Wading Through Research

I am passionate about science communication, and I try to come up with accessible ways to present my research to the public. I know that my research is important and work hard to share its value with others beyond academia. I also know that many of my fellow graduate students are also committed to scientific outreach. I am not expert in science communication yet. However; I have sought opportunities to advance my science communication skills. I have plenty of advice to other graduate students looking to do the same, so I am going to write a series of blog posts explaining how I have translated my research to the public and what opportunities are available. Shelby Servais' dissertation summarized in a word cloud. Here is the first and most simple; I created a word cloud with the top used words in my dissertation. I think the dissertation is necessary to communicate the findings of your research in an academic setting. However, it is probably the least accessible format for...

Post by: Luke Lamb-Wotton   A satellite image from the 2017 Atlantic season. Pictured are Hurricanes Katia (left), Irma (center), and Jose (right). Credit: Wikimedia Commons.     For all of us living in coastal areas susceptible to high-energy storms, we all know too well the mayhem and devastation that can be associated with major landfalling hurricanes (category 3+). It took me a mere 3 months living in South Florida to experience my first run-in with one of these wicked storms.  On September 10 th , 2017, after Hurricane Irma swept through Cuba and prompted a mandatory evacuation order for the Florida Keys, Irma came screaming towards South Florida, originally predicted to make a direct hit on Miami-Dade but opted (to Miami-Dade’s relief) to take a more south-westerly track towards Tampa Bay. Regardless of the exact track, Irma’s expansive wind-field and storm surge still wreaked havoc on Miami-Dade’s infrastructure (some images can be found her...

We live in a reality where getting a graduate degree does not mean you are automatically qualified for a job. In fact, according to a recent NSF study , 42.1% of 2014 PhD graduates reported no definite job commitments at the time of graduation. This number is a bit debated but we all know recent grads who sent out hundreds of applications and were forced to take whatever job they could get. Want a tenure track job? An industry position? A place in the government? You will send out tens if not hundreds of applications to these positions and hear nothing back, but it’s not necessarily because you are not qualified. Jobs like these are not a dime a dozen these days, and employers get so many applications that no matter how good your resume looks you are likely to get looked over. So how do you get your name to the top of the pile? You probably already know the answer: make yourself known. Network with the right people at the right time and make sure they remember you. ...