At each workshop, ComSciCon graduate student attendees produce original works of science writing that they are invited to submit to our partner publishing outlets. The topic is at their discretion, and past attendees have written about everything from technical aspects of their own research, to the direction of their field as a whole, to reflections on the nature of science communication itself.
Below are some of our attendees’ published works – articles written by graduate students during ComSciCon events.
2024
The Origin Story of Supermassive Black Holes (Club SciWri, 2024)
ComSciCon Bénin 2024 : Les chercheurs béninois apprennent à mieux communiquer leurs recherches. (YouTube, 2024)
2023
The importance of science communication skills cannot be overstated (University Affairs, 2023)
A Journey Through My Microbiome: An Immigrant’s Perspective on a Changing Gut (The Xlyom, 2023)
2022
Make Your Science Communication Memorable with These Storytelling Cues (Club SciWri, 2022)
An unintended byproduct of using fewer fossil fuels? Light pollution (Los Angeles Times, 2022)
Recharging rovers — how batteries enable (and limit) our exploration of Mars and beyond (ZME Science, 2022)
Slow down, it’s what your brain has been begging for (Psyche, 2022)
2021
“Behind the Groove” of DNA (The Scientifically Sound podcast, 2021)
A Puzzle Mat for Assembling Colombia’s Geologic History (Eos, 2021)
Chimpanzees’ brains reflect their early childhood experiences (Massive, 2021)
How to turn confrontation about Africa’s biggest hydropower dam to cooperation (The Conversation, 2021)
Researchers can trace the family tree of individual mutations inside our cells (Massive, 2021)
2020
Rich bird, poor bird: urban street trees support native birds across a socioeconomic gradient (Envirobites, 2020)
Fail Better (PASSIOINVENTA, 2020)
ComSciCon: the virtual experience (Illinois Grainger College of Engineering News, 2020)
Why Science Communication is Critical to Medical Physics (The Voice of Radiology Blog, 2020)
Ice, heat, science, and acting (The Journal of Stories in Science, 2020)
For scientists across the country, #ShutDownSTEM stirs a mix of emotions (CASW Newsroom, 2020)
150 Food Science Questions Answered: Cook Smarter, Cook Better (Rockridge Press; 2020 pp, 2020)
Microbial Life Deep Under the Seafloor—A Story of Not Giving Up (Frontiers for Young Minds, 2020)
Our experience at ComSciCon: the perspectives of two entomology Ph.D. students (SciComm @ UCR, 2020)
Genetics graduate student enhances science communication skills at regional conference (The Newstand of Clemson University, 2020)
ComSciCon returns to Virginia Tech (Virginia Tech Daily, 2020)
The Coolest Physics You’ve Ever Heard Of (Scientific American Observations, 2020)
Evolutionary explanation for unscientific beliefs (Smith D, 2020)
An Evolutionary Explanation for Unscientific Beliefs (Quillette, 2020)
2019
The Secret in Your Veins: The History of Blood Transfusion (Illinois Science Council’s Science Unsealed Blog, 2019)
Science or science fiction? The still-open questions about the #CRISPRtwins story (CASW Newsroom, 2019)
P-values and statistical significance: New ideas for interpreting scientific results (CASW Newsroom, 2019)
Rising seas: Ice sheets pose uncertain, startling risks for the planet (CASW Newsroom, 2019)
Drug resistance: Can targeting evolution be the solution? (CASW Newsroom, 2019)
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence: A “neglected” quest no longer? (CASW Newsroom, 2019)
Fighting climate change with science (and poetry) (CASW Newsroom, 2019)
The monkey in the mirror: Non-human primate brains offer a lens into human minds (CASW Newsroom, 2019)
An upside-down jellyfish could help save coral reefs (CASW Newsroom, 2019)
