Keynote Speakers
Jorge Cham is the creative mind behind PHD Comics. PHD Comics covers life (or the lack thereof) in Academia. He is also the co-founder of PHDtv, a video science and discovery outreach collaborative, and a founding board member of Endeavor College Prep, a non-profit school for kids in East L.A. Jorge earned his Ph.D. in Robotics from Stanford University and was an instructor and research associate at Caltech from 2003-2005. He is originally from Panama.
Nancy Baron is the Director of Science Outreach for COMPASS and the author of the book “Escape from the Ivory Tower.” At COMPASS, Nancy works with environmental scientists, helping them translate their work effectively to journalists, the public, and policy makers. She is a zoologist and science writer, and received the 2013 Peter Benchley Ocean Award for Excellence in the Media.
Kristen “Kiki” Sanford is a science communicator with a PhD in molecular, cellular and integrative physiology. She wants to help inform people about science and the important place it holds in our society, and decided the best way to achieve that was to become a science journalist and media personality in print, broadcast, and online mediums. She started the radio show “This Week in Science” in 1999 with a friend, which later evolved into a podcast.
Workshop Speakers
Todd Reubold is co-founder and director of Ensia, an award-winning print and online magazine and events series showcasing solutions to the world’s biggest environmental challenges. He’s also director of communications and public affairs for the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota. His areas of expertise include communications, marketing, public relations, media relations, event management and presentation design. Todd leads presentations workshops for scientists and others wishing to become better communicators.
Martin Storksdieck is the Director of the Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning at Oregon State University. He formerly served as the Director of the Board on Science Education (BOSE) at the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. As the BOSE Director, he oversaw studies that address a range of issues related to science education and science learning and provided evidence-based advice to decision-makers in policy, academia and educational practice. His prior research focused on what and how we learn when we do so voluntarily, and how learning is connected to our behaviors, identities and beliefs. His research also focused on the role of science-based professionals and science hobbyists in communicating their passions to a broader public. He holds an M.S. in biology from the Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg, Germany; an M.P.A. from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government; and a Ph.D. in education from Leuphana University in Lüneburg, Germany. Storksdieck also directs the National Research Council’s Roundtable on Climate Change Education.
Paige Brown Jarreau is a bio/nanotechnology scientist turned communicator. She has an M.S. in biological & agricultural engineering and a Ph.D. in mass communication. Paige translates science into story, and her dream is to inspire a love for science in every reader. She works at the LSU Manship School of Mass Communications, where she studies science blogging and science communication generally as it plays out in new media environments.
Ask Dr. Universe is a science-education project based out of Washington State University and University Communications. Dr. Universe tackles kid’s big questions, like why do cats get hairballs? And why are lasers so fascinating?
