Science Communication at NBLA: Oral Histories

Astrophysicist and science communicator known for her social media persona AstroKatie

Senior Operations Specialist at LIGO discusses his experience becoming a science communicator and advocate for Indigenous representation in physics.

Physicist and author of bestselling popular books on science.

"I think it's very important to have a scientifically literate general public. But there’s an even deeper question than that, given the current socio-political context. The public should base their opinions, their ideas, more on evidence. And they should question the sources of things that they read on the internet, for example. They shouldn't just believe somebody because that person shouts loud, and so on. And I think everybody has become much more conscious of the importance of that over the last few years. That's something that I certainly believe. So, I regard that somehow as being the bedrock of why I think scientific outreach is important. Scientific literacy in the next age, and familiarity, comfort with scientific ideas and the scientific approach in general."

"But another thing that I think is really important — and maybe even especially now — is the ability to communicate about what you’re doing, and why Jane Schmo at the grocery store ought to find it interesting, and being able to talk about it in a way that is not condescending but that captures in words and pictures that she will understand what it is that you’re doing and why it’s important. And you need to have and be able to communicate some awareness of why this particular area of work is something we should be investing in right now. This ability to communicate and put science in the broader context of society and its current issues only going to get more important going forward, because there are going to be a lot of budgetary pressures"

“I learned the most important players were the staff: the congressional staff and the people at Office of Management and Budget and OSTP. I found that the most compelling arguments was the science. We had a good science story to tell and people get excited by the science”

“We make ourselves available to Congress to testify. But I think this is an enlargement of a trend of public responsibility on the part of the physics community — the recognition that they have to present their case. The physics budgets and the number of people involved in the physics enterprise is getting so large that it is really quite visible on the national scene, and we're competing with other visible elements on the national scene."