A controversial tactic against climate change (CASW Newsroom, 2019)
Patients’ waste is this scientist’s treasure (CASW Newsroom, 2019)
Killer fungus could cause the next amphibian apocalypse (CASW Newsroom, 2019)
Where Is Everyone? Technological adolescence and the Fermi paradox. (Orbiter, 2019)
Restoration ecology: the study of applied optimism (Restoration Ecology, 2019)
Mind the [Mass] Gap (Scientific American Observations Blog, 2019)
A LOOK AT CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY FROM 2020 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES (Actual Living Scientist, 2019)
How Judging Future Learning Influences Learning (Psychology Today, 2019)
Don’t Trust Scientists? Then Help Collect the Data (Scientific American Blog Network, 2019)
My Top Eight Takeaways From ComSciCon-AIP (MSU SciComm, 2019)
Science graduate students hone communication skills at inaugural ComSciConCAN conference (The Varsity, 2019)
Which Weighs More, a Pound of Stone or a Pound of Styrofoam? (Scientific American Observations Blog, 2019)
ComSciConNY 2019: Competence, warmth, and knowing your audience (PLOS ECR Community Blog, 2019)
ComSciCon at Cornell grows into 6th year (Cornell Engineering News, 2019)
An Orchid of Two Hearts (a poem) (Plant Love Stories, 2019)
Cancer Research in a Nutshell (Scientific American Blog, 2019)
ComSciCon Launches in Canada (Mirage news, 2019)
New tips and tools for “scicomm” courtesy of ComSciConCAN (Signals, 2019)
A Sleep Scientist’s Journey: From Labs to TV to talking science on NPR (Science Talk’s A Science Blog, 2019)
Krishnan attends ComSciCon 2019 (Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium News, 2019)
“We’re not always just sharing the facts – we’re sharing enthusiasm for the learning process and science” (McMaster University Daily News, 2019)
Self-Education in Science Communication (American Scientist, 2019)
ComSciCon: The Communicating Science Workshop for Graduate Students, by Graduate Students (in ScienceTalk, 2019)
Science Communication Workshop Aims to Engage STEM Researchers Across New York (WSKG, 2019)
2018
Understanding Local Impacts to Inform Wildlife Conservation (Blog of the Union of Concerned Scientists, 2018)
Poster Highlight: ComSciCon trains grad students (& postdocs) on science communication (Neuronline from the Society for Neuroscience, 2018)
Instant Ramen (The Science of Soy Sauce) (Medium, 2018)
ComSciCon in review (San Diego Science Writers Association Blog, 2018)
Researchers, locals testing how industry could impact Fort Good Hope’s water (CBC News, 2018)
How to Create a Science Policy Group: A checklist for graduate students (Scientific American – Observations, 2018)
Two Communication Fellows report back from ComSciCon 2018 (MIT Communication Lab news, 2018)
On Story Telling (PLOS Ecology Community blog, 2018)
Communicating your science with help from ComSciCon (AddGene Blog, 2018)
Explain Yourself: “Not all lava flows are the same” with Arianna (The Roving Naturalist, 2018)
Interview on Public Radio’s Blue Dot (Blue Dot, 2018)
The Floor Is (Usually) Not Lava (Scientific American – Observations, 2018)
WITH COMMUNICATING SCIENCE CONFERENCE, EMERSON HELPING SCIENTISTS TELL STORIES (Emerson College News & Events, 2018)
Science Communication Close to Home (The Central Sulcus (Emory Neuroscience), 2018)
Communicating freely: ComSciCon (eLife Interviews, 2018)
Why is it so hard for scientists to talk about leaving academia? (Massive, 2018)
My experience at ComSciCon Houston 2018 (Science Baller, 2018)
ComSciCon-Triangle: Regional Science Communication Training for Graduate Students (Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 2018)
Graduate Students Host Science Communication Conference (Georgia Tech News Center, 2018)
The Joys of Scientific Outreach (Scientific American Blog, 2018)
