginia Science Education and Web Administrator for Virginia Association of Science Teachers and the Virginia Junior Academy Of Science, Virginia Master Naturalist Program, Virginia Resource Use Education Council, and National Science Teachers Association Council as District VIII Director, 2015-­2018.

Three words that describe Denny:
Science educator and researcher, nature and techno-geek, community volunteer

The dots Denny connects:
Formal and informal natural history and STEM education throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia; educators, science, and professional development.

Meet Eve Klein

Eve_Klein_300x282Eve Klein manages the Portal to the Public Network, based at Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Washington. Eve’s background is in the physical sciences, and she also has a masters in education (her research was in public perceptions of science). She is interested in when and where adults acquire the science knowledge needed for safety, productivity, and civic engagement.

A Little About Portal to the Public:
The Portal to the Public approach helps Informal Science Education (ISE) organizations connect public audiences with current science in their own communities through direct interactions with local science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) researchers and experts. The Portal to the Public framework has been implemented at over 44 institutions that form the Portal to the Public Network (PoPNet), a diverse community of practitioners dedicated to sharing ideas and strategies for scientist-and-public engagement. Through funding from the National Science Foundation, PoPNet has expanded to a range of informal science settings including university outreach groups, zoos, aquariums, and nature centers. The Network continues to expand and would like to connect with new institutions and other ISE organizations. Find out more information on joining PoPNet here.

Three words that describe Eve:
Adventurer, scrabble fiend, learner

The dots Eve connects:
She brings hands-on, inquiry based science activities to rural schools to provide students with positive, empowering learning experiences.

Meet Amy Vashlishan Murray

amymurray1Amy is an Assistant Professor of Science at Emerson College in Boston; a liberal arts school devoted to communication and the arts. Working closely with talented Emerson undergraduates and a local community of early career research scientists, Amy pursues a passion for addressing communication barriers between scientists, the media, and the public. She has established a Science Communication Collaborative that partners scientists and future artists and communicators for mutual communication training and has worked to build a foundation for the “Ask for Evidence” campaign in the US. To Amy’s great satisfaction, #askforevidence has been adopted in her household (by 3-­year old, Jackson, and husband, Shane) as a verbal shorthand for expressing scientific skepticism.

Amy was the 2014 COPUS winner of the annual Paul Shin Award, honoring the unsung heroes of science communication and engagement. Morgan Thompson, PhD, Assistant Director at the Center for Biomedical Career Development, nominated Amy for the award, saying Amy is “shaping the foundational scientific understanding of future communicators – both conceptual knowledge as well as the process of science and ability to critically evaluate evidence.” The Emerson Science Communication Collaborative “pairs undergraduate students interested in science communication with local early career scientists in a semester-long series of exchanges to further the training and skills of both audiences. Scientists are provided a rare opportunity early in their careers to practice media skills and effective communication with lay audiences in a non-threatening, low-risk environment that utilizes the expertise of Emerson students. The undergraduates come to know the person behind the scientist, helping to dispel popular misconceptions about the process of science and providing more accurate, nuanced, and diverse portraits of who does science. Culminating projects range from children’s books to public service announcements to a musical composition based upon the genetic sequence of a strain of H1N1 flu virus.”

Three words that describe Amy:
Scientist-educator, Idea-­collector, Evidence-­lover.

The dots Amy connects:
She connects arts and communication students and the scientific community and she connects anyone who will listen to evidence.

Meet Lisa White

LisaWhite

Lisa White is Director of Education and Outreach at the UC Museum of Paleontology in Berkeley. In this role she promotes teaching and learning of science, particularly of evolution, the fossil record, and the nature and impacts of global change, through online resources and hands-­on science. A geologist and micropaleontologist by training, she previously held positions of Professor of Geosciences at San Francisco State University and she is active in efforts to diversify the geosciences through wide-­ranging field and research experience programs for urban youth. These include the SF-­ROCKS (Reaching out the Communities and Kids with Science in San Francisco) and METALS (Minority Education Through Teaching and Learning in the Sciences) programs that benefit from collaborations with scientists and faculty at the University of New Orleans and the University of Texas at El Paso.

