Science Advocacy
The Academic #Twitter
Feb. 27, 2017—The Academic #twitter Jennifer Watchmaker (@jennwatch) is a third year graduate student interested in pursuing a career in radiology. She began her academic twitter account in 2014 and now has over 350 followers and growing. Her social media presence on twitter has helped her connect with other investigators and clinicians, find out about the most...
Op-Ed: The Power of Science Communication
Dec. 19, 2016—For news journalists, failure to communicate effectively is a failure of the news. So, the same is true about the journalists of the natural world: scientists. However, scientific communication is rarely taught during Ph.D. training. Students may learn to communicate in a niche scientific field, but if they are unable to communicate effectively to broader...
Science Policy and Advocacy – A Trip to Capitol Hill
Nov. 29, 2016—In October, I attended a two-day workshop on federal STEM policy and advocacy in Washington, D.C., an incredibly eye-opening experience organized annually by Vanderbilt University’s Office of Federal Relations. My motivation to apply for this workshop was fueled primarily by my (for lack of a better word) ignorance of how science policy is influenced through...
Another Successful mini-MSTP!
Jun. 13, 2016—This year over 120 middle school students from Dickson County Middle Schools (Dickson County Middle School, William James Middle School, and Charlotte Middle School) and LEAD Academy Middle School took part in the mini-MSTP, an outreach program designed to bring awareness of MD/PhD training programs and STEM career paths to these young students. The event occurred over the course of...
Data sharing in response to emergent health crises: an interview with Dr. James Crowe
Jun. 1, 2016—Data sharing in response to emergent health crises: an interview with Dr. James Crowe Whether describing an emergent disease, developing a vaccine, or selecting a targeted therapy, intra- and interinstitutional collaboration is vital to expeditiously tackling urgent biomedical questions. However, many characteristics of academic science restrict scientists’ ability to work cohesively. First, distributing...