Lessons in science communication: Part 1 (Duke Fuel for Thought, 2018)
2017
And So Jaye Told a Story (JKX Comics, 2017)
Biophilia: Is Nature Good for you? (The Roving Naturalist (YouTube), 2017)
The Importance of Science Communication (Discover OSA, The Optical Society Blog, 2017)
Science for All: Shifting Academic Communication at ComSciCon (UCSD Qualcomm Institute News, 2017)
ComSciCon: Science Communication Workshops for Graduate Students, by Graduate Students (PLOS Blogs, 2017)
These tiny methane-eating organisms have an outsize impact on our climate models (Massive, 2017)
GM-food regulations: engage the public (Nature (Commentary), 2017)
Genetically modified food is too advanced for its out-of-date regulations (The Hill, 2017)
Why we need more scientists in government (Boston Globe, 2017)
Green light is more useful to plants than you might think (Urban Ag News, 2017)
COMSCICON PNW (University of Washington School of Marine and Environmental Affairs News, 2017)
Mice as Conservationists? (Scientific American Guest Blog, 2017)
2016
Drawing on the Past: Ancient Cephalopods Produced Ink Similar to That of Their Modern Relatives (Natural History Magazine, 2016)
The Motion of the Ocean: Sex in the Sea and the Fascinating Life of Ocean Babies (Hippo Reads, 2016)
What is it about this soil that protects plants from devastating disease? (Ensia Magazine, 2016)
Circadian misalignment: the common problem you never knew you had (Huffington Post, 2016)
DNA Damage Causing Aging or Aging Causing DNA Damage? (Nature Blogs: SciBytes, 2016)
Getting to the bottom of TB transmission (Biodetectives, 2016)
Why Freshwater Fish Are Awesome (Nautilus Magazine, 2016)
Mayo Researcher Contributes to Immune System Collaboration (Discovery’s Edge (Mayo Clinic’s Research Magazine), 2016)
The Neuroscience of Language (Neuro Transmissions YouTube Channel, 2016)
Why Don’t Bats Get Ebola? Bats Get Ebola? (Scientific American Guest Blog, 2016)
Why Oreos are NOT as addictive as cocaine (YouTube, 2016)
It’s Time for Scientists to Stop Explaining So Much (Scientific American Guest Blog, 2016)
Failure in Science Is Frequent and Inevitable–and We Should Talk More about It (Scientific American Guest Blog, 2016)
2015
Do metaphors make learning a piece of cake? (Learning and the Brain, 2015)
Blowing up biology (CASW New Horizons in Science, 2015)
Computer science shedding new light on black holes (CASW New Horizons in Science, 2015)
An earthlike home.. far, far away (CASW New Horizons in Science, 2015)
Guardians of the genome (CASW New Horizons in Science, 2015)
Hello, is it me you’re looking for? Sara Seager’s quest for living worlds in space (CASW New Horizons in Science, 2015)
Homelessness and aging: where 50 is the new 75 (CASW New Horizons in Science, 2015)
The last first exploration of the solar system: into the Kuiper Belt (CASW New Horizons in Science, 2015)
Light-driven controls could illuminate the circuitry of the brain (CASW New Horizons in Science, 2015)
Mapping the Earth’s microbiomes: federal agencies join forces to explore the microbial world (CASW New Horizons in Science, 2015)
The mighty microbes: White House initiative recognizes the huge impact of tiny bugs (CASW New Horizons in Science, 2015)
Need to survive in a tough environment? There’s an app for that (CASW New Horizons in Science, 2015)
Solving a biological puzzle: why some genes never change (CASW New Horizons in Science, 2015)
Tiny is the new huge: microthrusters for miniature satellites (CASW New Horizons in Science, 2015)
To Pluto and beyond: a journey to the outer reaches of the solar system (CASW New Horizons in Science, 2015)
With the population on the streets aging, homelessness mimics a chronic disease (CASW New Horizons in Science, 2015)