California Magazine put it well:
“As an African-American woman in one of the least diverse scientific fields, White, director of education and public programs at the University of California’s Museum of Paleontology, is accustomed to playing the part of role model. ‘There are very few female black geoscientists who study paleontology, so I get it,’ she says with a chuckle. ‘I’m going to be asked reach out to youth a lot.'”

(…and we know Lisa doesn’t see this as a chore — she loves it.)

Watch Lisa in Nova’s “Making North America” where she highlights California geology in episodes one (Origins) and three (Human).

Three words that describe Lisa:
Paleontologist, educator, sports fan!

The dots Lisa connects:
She connects communities to science through places — both local and global — that are meaningful to their lives: parks and outdoor spaces, neighborhoods, educational centers, and museums.

Read more at UC Berkeley’s news site, where Lisa was highlighted for being featured in a PBS special, or at California Magazine, where her outreach work was recently highlighted.

Lisa, in her role as Director of Education and Outreach, at the UCMP, is spearheading a new “Understanding Global Change” website project — soon to be be a sibling to the already existing Understanding Evolution, and Understanding Science resource websites.

Understanding Evolution — Teaching Resource

Understanding_Evolution1

What is the Understanding Evolution website?

Understanding Evolution is a non-commercial, education website, teaching the science and history of evolutionary biology. This site is here to help you understand what evolution is, how it works, how it factors into your life, how research in evolutionary biology is performed, and how ideas in this area have changed over time.

Looking for a great resource to help explain evolution to people at any age? Check out the site tour to see all the resources offered — http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/tour.php

They have an abundance of materials!

  • Evo 101 — an in-depth course on the science of evolution
  • Teaching Materials — the ultimate resource for teachers!
  • Resource Library — a browsable archive of articles, tutorials, interactive investigations and more.

The Understanding Evolution site has been a long, on-going collaborative project of the University of California Museum of Paleontology and the National Center for Science Education. For more information, see their credits page. UCMP continues to develop and maintain partnerships with other scientific and educational organizations in a joint effort to support evolution education. For a listing of these organizations, see their collaborations page. Consider collaborating!

Thanks to Lisa White, and everyone at the UCMP, for making this great resource available to the public.

Understanding Science — Teaching Resource

Understanding_Science

Visit the Understanding Science website (http://undsci.berkeley.edu/) to learn how science really works.

The mission of Understanding Science is to provide a fun, accessible, and free resource that accurately communicates what science is and how it really works. The process of science is exciting, but standard explanations often miss its dynamic nature. Science affects us all everyday, but people often feel cut off from science. Science is an intensely human endeavor, but many portrayals gloss over the passion, curiosity, and even rivalries and pitfalls that characterize all human ventures. Understanding Science gives users an inside look at the general principles, methods, and motivations that underlie all of science.

This project has at its heart a re-engagement with science that begins with teacher preparation and ends with broader public understanding. Its immediate goals are to (1) improve teacher understanding of the nature of the scientific enterprise, (2) provide resources and strategies that encourage and enable K-16 teachers to reinforce the nature of science throughout their science teaching, and (3) provide a clear and informative reference for students and the general public that accurately portrays the scientific endeavor.

The Understanding Science site was produced by the UC Museum of Paleontology of the University of California at Berkeley, in collaboration with a diverse group of scientists and teachers, and was funded by the National Science Foundation. Understanding Science was informed and initially inspired by our work on the Understanding Evolution project, which highlighted the fact that many misconceptions regarding evolution spring from misunderstandings of the nature of science. Furthermore, research indicates that students and teachers at all grade levels have inadequate understandings of the nature and process of science, which may be traced to classrooms in which science is taught as a simple, linear, and non-generative process. This false and impoverished depiction disengages students, discourages public support, and may help explain current indications that the U.S. is losing its global edge in science. Even beyond the health of the U.S. economy, the public has a genuine need to critically assess conflicting representations of scientific evidence in the media. To do this, they need to understand the strengths, limitations, and basic methods of the enterprise that has produced those claims. Understanding Science takes an important step towards meeting these needs.

Thanks to Lisa White, and everyone at the UCMP, for making this great resource available to the public!

Science Festivals Near You

ScienceFestivalAlliance

The mission of the Science Festival Alliance (SFA) is to foster a professional community dedicated to more and better science and technology festivals. Check them out at http://sciencefestivals.org/

Whether you are a science lover, looking for opportunities for science enrichment for you and your community, OR you’re a scientist or working with an organization that is hoping to connect with the public through science outreach activities — visit the Science Festival Alliance out to learn more about annual science festivals.

