The Pepper
August 30, 2015
Welcome to The Pepper! Help keep everyone updated on science communications news and events in and around the Capital Region by sending your updates to capscicomm@gmail.com. Whether you’re on our member list as a professional or an enthusiast, let us know if you find The Pepper to be a helpful resource, and your ideas on how to improve it. Thanks!
Live from Lodi, it’s “Science Night Live!” The September 2015 edition of the Lodi science café series will feature CapSciComm colleague Candace Spier Bever, an environmental chemist at UC Davis. What’s utterly fascinating about Dr. Bever’s research is that she is tapping into the biochemical secrets of the adorable alpaca-–cousins to llamas and camels, and holding a molecule that could help scientists design new tools to deliver medicines directly to cells in the human body!
Come out Wednesday night, September 2nd, for some science, tacos, and beer—and wait for it—a real alpaca! Inky the Alpaca will be on hand as our extra special guest. Don’t miss it!
Congratulations to our colleagues in the 2014-2015 CCST Science & Technology Fellowship cohort, who were recognized on the California State Assembly floor on August 20th and the California State Senate floor on August 27th. Notable was the recognition of the Senate Fellows—an all women cohort this year—where State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson eloquently offered: “I believe we all know that these are all magnificent young women, who are PhD Fellows, and I just want to add that many years ago, when I was their age, this was not as possible as it is today. So I just want to acknowledge that these women, these fantastic women, come to us as a result of changing times, and we look forward to them changing the world as they go forward.”
The Public Relations Society of America – California Capital Chapter is seeking nominations for their 2015 Influence Awards. If you know a colleague worthy of recognition, or recent work that should lauded, submit an entry! The deadline has been extended to September 11th…
Are you a fan of NPR’s StoryCorps? They’re coming to Sacramento! The one-month engagement begins September 10th with a launch party hosted by Capital Public Radio and the Sacramento Public Library…
The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is seeking an Education Coordinator…
Don’t forget the registration deadline for ScienceWriters2015 workshop is September 24th. Register today for the annual meeting of the National Association of Science Writers, hosted by MIT this year…
Our friends at BOOM magazine asked a fun question on Twitter: What are your favorite blogs or other feeds—Twitter, Instagram, others—on science in California?
ICYMI: The Discovery Museum / Powerhouse Science Center is seeking its 2015 cohort of Science Communications Fellows. Linked with the Portal to the Public National Network, this fellowship trains scientists, engineers, graduate students, researchers, and other science-based professionals in the craft of public science outreach. Participants take part in three workshops over the course of three months, learning the importance of informal science education, how people learn, facilitation skills and activity development to design their own tabletop exhibit. Applications are due September 4th. Contact CapSciComm colleague Sheila Montgomery (smontgomery@powerhousesc.org; (916) 808-3942) for more details and application form.
Finally, cheers to our former Davis Enterprise colleague Elizabeth Case for completing her transcontinental bicycle ride, teaching physics and solar energy to kids from state to state. Check out the “Cycle for Science” Twitter feed and their Facebook Page for glimpses from their epic journey!
Keep Science Spicy!
Capital Science Communicators 