Author: mkuchner
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What’s your Science Maturity Level?
(This article originally appeared in Nature) I went to a scientific talk the other day that seemed to leave half the audience inspired and the other half frustrated. My frustrated colleagues insisted that the speaker did not present any true “results”. However, he did make some fascinating predictions about what would be discovered ten or twenty years…
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Interview with Image Consultant Kasey Smith: Part 2
How is a scientist supposed to dress? I posed this question in an interview with professional image consultant Kasey Smith. My last post contained the first half of our interview, where Kasey introduced herself and explained what image consultants are, and why scientists need them. Here, in the second half of the interview, are some of Kasey’s…
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Interview with Image Consultant Kasey Smith: Part 1
An image consultant for scientists? I only recently got into the habit of tying my shoes and combing my hair in the morning. But some scientists clearly do know how to look sharp—especially when they are giving talks, running meetings, and so on. And from a marketing perspective, the way you look becomes part of…
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Mad Men and Scientists
Season Six of AMC’s Mad Men will premier this spring on April 7 and scientists around the world will smirk again. If you aren’t one of the millions of viewers eagerly awaiting the premier, let me give you a quick synopsis of the series. Mad Men follows the escapades of Madison Avenue advertising executives, as they lie…
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The Top Six Science Marketing Hits of 2012
(This article was originally published in Nature.) Scientists, I imagine you’re cuddled up with your loved ones, recounting your favorite moments of the year. To amplify your joy, let me share with you this list of my six top science marketing successes of 2012, compiled with help from the Marketing for Scientists Facebook group. It…
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It Sounds Almost Like Stereo: Elizabeth Bass on Improvisational Acting with Scientists
(This article was originally published in Nature.) Elizabeth Bass’s job title doesn’t sound odd; she is the director of the Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University. But what she does may strike you as challenging to say the least. Founded in 2009 at the urging of Alan Alda, the Center for Communicating Science…
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We Are All Politicians Now: Science Communication and the Romney 47% Video
(This article was first published in Scientific American.) This week, presidential candidate Mitt Romney got into hot water after made some remarks at a fundraiser attended by the wealthy that seemed to denigrate middle-class and poor Americans. Similarly, last week, Bill Nye released a frank video denouncing creationism that sent some religious viewers into a…
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Bill Nye, Marketing, and the Anti-Smoking Lobby: A Challenge to Opponents of Creationism
Last week, I was lucky to have the opportunity to pick the brain of communications expert Partick Donadio. Instead of having an abstract conversation on the topic of communicating science. I decided to ask him about a concrete example: Bill Nye’s recent video called “Bill Nye: Creationism is Not Appropriate for Children”. Patrick provided for…
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Bill Nye’s “Don’t Teach Creationism…” Video Dissected by Business Communication Expert
(This article was first published in Scientific American) Have you seen the new video by Bill Nye called “Creationism is not appropriate for children”? The video simply shows Nye standing in front of a white background and speaking, for two minutes, thirty seconds. Yet almost three million people watched it on YouTube, and many discussed…