When the SFA began in 2009 only a handful of science festivals existed in the United States, and they were not working (or even communicating) with each other. Since that time, the country has enjoyed a surge in the number of science festivals, and the SFA is now networking together dozens of independently operated festival initiatives. Whether you are considering starting a new science festival, would like to partner with existing festivals, or are just interested in learning about the latest developments, the Science Festival Alliance is the best place to begin.

The SFA is not an independent organization, nor is it the exclusive project of a single institution (though two full-time staff members dedicated to the SFA are housed at the MIT Museum). It is a collaborative network involving institutions, initiatives, and individuals that have committed to work together to best serve our communities through the festival format.

Thanks to Ben Wiehe for helping to raise awareness of this amazing resource within the COPUS corps!

Love Citizen Science?

SciStarter_Logo_300w

SciStarter is the place to find, join, and contribute to science through recreational activities and citizen science research projects. Their database of citizen science projects enable discovery, organization, and greater participation in citizen science. Check them out at http://scistarter.com/

If you are a scientist or a representative of a citizen science organization or community: SciStarter is the organization and community to tell eager people about your work and get them interested in helping out. If you do not represent a project, but have a favorite citizen science you’d like to see added to the SciStarter Project Finder, consider inviting someone from the project to add the project or drop a tip about the project.

SciStarter’s Mission is to bring together the millions of citizen scientists in the world; the thousands of potential projects offered by researchers, organizations, and companies; and the resources, products, and services that enable citizens to pursue and enjoy these activities.

They aim to:

  • Enable and encourage people to learn about, participate in, and contribute to science through both informal recreational activities and formal research efforts.
  • Inspire greater appreciation and promote a better understanding of science and technology among the general public.
  • Create a shared space where scientists can talk with citizens interested in working on or learning about their research projects.
  • Satisfy the popular urge to tinker, build, and explore by making it simple and fun for people—singles, parents, grandparents, kids—to jump in and get their hands dirty with science.

Thanks to Darlene Cavalier for helping to raise awareness of SciStarter within the COPUS corps!

Meet Wayne Himelsein

Himelsein

Wayne Himelsein is President of Informed by Nature (http://informedbynature.org/), a non-profit with the goals of advancing the public understanding of science, and concurrently, the Senior Managing Partner of Logica Capital, a successful investment company. At Logica, Wayne heads the investment team and R&D, as well as engages with investors globally. Prior to Logica, Wayne built and managed several hedge funds that invested in his quantitative strategies. Wayne’s financial career began in 1995, when he traded securities and developed algorithms that were used to launch his first hedge fund. Wayne’s lifelong passion for science has served him well in his financial pursuits and in his personal quest to explore deep questions. An appreciation of the powerful tools of science led him to establish Informed by Nature in 2004. Wayne holds a BA from Berkeley and resides in Los Angeles.

Three words that describe Wayne:
Science lover, business builder, people person.

The dots that Wayne connects:
He connects anyone who has an internet connection to content demonstrating the amazing breadth of science. He connects students who have an interest in science to programs that help strengthen that interest.

Join the Ask for Evidence Campaign

Ask for Evidence Logo

Ask for Evidence is a public campaign that helps people request for themselves the evidence behind news stories, marketing claims and policies.

We hear daily claims about what is good for our health, bad for the environment, how to improve education, cut crime, treat disease or improve agriculture. Some are based on reliable evidence and scientific rigour. Many are not.

How can we make companies, politicians, commentators and official bodies accountable for the claims they make? If they want us to vote for them, believe them or buy their products, then we should Ask for Evidence.

Join the Ask for Evidence Campaign!

  • Share your experiences of asking for evidence.
  • Use the hub of resources and expertise to make sense of the evidence you receive.
  • Share the site with friends and colleagues: http://askforevidence.org/

Ask for Evidence was launched by Sense About Science in 2011. Sense About Science is a charity that helps people to make sense of science and evidence and promote use of evidence in public life. This takes us from responding to outlandish diet claims by celebrities to helping parents understand vaccines, from working with people with chronic diseases to beat misleading ‘cure’ claims on the Internet to pressing for sound use of statistics in media reporting.

