Science Cheerleader

Humans evolved. Shouldn’t our websites? That’s the idea behind NOVA’s new Beta Evolution website, an experimental effort to transform the way NOVA delivers its award-winning science and technology programming.

Since 1996, NOVA has pioneered new forms of web-original content with more than 30,000 pages covering anything from string theory to aviation to how the Pyrimids were built. The Beta Evolution website serves as one-stop shop for all matters evolution, including the recent three-part NOVA series, Becoming Human, which explores the latest scientific research on human origins. Over time, NOVA will rely on user feedback to help inspire new ways of designing, organizing, and presenting this content to make it more useful for viewers.

Last week, I had the opportunity to chat with Lauren Aguirre, executive director of NOVA’s Web team, about goals of the new project, the challenges of organizing 13 years of content, and her experiences at the forefront of science communications. You can listen to each individual question and answer by clicking on the audio player below. Enjoy!

Indulge me (Dr. John Ohab) for just a moment and check out this new story, Armed and Scientific, just released by UCLA Magazine. I was recently interviewed for the “Quick Takes” series, which highlights former students and their work since graduating from UCLA. While much of the article focuses on my experiences at the Defense Department, the author did include a brief ditty about Science Cheerleader, describing it as “a web-based media platform that… aims to make science more fun and understandable to wider audience.”  Right on!

Click here to read “Armed and Scientific” in UCLA Magazine.

From ScienceCheerleader.com reporter, Dr. John Ohab:

Citizen scientists, I’d like you to meet Ziya Tong, a new correspondent on the Emmy-nominated science video series, NOVA ScienceNOW. Ziya joins a NOVA program well-known for exploring important science and technology topics at the interface of politics, art, and society. So far, she’s covered areas like gene therapy, how walruses and sea lions have influenced human language, and the hunt for the earliest macromolecules. I recently had a chance to chat with Ziya about how her work in science broadcasting is creating common ground for scientists and the public.

For Ziya, it turns out that exploring far-out science topics is just another day at the office – literally! In addition to her work with NOVA, she also hosts Daily Planet, Discovery Channel Canada’s daily science show, and previously served as host and producer on PBS’ Wired Science. She even hosted a travel show, Island Escapes, during which she visited over 50 countries (approximately 45 more than me).

“I’m inspired in a new way every day,” Ziya said. “I’ve had the unique opportunity to meet, and most importantly, learn from very inspiring people.” (more…)

Randy Olson’s forthcoming book on communicating science, “Don’t be SUCH a scientist,” will surely irk some (particularly scientists who frankly don’t see the importance of communicating with the public despite the fact the public pays for most of their research). However, I predict most readers and reviewers will find it informative, refreshing and certainly entertaining.  Randy draws upon a plethora of personal and professional experiences only he can bring to the table: Harvard-educated marine biologist who gave up a comfortable tenured position to start a career in Hollywood. Along the way, he picked up valuable lessons on how best to engage an audience and he generously shares those lessons in this book.  It’s framed by science but it should be required reading for law school students, elected officials, education majors and others who need to connect with an audience.  The message (don’t be afraid to be a good story teller) is universal and transcends science. 

I should mention that he and I are friends. He reached out to me after seeing this video and later (fortunately for me) was my key advisor on this one.  I snapped this picture of Randy when we were in NYC last week. It shows him holding the very first signed copy of his book which went to yours truly. (GOOOOO Randy!) Preorders of the book are available here.