<![CDATA[Paige Brown · Storify]]>http://storify.com/fromthelabbenchNodeJS RSS ModuleThu, 23 May 2013 02:51:54 GMT<![CDATA[Twitter Treasures May 2012]]>

ProcrasTweeting...

Storified by Paige Brown · Sun, May 06 2012 23:20:30

Climate Change Communicators Should Listen to the Public - From The Lab Bench Blog | Nature Publishing GroupClimate Change Communicators Should Listen to the Public - From The Lab Bench Blog | Nature Publishing Group
Climate Change and science communicators might want to lend an ear to the public voice. According to a 2005 article by Thomas Brewer, a "...
By far the coolest coffee mug I've ever seen! #2. I'm an Engineer, Get me Out of Here mug!! http://instagr.am/p/KIyEy9DOns/ @FromTheLabBench. #IEng2012 · Paige Brown

This is the coffee cup I earned for winning this year's "I'm an Engineer, Get Me Out of Here!" public engagement in science competition!
The Last Engineer Standing #IEng2012 - From The Lab Bench Blog | Nature Publishing GroupThe Last Engineer Standing #IEng2012 - From The Lab Bench Blog | Nature Publishing Group
I just spent two of the best weeks of my science-communicating-life participating in the event I'm an Engineer, Get Me Out of Here! spons...
By far the coolest coffee mug I've ever seen! I'm an Engineer, Get me Out of Here mug!! http://instagr.am/p/KIx3ASDOnn/ -- @FromTheLabBench. #IEng2012 · Paige Brown
Why is the sky blue but clouds grey and white? Its all about particle size... smaller gas particles in the s http://instagr.am/p/KT7vuNDOkO/ · Paige Brown
Why is the sky blue but clouds grey and white? Its all about particle size... smaller gas particles in the sky scatter light at lower wavelengths better than those at higher wavelengths, causing blue light from sunlight to scatter throughout the sky. This is called Rayleigh scattering. Clouds contain larger water droplets that scatter all wavelengths similarly well in a process called Mie Scattering, causing a white or grey appearance from a combination of light color. Isn't particle physics beautiful? 
Nanostructures on the petal surface make the round water droplets on this rose flower. Nano is 1000x smaller http://instagr.am/p/KIlf-3DOh9/ · Paige Brown

“Nanostructures on the petal surface make the round water droplets on this rose flower. Nano is 1000x smaller than the width of a strand of your hair.”

The rose petal effect in action... tiny nano-ridges on the petals cause the rose's hydrophobicity, making wa http://instagr.am/p/KIkZz8DOhd/ · Paige Brown
“The rose petal effect in action... tiny nano-ridges on the petals cause the rose's hydrophobicity, making water ball up on the petals. This helps the rose stay clear of dirt and debris. However, bigger micro-bumbs capture the water droplets in their grooves, meaning that the droplets don't roll off, even if the rose is turned upside down, perhaps helping the rose collect water for itself and visiting pollinators! Science is beautiful.”
The superhydrophobic properties of rose petalsThe superhydrophobic properties of rose petals
While Geckos have been a very popular source of inspiration for new materials, a recent study in Langmuir suggests that we should not ove...
President and Global Climate Change - From The Lab Bench Blog | Nature Publishing GroupPresident and Global Climate Change - From The Lab Bench Blog | Nature Publishing Group
Inspired by the Yale Climate Communications national polling results this week, I've decided to ask my readers how they think of global c...
Agenda setting theory holds that the media is more successful in setting the public agenda on 'distant' issues... this made me think of global warming and the media's potential to set the public agenda on that issue... and what that means for science and action. But then again, agenda setting is usually less significant for 'abstract' issues, which global climate change certainly is in the minds of most citizens. Does this bring power back to direct communications, engagement, and public dialogue efforts on the part of climate scientists and science writers? 
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]]>http://storify.com/fromthelabbench/twitter-treasures-may-2012http://storify.com/fromthelabbench/twitter-treasures-may-2012Mon, 07 May 2012 06:20:30 GMT<![CDATA[Science is Not Enough]]>

A wild webinar about the importance of communicating science...

Storified by Paige Brown · Sat, Feb 18 2012 23:04:03

Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is now present in the atmosphere at levels higher than any in the last 1 million years...

...and yet the U.S. public recently ranked Climate Change last in importance out of 22 different policy issues.

Why isn't Science enough to get people to CARE?

Educationviews
The Science is not Enough plenary panel, held at the 2012 AAAS Annual Meeting from 5:00—6:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, February 18, appeared on live webcast tonight, and I had the pleasure of tuning in. The panel featured "three of the world's most knowledgeable and compelling science communicators" who discussed global scientific issues including global climate change and world population growth. The panel discussed “Why science is not enough, and why science can be accompanied by something else, called communication.”
The event started off with a series of poll questions posed to the more than 300 individuals in the audience. Take a look at the results:


“Do you believe that the earth is getting warmer mostly because of human activity such as burning fossil fuels? Or mostly because of natural patterns?”