Thanks to Amy Vashlishan Murray for helping to raise awareness of this campaign within the COPUS corps!

Meet Ben Wiehe

BenWiehe

Ben Wiehe is manager of the Science Festival Alliance. He grew up going to smallest public school system in Connecticut. He went to a liberal arts college in Maine: physics and philosophy major with time abroad for Tibetan studies. He then worked his way around North America (Chiapas to Aleutians) for a long while. (After grad school in Chicago for social science, he worked for natural parks, science centers, and public television). Three years of getting science cafes started around the US led into his current position at MIT managing the Science Festival Alliance. Ben has been a part of COPUS since the beginning!

Here’s Ben’s take on COPUS:
“COPUS has been important for me for a long time. I’ve always felt that I get more out of my involvement with it than I give. Of course over the years my needs have shifted. And this is the thing that is most important about COPUS to me — I’ll sum it up to folks that don’t know much about the group:

COPUS identifies emerging leaders with little institutional backing for their passion and provides them with a supportive network.

I’ve gone through that change to an extent, and so have many of the original members. Natalie has now launched a new nonprofit. Danielle is making waves in all kinds of directions. Darlene has sorted through several of her passions and figured out how to make them reality via I-­can’t-­count-how-many business models. etc…

So welcome! Stay involved, give back — one of the things an emerging leader needs to thrive is the opportunity to lead.”

Three words that describe Ben:
He is a a social creature, hack of all trades, scavenger.

The dots Ben connects:
He connects science festival organizers to each other, and to regional/national collaborators.

Meet Sheri Potter

Sheri PotterSheri Potter, BS, is a social intrapreneur with a strong commitment to developing more effective strategies to connect people to science. Among other things, she has been the director of community and stakeholder engagement for the Association for Women in Science, the leading advocate for women in STEM. She has also been a project director for SciStarter implementing a collaborative program to bring citizen science to classrooms, hand-in-hand with NASA’s GLOBE initiative and National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-Schools program.

Sheri’s personal mission is to build a scientific citizenry of people who understand how science works, why science matters, and what scientists do – and to help them connect that knowledge with their own lifelong journey as a citizen who benefits from, participates in, and uses science.

Sheri worked at the American Institute of Biological Sciences for over ten years in multiple capacities, including as director of membership and public programs. She helped launch the Leadership in Biology initiative, Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science, ActionBioscience.org and Year of Science 2009. Sheri earned an Executive Certificate in Social Impact Strategy from the University of Pennsylvania and has a bachelor’s degree in biology.

Three words that describe Sheri:
I’m with you.

The dots Sheri connects:
Sheri connects cool people to cool people to spread ideas and opportunities that promote people using and celebrating science.

Meet Jeanette Lim

Science writer and advisor

Bellingham, Washington

LinkedIn

Currently working on: Creating scripts and storyboards for educational science videos, advising for a new museum exhibition on nature-inspired design, and figuring out what’s next.

Talk with me about:

  • Biology, Engineering
  • Higher education (undergrad/postgrad), Public Outreach
  • Natural history museums
  • STEM festivals
  • Grant writing

My STEM Story: My interest in STEM began when I was a kid, sparked by many family trips to a large city park in Vancouver, Canada. I loved that I could see so many different living things in one day–squirrels, birds, sea stars, seaweed, and enormous trees.

Meet Madhusudan Katti

Associate Professor for Leadership in Public Science, North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Facebook | Twitter | publicscience.ncsu.edu | Website

Currently working on: Applying an evolutionary ecological understanding to help reconcile human development with biodiversity conservation, particularly in urban environments, both locally in several US cities, and globally with comparative studies.

Talk with me about:

  • Biology, Ecology, Zoology, Public Science
  • Higher education (undergrad/postgrad), public outreach
  • Community-based public science engagement
  • Indigenous knowledge and how to decolonize “western science” and build connections with indigenous science
  • Citizen / public science projects to map the distribution of birds and other species in cities, and the impacts of climate-change driven disasters like hurricanes

My STEM Story:  Here’s an interview recounting some early experiences that helped start my STEM journey: http://yourwildlife.org/2014/03/before-they-were-scientists-madhu-katti/

Projects:
Podcast
trianglebirds.org
forestsafterflorence.reconciliationecology.org

Meet Cindy Wilber

Executive Director Proyecto Itzaes
Director of Education Centro de Educación Ambiental de la Peninsula Yucateca (CEAPY)
Retired 2019 Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve

Palo Alto, CA and Pto Chicxulub, Yucatán

[email protected] | Facebook | Proyecto Itzaes Website | Amigos del Centro del Educacion Ambiental de la Peninsula Yucateca

Currently working on: Projects that connect my work in California with my work in Yucatán.

