Free Friday event – the stories of science

This Friday, 11/30, I’ll be speaking on a panel with another science writer and a professor of science communication. The event takes place at the Academy of Natural Sciences. It was organized by the Philadelphia Area Center for History of Science – Pachs.

Here’s how Pachs and the Academy website describe the event:

We struggle to keep pace with changes in science, changes that radically affect our lives. How can we be well-informed enough to manage the ongoing impact of scientific change? Three experts will share their experiences producing media and scholarship that interpret science and its history for the general public.

Not too long ago people like me worked full time to sift through the scientific literature, question claims, grill scientists, translate and distill information and tell stories. The result landed on your doorstep every morning with a smattering of politics, sports, arts, business, local and world news. But newspapers are smaller now, feature less science, and far fewer people read them. There’s more science writing than ever but fewer full-time science journalists devoted to writing for the general public.

Now armies of bloggers read scientific papers and give their opinions, but very few call the authors and visit their labs, ask them why they set out on their various projects, what they thought of the results, and whether they worry about being wrong. Even fewer call the authors’ worst rivals to get their perspective, or offer historical and scientific background to show how a given paper fits into a bigger picture of scientific inquiry.

I will talk about how changes in the media landscape are affecting scientists and the reading public, and I’ll stress aspects of the traditional media that I hope will live on in the new media world. I’m very much looking forward to hearing what the other panelists have to say.

Here’s he when/where/what. You can also read more here:

Telling the Stories of SciencePanel Discussion Featuring Ivan Amato, Faye Flam, and Bruce LewensteinFriday, November 30, 6–7:30 p.m.FreeClick here to registerThe Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway Philadelphia, PA 19103