Chew On This: A Story For Your Ears Only, Part 1 (Blog of the National Center for Science Education, 2015)
Chew On This: A Story For Your Ears Only, Part 2 (Blog of the National Center for Science Education, 2015)
Listening to our universe with gravitational waves (Nature SciLogs, 2015)
Does Madison’s land-use past overshadow our present-day choices? (Yahara in situ, the blog of the Water Sustainability and Climate project at UW-Madison, 2015)
Lung Reduction Surgery Conducted in India for the First Time on Scleroderma Patient (Scleroderma News Today, 2015)
Graduate Students Learn to Tell Science-y Stories at ComSciCon Events (Nature SciLogs, 2015)
Seasonal Precipitation: Doubts about Droughts (Nature SciLogs, 2015)
When Learning is Infectious – A Placebo Effect Beyond Belief (Nature SciLogs, 2015)
The Long Road from Coley Toxins to Cancer Immunotherapies (Scientific American Guest Blog, 2015)
Alzheimer’s Disease: A Tale of Two Proteins (SciTable guest blog at Nature, 2015)
The Interleaving Effect: Mixing it up Boosts Learning (Scientific American Mind, 2015)
Living in the Deep (Natural History Magazine, 2015)
What is a Genome Anyways? (SciTable guest blog at Nature, 2015)
2014
Google Street View shows that gentrification in Chicago has largely bypassed poor minority neighborhoods, reinforcing urban inequality. (Blog of the London School of Economics and Political Science, American Politics and Policy, 2014)
9/11 Museum Helps Us Remember What We Can Never Forget (Scientific American, 2014)
Food for thought: Could ants be meat-farming (Natural History Magazine, 2014)
The Relaunch of an Ocean Workhorse (American Scientist, 2014)
7 Science-Backed Numbers to Improve Your Life (Fit Bit Blog, 2014)
7 Science-Backed Numbers to Improve Your Life (Fit Bit Blog, 2014)
Science, a Cause Worth Fightin’ For (originally published at: ascb.org, 2014)
From Reef to Tank: Harvesting Wild Reef Fish for The Aquarium Trade (Natural History Magazine, 2014)
How Gametes Came To Be (Natural History Magazine, 2014)
Scaling the Universe: Powers of Ten and the Magic of Scale (Natural History Magazine, 2014)
Sea Change: Marine Revelations: Through a Microscope’s Lens (Natural History Magazine, 2014)
A Tale of Two Lizards: How Behavior Can Buffer Against Climate Change (Harvard Colloquy Magazine, 2014)
An Analytic Approach to Risk and Intervention (Harvard Colloquy Magazine, 2014)
The Neuroscience Society (Harvard Colloquy Magazine, 2014)
The Story Behind the Story of Life (Harvard Colloquy Magazine, 2014)
The Most Dangerous Mushroom (Slate, 2014)
ComSciCon and Magnetic Fields (Solar Flair, 2014)
2013
Quantum Computing Disentangled: A Look behind the D-Wave Buzz (Scientific American Guest Blog, 2013)
Bringing distance education to the lab (Astronomy Magazine Blog, 2013)
The Case of the Stranded Salamaner: Can a Small, Slimy Mascot Soften The South’s Climate Qualms? (Natural History Magazine, 2013)
Climate Codes: Learning from Past Experience (Natural History Magazine, 2013)
Communicating Science 2013 (ComSciCon13) (Nature ConferenceCast Blog, 2013)
Ground Truths: Think Twice Before Stepping Off the Beaten Path (Natural History Magazine, 2013)
“I Don’t Know If I’m a Scientist”: The Problem with Archetypes (Scientific American Guest Blog, 2013)
Marshaling our Superpowers: Scientists Must Find Their Voice in Debates Over Funding Cuts to Basic Research (The Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Science Bulletin, 2013)
New Supreme Court Decision Rules That cDNA Is Patentable—What It Means for Research and Genetic Testing (Scientific American Guest Blog, 2013)
Speed Dating: Can Geologists Predict How Fast Climate Can Change? (Natural History Magazine, 2013)
Tigers in the Desert: The Mysteries of Vegetation Patterns (Scientific American Guest Blog, 2013)
ComSciCon 