Talk with me about:

  • Anthropology, Biology, Earth Science, Ecology, Health
  • K-12 Education, higher education (undergrad/postgrad)
  • Public Outreach
  • Non-profits
  • Diversity, opportunity

My STEM Story: I have always been interested in science and spent a lot of unsupervised time outside as a kid! Nature has always been the best learning space for me.

Meet Bill Gomez

Bill_GomezAfter working for a Palo Alto based pharmaceutical company for many years, Bill retired in 1992 to pursue his interests in environmental education and marine science.

For 20 years Bill has been a volunteer at Stanford’s Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve where he leads tours and works on field research projects.

He pursues his marine interest by leading tide pool tours at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve and scuba diving with people who have strong marine interests. He enjoys communicating science to people with a wide range of backgrounds and watching them absorb new information and concepts.

Three words that describe Bill:
Ecology tour leader, field research voluteer, marine biology enthusiast

The dots that Bill connects:
Bill connects Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve science to students and visiting public. He connects high school and college students to marine inter-tidal science through leading tours at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. By volunteering, he helps teach science and math at Redwood High School.

Meet Barry Greenwald

Barry_130x130

Barry Greenwald is a Chicagoan who has called Minnesota home since he moved there after college. Teaching as a full-­time occupation is his third career — after enjoyable years as an agricultural research technician, and later in sales and administration.

He’s now in his 15th year of teaching urban high school students in St. Paul, in courses ranging from biology, IB Biology, environmental science to earth science. He does volunteer work on the World Food Prize Minnesota Youth Institute, as well as local citizen science activities.

Three words that describe Barry:
A grateful father to my daughter; teacher; always on the lookout for good humor.

The dots that he connects:
Barry connects scientists and instructors from the University of Minnesota to high school classrooms. He makes connections for his high school biology and environmental science students between the classroom and their “real lives” — current and future — outside of school.

Meet Darlene Cavalier

DarleneCavalier1

Darlene is the founder of SciStarter and Science Cheerleader, a popular website and organization that works with 250 current and former NFL and NBA cheerleaders pursuing science and technology careers to promote science and the involvement of citizens in science and science-related policy. She has held executive positions at Walt Disney Publishing and has worked at Discover magazine for 15 years, where she now is a senior adviser and writer. She has created national science awards programs, science education initiatives, and a series of science-themed roundtable discussions for, among others, the Disney Institute, Space.com, Sally Ride’s Imaginary Lines, and the Franklin Institute. She also serves on the Steering Committee for Science Debate and is a founding partner of Expert and Citizen Assessment of Science and Technology and blog, which engages experts, stakeholders, and everyday citizens in assessing the implications of emerging developments in science and technology. She originated and managed the Emmy award-winning Science of NFL Football series produced by the NFL, NBC Sports, NBC Learn, the National Science Foundation and Science Cheerleader.

A former Philadelphia 76ers cheerleader, Darlene does not regret the years she gabbed through high school science classes. She earned a Master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania, studying science history, sociology, and science policy to learn more about people like herself: “hybrid actors,” citizens interested in but not formally trained in the sciences. Discovering it was remarkably difficult to find opportunities to participate in science in any meaningful way, she launched SciStarter. Darlene lives in Philadelphia with her husband and four children, who have made it a hobby to explore the rainforests of Costa Rica. She’s also a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University’s Consortium of Science, Policy, and Outcomes.

Cavalier is the proud recipient of a Shuttleworth Foundation Flash Grant to support “people with brilliant ideas” and she is investing that grant in the development of a series of media partnerships to help bring more citizen science opportunities to more communities.

Three words that describe Darlene:
Science and citizen advocate; founder of Science Cheerleader and SciStarter; contributing editor, Discover Magazine; wife and mom.