86% of the audience (many scientists) said human activity - 6% said natural patterns.

This is in stark contrast to national public results, which reveal that less than 40% of polled Americans say human activity.


77% of the audience thought global climate change was a very serious issue - 17% though somewhat serious.

Only 38% of polled U.S. public think that global climate change is a very serious issue.


This is what we call the Attitude Divide over Global Warming.

Webinar panelist Dr. Olivia Judson, Research Fellow at the Imperial College in London who explores the intersection of science and society, is a woman of passion and curiosity. “I am trying to reach people who have no background in science," she said. Judson tries to 're-frame' scientific issues such that they catch her audience's imagination. 

Judson also argues that the lay public is often smarter than the media gives them credit for, and that there isn’t enough acknowledgement, among science communicators, that knowledge if often interesting to the public for its own sake. Knowledge for the sake of Knowledge isn't such a bad thing.

Panelist Dr. James Hansen, Director of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and 'Grandfather of Global Climate Change', says that he feels a responsibility to communicate on important global science issues, even though communication isn't necessarily his "cup of tea". Perhaps he is looking in the wrong places when he says that science writers aren't as good as they used to be - he may be looking at the traditional newspaper science columnists... but what about today's amazing science bloggers?!!
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]]>http://storify.com/fromthelabbench/science-is-not-enoughhttp://storify.com/fromthelabbench/science-is-not-enoughSun, 19 Feb 2012 07:04:03 GMT<![CDATA[Mooney's 'Reality Fights' - via Twitter]]>

Tweeted Coverage of Chris Mooney's Talk at the Manship School of Mass Communication, Louisiana State University

Storified by Paige Brown · Tue, Nov 15 2011 20:14:38

The Republican War on Science by Chris MooneyThe Republican War on Science by Chris Mooney
A stinging indictment of how the Republican Party has not only ignored science, but has used bad science to justify its political agenda.
Could Personality Differences Help Explain the Reality Gap on Climate Change?Could Personality Differences Help Explain the Reality Gap on Climate Change?
For a long time, I've been writing and speaking on the problem of science communication, particularly with respect to the issue of climat...
A Matter of Motivated 'Reasoning' - Room for DebateA Matter of Motivated 'Reasoning' - Room for Debate
David P. Redlawsk is a professor of political science and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers Universi...

"All of these biases are polarizing us," Chris Mooney said, preventing us from seeing what is truth (in science, about climate change, for example). 

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]]>http://storify.com/fromthelabbench/new-story-1http://storify.com/fromthelabbench/new-story-1Wed, 16 Nov 2011 04:14:38 GMT<![CDATA[The Journey of Tropical Storm Lee]]>

Tropical Storm Lee meandered towards and made landfall on the Gulf Coast this weekend, dumping rain and flexing its muscles with strong winds as it moved into Southern Louisiana, threatening portions of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida with flooding, wind damage, and spin-off tornadoes.

Storified by Paige Brown · Thu, Oct 27 2011 00:04:46

Huge Storm Threatens Northern Gulf StatesHuge Storm Threatens Northern Gulf States
An animation of NOAA satellite observations from Aug. 31 at 10:45 a.m. EDT through Sept. 2 at 10:45 a.m. EDT shows the birth of Tropical Depression 13, now Tropical Storm Lee, south of the Louisiana coast. Tropical Storm Lee threatens the northern Gulf coast states with heavy rainfall all weekend.
Tropical Floater One Visible Imagery Loop (Flash) - Satellite Services Division/Office of Satellite Data Processing and DistributionTropical Floater One Visible Imagery Loop (Flash) - Satellite Services Division/Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution

"Possible tornado [spin-off from tropical storm] destroys Innerarity Point home" - PNJ.com

Much of Fort Pickens Road [in Florida] was covered over with sand due to the tropical storm." - PNJ.com
cmsimg.pensacolanewsjournal.com
TODAY Video PlayerTODAY Video Player
Over the Mississippi bridge in BR during TS Lee http://yfrog.com/h4lhpvfj · FromTheLabBench
New Orleans reportedly holding up under Tropical Storm Lee | Reuters
Ominous looking clouds in New Roads LA from Tropical Storm #Lee http://yfrog.com/kjjeeclj · FromTheLabBench
"Infrared image of Tropical Storm Lee on Sept. 3 at 3:47 p.m. EDT when the center was still sitting south of the Louisiana coast. "
nasa.gov

"Visible image of Tropical Storm Lee was taken from the GOES-13 satellite on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 9:32 a.m. EDT."

enewspf.com
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]]>http://storify.com/fromthelabbench/the-journey-of-tropical-storm-leehttp://storify.com/fromthelabbench/the-journey-of-tropical-storm-leeMon, 05 Sep 2011 06:39:07 GMT