Online Outreach
I believe that online outreach is a powerful tool for connecting science and society. I have been blogging since 2007, and have used the internet for both large-scale outreach efforts such as SEAPLEX and for fun, informal writing on scientific topics. A sample of my work is below.
SEAPLEX
As chief scientist of SEAPLEX, I coordinated an extensive online outreach effort, including a blog, Twitter, interactive Google map, photos, and videos.
Blog and Twitter
From 2010 to early 2013, I blogged at Deep Sea News, the web's leading marine science blog. (I still occasionally post on scientific topics, but have largely left blogging due to my current job in policy.) In the past, I have blogged at The Oyster's Garter and at Double X, a women-focused spinoff of Slate Magazine.
I am on Twitter at @MiriamGoldste. I also ran the marine-debris-focused @seaplexscience Twitter account from 2009-2012.
Here are a few examples of my informal writing:
The sea is full of life, but not quite that full (May 19, 2014). An explainer about a viral photo purporting to describe a “drop” of seawater. Picked up by the Washington Post, Boing Boing, and io9.
A field guide to privilege in marine science: some reasons why we lack diversity (January 24, 2013). Finalist for the best life-in-science post at the ScienceSeeker Awards.
Does the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" exist? (January 10th, 2011) and Three Ways of Looking at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (August 20, 2012). Two explanations aimed at a general audience of the true nature of the "garbage patch."
Don't Panic: Sustainable seafood and the American outlaw (December 29th, 2010). An exploration of sustainable seafood through the lens of Legal Seafood's "Outlawed Seafood" dinner. Published in The Best Science Writing Online 2012.
How To Cuddle Your Lady Right, by Smoove A (December 6th, 2010). This is a parody that explains peer-reviewed research on amphipod mating.
Teaching
NSF GK12 Fellowship
In the 2009-2010 school year, I was an NSF GK12 fellow. In collaboration with a teacher at University City High, I developed curriculum to connect the 9th grade Earth Science curriculum to the San Diego through monthly field trips to a local canyon. Click here to see a poster about our work. Check out EarthRef for our lesson plans, as well as many other ones developed by GK12 scientists and teachers.
Invertebrate Zoology
In 2008, I taught A Hands On Introduction to the Marine Invertebrates as part of the UCSD Academic Connections pre-college summer program. My co-instructor and I covered the anatomy and life history of the approximately 35 currently recognized invertebrate phyla, their evolutionary relationships, and their ecological roles in marine environments - all in three weeks!
From 2008 to 2012, I collaborated with Alison Cawood and Darcy Taniguchi to bring invertebrate zoology to the annual Expanding Your Horizons conference in San Diego. Expanding Your Horizons is an annual conference aimed to interest girls, aged 11 to 16, in science, math, and engineering. Here is a selection of feedback from the girls who participated in our "Sea Cucumbers and Urchins and Anemones, Oh My!" session:
I LOVE marine biology!
I loved touching the marine life
It was really fun to touch and interact with the different animals! So MUCH FUN!
The experiments we did we so interesting and hands-on and I loved actually working with live animals!
I love the brittle star!
It was SO COOOL! and slimy...but Cool!
The program was very fun, I really liked it and it was my favorite!
It was so interactive and fun - I really liked it!
I loved it! It was super cool - MY FAVORITE!
I definitely want to be a marine biologist!
I loved this class, it made me want to be a marine biologist even more!
Mentoring
I actively engage undergraduates, high school students, and members of the community in my research. I have mentored three independent high school and undergraduate projects, supervised 15 laboratory volunteers, and served as a member of a master’s student’s committee. Several of my former students and volunteers have gone on to further studies or careers in the biological sciences.
I also try to be an ally for underrepresented groups in the sciences - you can read some of my thoughts here.
Service
Editorial and Publications Committee, Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Student representative, 2009-2012.
Scripps Teacher of the Year student commitee. Committee chair 2009-2010, member 2010-2011.