The dots Darlene connects:
She connects the public to citizen science activities. She connects researchers to the public. She connects underrepresented groups to science.

Meet Betsy Barent

Digital Learning and Science Coordinator

Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

Twitter: @bbarent

Currently working on:  supporting teachers to make shifts in their teaching to support student learning towards NGSS.

Talk with me about:

  • K-12 education
  • Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Ecology, Engineering, Physics
  • STEM ecosystems
  • Partnerships with businesses
  • Leadership

My STEM Story: Some of my inspirations have been the Understanding Science website and How Science Works iTunes U course.

Past Projects: 
Nebraska Association of Teachers of Science Past-President
NSELA Region E Director
Norris Science Festival

Meet Anne Holland

Anne_Holland_fullphotoMeet Anne Holland, the Exhibits and Outreach Manager at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado.

Previous to  managing the education and public outreach for the Space Science Institute, she worked at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and at the Mauna Kea Visitor Center.

She is a big advocate for libraries and librarians! Her favorite part of her job is helping librarians find easy and cheap activities to do with their patrons, and convincing them that they’re more than capable of doing STEM in their libraries.

Three words that describe Anne:
Space educator, skiier, new mom

The dots she connects:
She connects librarians with scientists and science educators

2015 Paul Shin Award Winners!

 

scination1tent

Paul Shin Memorial Award

In the spirit of the energy, passion for science, and generosity of the late Paul Shin, this award was given to wildlife biologists and educators Stephanie Gillin and Whisper Camel-Means from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and to University of Montana STEM Education Program Manager, Jessie Herbert at the Yellowstone Unconference in October, 2015.

As a result of a remarkable collaboration towards spreading the excitement of science, Jessie, Whisper, and Stephanie were honored for their work. These powerful women represent both the University of Montana’s spectrUM Discovery Museum as well as SciNation from the Flat Head Reservation. They worked in conjunction to inspire youth living in rural communities with science. Their efforts culminated into the creation of the Science Learning Tent that was showcased at the 116th Arlee Celebration Powwow, which by all accounts, was a complete success. At this tent, over 300 kids got an up close and personal, hands-on science experience. The festival ran for three days and for each day, the tent highlighted a new aspect of STEM. The parents of these kids were amazed at the quality of what was offered. In addition, they also ran programs for kids through Science Bytes, which creates STEM opportunities for kids at free lunch sites. Jessie, the STEM education program manager for UM spectrUM, coordinates the traveling science pop up show continues to expose kids to science as it makes its way around the state. Their intent is to continually make it new as it travels. Based on the success of the Arlee Powwow, we can only imagine that it will make it’s way back to the reservation for the 2nd Annual Science Tent next year.

Paul Shin’s philosophy embodies these two pillars…

“Imagination is more important than knowledge!”-Einstein

“Knowledge is not power – it’s what you do with knowledge-now that’s power!” -Shin

2015 Judy Scotchmoor Award Winner

JohnEsterle_127x127

Judy Scotchmoor Award

In honor of Judy Scotchmoor, a powerful, yet subtle leader who has effectively catalyzed change in the scientific community, this new award went to John Esterle, who embodies the COPUS founder’s interest in promoting science and carrying out the COPUS mission through decentralized channels.

John Esterle works as an executive director of the Whitman Institute. He has enthusiastically supported COPUS for years and believes in “dialogue, relationship building, and inclusive leadership”, which also parallels Judy’s leadership style. John has inspired ideas and invested in people across diverse sectors in an effort to create change. He is the ideal winner for this special award. As part of his recognition, John received an original painting of a sea star by Mattias Lanas — the same beautiful painting depicted in the COPUS logo!

Girl Scout Patch

GirlScoutPatch“I’m a Scientific Citizen” Girl Scout Patch

Science is all about figuring “stuff” out – so that we understand our world better. Science helps us investigate questions and solve problems in just about every way imaginable. That is pretty cool! On this patch journey, you will learn about how science works, who scientists are, and why science matters. In doing this, you will test your science know-how, go on a real science adventure, and learn how to be a good scientific citizen throughout your life. So grab your pen and paper and let’s get started!

Activities
1. Check your “science know-how”
2. Observe and ask questions the way scientists do!
3. Get involved in a citizen science project
4. Share what it means to be a scientific citizen

Purpose: When I’ve earned this badge, I’ll know how science works, who scientists are, and why science matters.

