ComSciCon-PNW 2026

Pacific Northwest

ComSciCon-PNW is one of multiple chapter conferences around the country that stem from the ComSciCon national conference, a science communication workshop for graduate students which has been held annually in Cambridge, MA since 2013. This conference is a unique professional development program that is organized by and for STEM graduate students. ComSciCon workshops provide attendees with opportunities to develop critical science communication pieces, learn from professionals local to their region, and network with like-minded students. Workshops also prepare students to publish the pieces developed during the chapter workshop in national science communication outlets that partner with ComSciCon!

This year’s ComSciCon-PNW conference is organized by UW’s Engage program and OHSU graduate students in conjunction with SciTalk, a national conference hosted by the Association of Science Communicators in Portland, Oregon. ComSciCon participants will attend the ComSciCon-PNW Chapter conference on March 25th and have the option to attend SciTalk on March 26-27th. A free one-year membership to the Association of Science Communicators will also be granted to ComSciCon-PNW attendees! This gives ComSciCon attendees the unique advantage of creating publishable ComSciCon pieces, developing their communication skills, and networking with each other before participating in the professional conference on the following days. ComSciCon-PNW will also provide accepted applicants with SciTalk conference registration, lodging support, and travel support, for both ComSciCon-PNW and SciTalk. We look forward to training the next generation of science communicators here in the PNW, so that the cutting edge research we do is accessible (and as interesting to everyone else as it is to us)!

Organizers

Arielle Isakharov

Partnerships Team

Arielle is a neuroscience PhD student in the Wright Lab at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, OR. She studies the development and identities of retinal neurons using confocal imaging and mouse genetics. Arielle is part of the Portland team helping to expand ComSciCon-PNW to the Portland area, building sponsor relationships, and reviewing applications. Outside of ComSciCon, Arielle is involved in the PNW Nucleate chapter and volunteers with NW Noggin to bring science to grade school students, youth community centers, juvenile detention centers, and more. When not doing science or talking science, find Arielle at a nearby sushi spot or reading a good novel.

Becca Blyn

Logistics Committee

Becca is a 4th-year Ph.D. candidate in the Pathobiology Ph.D. program at UW. She studies the immune response to malaria vaccines, with the big picture goal of identifying new ways to monitor and improve vaccine efficacy. She is a member of the ComSciCon-PNW Logistics Committee and manages applications. Beyond ComSciCon-PNW, Becca also engages in science communication as a member of the UW Engage Board of Directors, the UW Science and Policy Committee, and the Scientist Network for Advancing Policy (SNAP).

Monica Tschang

Programming Lead

Monica (she/her) is a neuroscience Ph.D. candidate at the University of Washington, studying how trauma impacts the connection between the brain and gut by analyzing poop. Since pursuing her Bachelor’s in Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Rutgers University, she’s launched several science communication projects to make science more approachable, including a podcast featuring undergraduate researchers, a couple of neuroscience outreach programs, and a science comedy game show. Additionally, works with educators to organize events that expose K-12 students to scientists and their stories to inspire young scientists and demystify science careers. More recently, she’s been active in science policy spaces to advocate for student opportunities to explore science hands-on.

Cecily Rosenbaum (she/her)

Logistics Lead/Organizing Chair

Cecily is a 5th year PhD Student at the University of Washington’s Chemistry Department. She is a spectroscopist, using light to study molecules that can harness portions of the sun’s energy that solar panels would normally waste and turning into energy that those panels can use. These environmentally friendly molecules will help solar panels produce more energy from sunlight, improving solar technologies. Cecily was inspired to pursue science communication as a high schooler, and hopes to make that passion an integral part of her career. In recent years, she was the predoctoral instructor for the Engage course at the UW, which aims to train graduate students in STEM for careers that prioritize science communication. She has also attended the ComSciCon Flagship conference, given several public talks about her research, facilitated workshops for students looking to improve their science communication skills, and trained scientists to speak to elected officials about their science and how funding cuts to their research affect constituents.

Sydney Floryanzia

Logistics Committee

Sydney is a 5th-year Ph.D. candidate in the Chemical Engineering Ph.D. program at UW where she develops tissue-based models of the blood-brain barrier to better understand its role in disease and as a screening tool for neurotherapeutics. Sydney is a member of the ComSciCon-PNW Logistics Committee on the applications review team. In addition to her science communication and K12 outreach efforts, Sydney is involved with NOBCChE, the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers at the local and national levels.