Outreach + Communication

I feel it’s my responsibility as an early career scientist to build a habit of engaging in active outreach and communication efforts, both with respect to my own science as well as in the broader context of promoting an understanding of – and an appreciation for – the scientific process itself.

To this end, I’ve prioritized public outreach and community engagement as an important aspect of my training through participation in initiatives and programs such as:

• Scientist in the Classroom, National Center for Science Education (Scientist @ NEARI)
• Animal Behavior Society (Social Media Representative, ABS Executive Committee)
• Three Minute Thesis Competition (UMass Amherst 2017 Finalist)
• Blogs: That’s Life [Science], Dispatches from the Field, Scientific American (Writer, Editor, & ‘That’s Life [Science]’ Founding Member)
• UMass Graduate Women in STEM Organization (Finance Chair, Executive Board Member)
• Life Science Café (Organizing Committee, Panel Host, Invited Speaker)
• Skype a Scientist (Virtual Scientist @ Edmonton Academy, Newbury Elementary, Strathcona High, & Buffalo High)
• Beyond the (micro)Scope Podcast (Featured Interview)
• Does It Fart Read-Aloud Project (Episode #77, The Megalodon)
• American Museum of Natural History (Behind-the-scenes Tours)
• Congressional District Visits, American Institute of Biological Sciences (Constituent Scientist)
• The Specialist Podcast (‘Specialette’ Feature)
• Letters to a Pre-Scientist (Scientist Pen Pal @ Camino Nuevo)

Check out the below links to a few selected blogposts:

• Uncharted Intellectual Territory: Science Isn’t Linear
• Nature’s Headbangers
• A Beautiful 9/11 Tribute, but a Fiasco for Migratory Birds
• How Pistol Shrimp Kill with Bubbles
• Love Songs for Nobody – Birdsong in Winter
• Celebrity Sightings While Science-ing
• Mischief in Sparrow-land

I am actively building upon these ongoing efforts, and the following two objectives are my current outreach priorities: 1) connect with more diverse audiences, and 2) find ways to measure the impact/reach of my efforts.

email: amyvstrauss@gmail.com / twitter: @avstrauss / pronouns: she, her

Currently based in San Francisco, CA.