See our PDF here.

Meet Cynthia Kramer

cynthia_kramer2Cynthia Kramer, founder of SCOPE: Science and Citizens Organized for Purpose and Exploration.

Cynthia Kramer founded SCOPE in 2007, when a clinical trial saved her life (read more here). This grassroots initiative is dedicated to bringing Science and Technology’s relevance, resources and information to communities (at no cost) from education to workforce, so the public can connect to why it matters, how to participate and ways to benefit as a parent, student or citizen.

Through community building, events, State and County Fairs, SCOPE serves over 36 communities, in Missouri and Iowa, to impact over 500,000 people. Kramer was previously a shoe designer, created the first backless women’s tennis shoe and loves travel with sons Mitchell and Samuel.

Three words that describe Cynthia:
Coffee addict, Social Justice Advocate, Lover of Innvoation

The dots she connects: SCOPE connects rural, urban and suburban communities to Science and Technology resources and information, from Education to Financial Aid, Scholarships, Internships, Jobs and Careers. They connect parents, students and families to the relevancy and importance of Science and Technology for the betterment of our future, communities and lives.

Encouraging Lifelong Learning

Informed_by_Nature_logo

Informed by Nature (IBN) works to advance the public understanding and appreciation of science, from its elegant approach to its awe-inspiring results. We are dedicated to encouraging lifelong learning, promoting critical thinking, and celebrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

How They Do It
ONLINE: IBN accomplishes its objectives by opening homes, schools, libraries, and any internet connection to an innovative online science portal that makes learning about science and its relevance to our lives easy and engaging. IBN compiles the best science literature, lectures, films, magazines, videos, and art, among other media, in a searchable, user-friendly website that captures science enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

OFFLINE: Our outreach programs aim to educate and inspire, whether providing the online platform for student science projects and science fairs or creating a network of high school science clubs that facilitates structured activities, hosted events, online projects, and competitions. IBN further fosters public involvement in science learning by bringing professionals to the classroom to talk about how critical thinking and science knowledge inform us daily, encouraging today’s specialists to inspire tomorrow’s innovators with an appreciation for science

Why They Do It
Through all our efforts, IBN strives to touch every life with the wonder of science, encouraging learning, critical thinking, and giving everyone the building blocks for discovery and innovation.

Learn more at http://informedbynature.org/ and thanks to Wayne Himelsein for sharing this website with the COPUS community!

2014 Paul Shin Award

The Coalition for the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS) today announced this year’s winner of the third annual Paul Shin Award, honoring the unsung heroes of science communication and engagement.

The 2014 winner is Dr. Amy Vashlishan Murray, Assistant Professor of Science (in the Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies) at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.

As a tenure-track science faculty member at Emerson College, one might think that Amy has her hands full: she teaches undergraduates with a focused interest in art and communication while conducting research in neurobiology in the Kaplan lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. But Amy recognizes that she’s uniquely situated — she’s interfacing with young talent in communication and art AND with cutting edge science. With a seemingly boundless energy, she’s capitalized on her situation to create innovative synergies that enhance the public’s understanding of science. Among her achievements are the founding of the Emerson Science Communication Collaborative and helping to establish the “Ask For Evidence” campaign in the US.

Amy explains: “I am driven by the belief that the role and responsibility of the scientist includes anticipating the social impact of development in her field and striving to develop well-informed consumers of scientific information. Initiatives like Ask for Evidence and the Science Communication Collaborative build from this belief by empowering students and members of the public to question the science they encounter in their daily lives and by engaging these stakeholders in communication exchanges with the scientific community.”

Morgan Thompson, PhD, Assistant Director at the Center for Biomedical Career Development, nominated Amy for the award, saying Amy is “shaping the foundational scientific understanding of future communicators – both conceptual knowledge as well as the process of science and ability to critically evaluate evidence.” The Emerson Science Communication Collaborative “pairs undergraduate students interested in science communication with local early career scientists in a semester-long series of exchanges to further the training and skills of both audiences. Scientists are provided a rare opportunity early in their careers to practice media skills and effective communication with lay audiences in a non-threatening, low-risk environment that utilizes the expertise of Emerson students. The undergraduates come to know the person behind the scientist, helping to dispel popular misconceptions about the process of science and providing more accurate, nuanced, and diverse portraits of who does science. Culminating projects range from children’s books to public service announcements to a musical composition based upon the genetic sequence of a strain of H1N1 flu virus.”

