An Evening with David Shiffman, Author of “Why Sharks Matter,” This Saturday!

Join us for a local stop on David Shiffman’s Reading Frenzy tour!Why Sharks Matter: Author David Shiffman in Davis!Text reads "Cap Sci Comm and Science Says present An Evening with David Shiffman. Author of Why Sharks Matter: A Deep Dive with the World's Most Misunderstood Predator. Saturday, October 8th, 6-7 p.m. Dunloe Brewing, 1606 Olive Drive, Davis, California 95616. Talk followed by Q & A and book signing." Image of David Shiffman and the book cover are also included.CapSciComm and Davis Science Says are thrilled to host Dr. David Shiffman, author of Why Sharks Matter: A Deep Dive with the World’s Most Misunderstood Predator, for a Northern California stop on his Reading Frenzy tour. David will discuss his fascinating book and insights on sharks and conservation that he has gained throughout his career in marine science. David’s talk will be followed by an audience Q&A session and book signing. Anyone is welcome, including your friends, family, and colleagues. We’ll see you there!When: This Saturday, October 8th, 6-7 p.m.Where: Dunloe Brewing, 1606 Olive Drive, Davis, CA 95616.
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SciComm Careers Roundtable

Curious about what professional SciComm opportunities are possible for you? Then join us virtually, this Wednesday April 20th where we will be having a SciComm Roundtable. We will be joined by local experts each representing a different SciComm field.

Register for the Zoom meeting here.


Speakers

Colin Murphy

Colin Murphy is the Deputy Director of the UC Davis Policy Institute for Energy, Environment, and the Economy, where he helps researchers constructively engage with policy makers. He also co-leads the Low Carbon Fuel Policy Research Initiative at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies. Originally a biomedical engineer by training, he joined the UC Davis debate team and developed a love for communications and public speaking. After gaining a M.S. in Science, Technology, and Public Policy from the Rochester Institute of Technology, he returned to UC Davis for a Ph.D. in Transportation Technology and Policy. He has a decade of experience working at the intersection of science, technology, and public policy, primarily focused on climate policy, sustainable transportation, and clean fuels. He led the Fuels section research for the recently released report Driving California’s Transportation Emissions to Zero, which examines how California’s transportation sector can achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. He previously worked on transportation and climate policy research and advocacy for the Nextgen Policy Center. 

Rebecca Mackelprang

Rebecca Mackelprang received her Ph.D. in Plant Biology in 2017 from UC Berkeley where she studied plant responses to microbial pathogens. Her enthusiasm for sharing science took her away from the lab bench for a science communication postdoctoral position with Dr. Peggy Lemaux focused largely on agricultural biotechnology. In 2019, Dr. Mackelprang was a 2019 AAAS Mass Media Fellow at Ensia where she wrote about the environment. She then accepted a science policy postdoc at the Engineering Biology Research Consortium, where she is now the Associate Director for Security Programs focused on advancing the responsible development and use of biotechnologies.

Haley Wahl

Haley Wahl is currently finishing her Ph.D. in Physics at West Virginia University, where she studies rapidly-rotating, highly magnetized neutron stars called pulsars. She works with the NANOGrav collaboration, a group hunting for gravitational waves using pulsars. 

Her science communication training began in 2018 when she took on a role as a planetarium assistant at the West Virginia University Planetarium. During her two-year term, she helped develop new shows and new mini lessons on the night sky. In 2019, she joined the staff at Astrobites, a collaboration of graduate students that take published astronomy papers and break them into bite-sized chunks suitable for general audiences, which combined her love of scicomm and writing. In 2021, she was awarded the American Astronomical Society’s Media Fellowship, which allows her to continue science writing and assist the Society with press activities. She’s also very active on Twitter, sharing pulsar science with the hashtag #PulsarFriday, and runs a blog called the Pulsars and Profiteroles Project, which combines baking with pulsar science. After graduate school, she plans to pursue a career in science writing.

Melissa Lutz Blouin

Melissa Lutz Blouin leads the news and media relations team at UC Davis, a group of talented and hard-working individuals who provide the public and the media with the most up-to-date information about campus research and events. She serves as a campus spokesperson and an adviser to faculty and department communicators across campus.

Melissa has more than 20 years of communications experience at institutions of higher education. She began her career as a chemistry major, but decided that she enjoyed communicating about science more than the actual lab work. She attended the science communication program at UC Santa Cruz, then spent six years working in journalism, covering everything from living with HIV to exploring the physiology of hibernation. She founded the science and research communications program at the University of Arkansas, including a research magazine, Research Frontiers, still in publication today. She also led a team of communicators at UF Health, where she was responsible for overseeing science communications, media relations and crisis communications for the health system.

February Meetup!

Hello! After a brief hiatus, CapSciComm is back! We’ll be having monthly socials throughout 2022 on the second Tuesday of each month, starting with this Tuesday, Feb 8 at Golden Road Brewing in Sacramento from 6:30-8pm!

We are so excited to kick this off for the year, see familiar faces, and new ones. Come meet the new executive board and other CapSciComm members at Golden Road’s outdoor, heated seating. Please join us on Tuesday for some beer and scicomm pals!

Meetup at the Park with CapSciComm

We are so excited to host an in-person outdoors meetup on Wednesday, August 18th from 5-7pm PDT at Central Park in Davis! This is during the Davis Farmer’s Market (3-6pm), so there will be food trucks and beverages for purchase.

Elections for the CapSciComm executive board will be taking place soon, and we would love to answer any questions that potential candidates may have. If you are at all considering running for a position, this is a great chance to chat with current board members! As a reminder, information about the six board positions can be found here, and you can fill out your candidacy nomination here.

We can’t wait to see you all in person again, and hope to catch up with old and new friends!

CapSciComm presents “Getting to the Heart of Science Communication: in conversation with Faith Kearns”

The field of science communication is constantly changing. In her new book “Getting to the Heart of Science Communication: A Guide to Effective Engagement,” author and science communicator Faith Kearns addresses issues that science communicators have faced or may, and what the future of the field should look like.

CapSciComm will be hosting a guided conversation and Q&A with Faith on Thursday, June 10 at 5:30pm PDT. You are not required to have read the book (but you will probably want to after!). Come join us for conversation, ask some questions, and gain some knowledge on the ever-changing field of science communication!

Register for the Zoom event here!

CapSciComm’s 8th Birthday Party!

You’re invited! Capscicomm turns 8 years old on April 12, 2021, and we want to celebrate with our community. Please join us for a virtual birthday party on Thursday, April 22 at 7-9pm PST via Zoom! We will be hosting “8”-themed trivia, featuring questions about arachnids, cephalopods, lunar phases, and more. There will also be breakout rooms for networking, meeting, and catching up with other science communication enthusiasts in the Capital region.

Everyone is welcome, and we would love to see all of you! Please register at the link here. Capscicomm would not be what it is today without the support of each and every one of our members. This is a celebration for the whole community and everything we have achieved over the past 8 years!

See you all on April 22!