Science Communication & Public Engagement

In my journey as a scientist, I’ve discovered an incredible passion for science communication and public engagement. I been able to transform that passion into a career through a myriad of projects and approaches. My continuing mission in public engagement is to inspire enthusiasm for discovery science, advocate for science-informed policy decisions, and deliver clear communication to publics about the value of scientific endeavors, and in so doing make science more democratic and equitable.

I've discussed the numerous challenges and opportunities, contributing to numerous research papers and reports in these nascent fields. Below are a few examples of my science communication efforts over the past decade.

Bay Area Science Festival

I served as the first director of the Bay Area Science Festival, a celebration of STEM, from 2009-2017. Each year, this ten day festival took over the city of San Francisco and surrounding Bay Area drawing over 50,000 adults and families to hands-on science days, tours of cutting edge research facilities, and stage shows featuring some of scientists and entertainers. The festival remains the largest science education event in California and a cultural staple in the Bay Area. I organized some of the most innovative, popular science events in Bay Area history from a takeover of AT&T Park to brand new stage shows to discussions with scientists and artists to block parties to science pub crawls.

Launching the Bay Area Science Festival and supporting the growth of science festivals across the country has been a career highlight. Check out some of my favorite events in the gallery!

Nerd Nite

As a way to explore new methods of engaging adults in science, I often collaborated with my colleagues at Nerd Nite, a monthly lecture-in-bar series in San Francisco. Here, I joined a creative crew of like-minded scientific event-planners looking to push boundaries of what is expected in science education events. Together, we hosted brain painting nights, a science-themed wrestling night with Hoodslam, a takeover of the USS Hornet aircraft carrier where we brought together astronauts, drones, and food scientists , and an unforgettable science night on Alcatraz featuring ten different talks and explorations related to the science of the island. Nerd Nite allowed me to develop some of my most creative science events, all in the frame of learning, entertainment, and memorable social experiences. Some of our most memorable collaborations included:

Nerd Nite at Sea aboard a ferry boat in the SF Bay
Nerd Nite at Sea II aboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier
Nerd Nite on Alcatraz
Nerd Nite at the Alamo Drafthouse (celebrating the historic New Mission Theater)
Nerd Nite Block Party
Nerd Nite Field Trips to dozens of scientific labs and locations

Science Advising

I have served as an advisor, board member, and consultant to numerous science engagement, education, and communication programs.

Science Sandbox at the Simons Foundation, Advisory Board, 2016-2022
AAAS Leshner Leadership Institute, Advisory Board, 2015-2021
Inforum at the Commonwealth Club, Board Member, 2014-2017
Hard Science, Discovery Digital Networks, Science Advisor, 2014

Science and Star Wars

In 2017, I joined Science and Star Wars, a limited 10-part series in collaboration with IBM and Lucasfilm, as a producer and science advisor. I co-write scripts, designed science experiments, and conducted interviews with researchers.

Science Cafes

In 2008, I attended a "science cafe" at a local bar in my neighborhood that was hosted as part of an AAAS conference. I initially thought this was just a science-themed food and drink experience, but I learned that these science cafes are casual forums where scientists mingle with the like-minded to explore new ideas and engage in discussion. I was immediately hooked by the casual nature of these forums, so much so that I created my own science cafe series, Down to a Science, the next month. In that time, I hosted and supported dozens of discussions in cafes, bars, nightclubs, and parks across the country as the science cafe movement grew and spread. This experience seeded my appreciation for public dialogue and the importance of scientists meeting people where they are.

SF Environment's Melissa Capria discussing the city's climate action plan and the data supporting local policy measures.