Seeking to effect national change, Amy initiated a collaboration with the UK-based nonprofit, Sense About Science, to help establish their “Ask for Evidence” campaign in the US. Thompson states, “as the name suggests, this campaign encourages everyone to question claims in politics, media, and advertising. Amy’s ingenuity and commitment was vital to providing the foundation for continued national programming following the public launch of the US campaign in February 2013. Briefly, Amy secured funding from a Consumer Awareness Project Grant at Emerson to: 1) conduct a public survey exploring the public relationship with evidence; 2) develop a US campaign website with resources for how to ask, how to evaluate evidence (including a platform to connect with local scientists), and examples of participant experiences; 3) host a media training workshop for future scientists and communicators; 4) carry-out program evaluation, including Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG) questionnaires (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities, 2012).”

Amy’s passion for science communication has led her to not only play an active role in the Boston area science outreach community, but to be a member of the National Association of Science Writers, the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, and Voice of Young Science USA. Her passion for science education and outreach stems back to well before her faculty position at Emerson. For more than a decade, Amy has been involved in the advancement of the public’s understanding of science — directing the Harvard graduate student organization Science in the News, developing exhibits at the Museum of Science Boston, and playing an important role in discussions of the implications of new genetic technologies with the Genetics and Society Working Group.

Dr. Murray attended the COPUS 2014 Invitational from Sep 18-21 in New Mexico, and took part in two days of science outreach networking and educational events. She received the award while at the unconference. Amy said, “this award is really gratifying as recognition of work that isn’t necessarily part of the job description for typical academic scientists and isn’t is always valued explicitly in the scientific community. It is also an incredible honor because it is coming from a community of people that, themselves, have done such amazing, and often unrecognized, work in science outreach and because I’ve learned what a special individual and leader Paul Shin was to this community.”

Amy also expressed “gratitude to the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship at Emerson for helping to identify and secure funding opportunities, including the Consumer Awareness Project fund, to support development and broader expansion of this work.”

Co-founder of COPUS, Judy Scotchmoor said, “The Paul Shin award is very special to us at COPUS. In the short time that we knew Paul, we were captivated by his energy and determination to make a difference in the world. The nominees for this year’s award were fantastic, but Amy made an impression on us. Her tireless enthusiasm and commitment to sharing science is exactly what we aspire to recognize through this award.”

2012 Paul Shin Award

Washington DC — The Coalition for the Public Understanding of Science today announced this year’s winner of the Paul Shin Award – an annual award honoring individuals for their dedication to communicating science to the public.

The 2012 winner is William (Bill) Gomez, Docent at Fitzgerald Marine Preserve and Stanford University’s Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. Bill was an executive with Syntex for many years and was fortunate to retire early at which point he turned his prodigious talents to teaching and volunteering with various ecology and environmental science groups in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. As a volunteer, his activities vary from speaking to a wide range of visitors about the ecology and biodiversity of the preserves, assisting with research projects, tidepooling for 3rd graders, scuba diving with marine biology students, to sharing science with students at a nearby alternative high school.

Cindy Wilber, Education Coordinator at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, nominated Mr. Gomez saying, “Bill’s extraordinary work teaching science to the public in both formal and informal ways has contributed much to the public understanding of science and inspired thousands of learners.” Stuart Koretz, a fellow docent at the preserve wrote, “His respect and love for the natural world, detailed knowledge of natural history, enthusiastic teaching style, modesty and openness make him one of the great unsung heroes: he works tirelessly, without compensation, out of a strong need to reach out and teach natural science.”

Upon receiving the award, Mr. Gomez simply said, “I am deeply honored and overwhelmed.” Mr. Gomez will attend the COPUS 2012 Invitational UnConference in March to receive a $500 cash prize and recognition plaque.

Co-founder of COPUS, Judy Scotchmoor of the University of California Museum of Paleontology said, “The Paul Shin award is very special to us at COPUS. In the short time that we knew Paul, we were captivated by his energy and determination to make a difference in the world. Bill Gomez has a similar dedication and passion for the public understanding of science and is a most worthy recipient of this award.”