I came to realize the importance of effective science communication almost immediately upon beginning graduate school, and decided it was crucial that I complement my academic research training with communication skills. As such, I have devoted time and energy to developing my these skills, as well as outreach to non-academic audiences.
I have participated in several outreach programs that aim to benefit K-12 students and educators. These include:
1) PolarTREC, an NSF funded program that pairs polar researchers with K-12 teachers. Check out our field season with teacher Rebecca Harris in 2017, and NAU's coverage!
2) Scientists in the Classroom, a 1-on-1 mentoring program at Sinagua Middle School in Flagstaff, AZ.
3) The MBARI Earth Satellite Workshop program, where I co-hosted a Climate Change workshop for teachers in Flagstaff, AZ, along with science teacher Jillian Worssam.
While in graduate school, I have developed my communication and non-scientific writing skills, with efforts including the following:
1) I have completed NAU's Graduate Certificate program in Science Communication, and have had extensive training in writing for non-scientific audiences, as well as elementary documentary skills (photo, audio, and video).
2) I wrote several "explainers" to accompany a short film about water resources associated with the Colorado River, Vanishing River, produced by NAU's Advanced Media Lab.
3) I am a writer for Science News for Students, and occasionally write pieces that appear on their website.
On March 2, 2023 at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research - recording can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov8bxmCCDV0