David Attenborough's Witness Statement

By Claire Eamer

I don't have a lot of heroes (of any gender), but in the field of science communication, David Attenborough definitely qualifies. For almost 70 years, the British naturalist and broadcaster has been observing, filming, and interpreting the natural world for audiences of all kinds and all ages.

That bit -- "all ages" -- is one of the reasons he's my hero. He doesn't talk down to his audience. Nor does he oversimplify. He speaks to his audience simply and directly. You don't have to be a scientist or even an adult to understand him. Attenborough demonstrates again and again that complicated subjects can be communicated effectively in language that anyone of almost any age can understand. It's a principle that I try to stick to in my own science writing.

During this clip filmed for the David Attenborough Instagram account, which is managed by the filmmakers, Sir David Attenborough explains why it’s vital for us to put nature at the heart of our decisions. (Source: https://attenboroughfilm.com/about/)

I also try to emulate the way he lets his passion show. Attenborough is as full of wonder at the natural world as he was more than 60 years ago, and he lets us see that. He has worked with dozens or scores of crews, producers, researchers, writers, and scientists over the years, but that humane and human face and voice have not changed. They ARE David Attenborough.

Now, in his 90s and nearing what must inevitably be the end of a long and remarkable life, David Attenborough has delivered what he calls his "witness statement." It's his summation of the changes to the natural world that he has witnessed over the decades, almost all caused by humankind, and his sense of our urgent need to deal with those changes. 

Attenborough's witness statement is delivered -- as is only right -- in the form of a beautifully filmed and narrated documentary: David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet. The film is currently streaming on Netflix in Canada. If you have access to Netflix through an account or a library account, I recommend it highly.

I also recommend exploring the website set up by Attenborough's company and his partner in the project, the World Wildlife Fund. The site contains a wealth of information and background material for anyone inspired by the film. There are resources for schools, community groups, and for individuals. David Attenborough's witness statement is not just a look back at what we have lost but also a call to action for a better future.

Snakes at the Seaside and Birds in the Bush

By Claire Eamer

"Snake!" yelled 8-year-old Carys, and dove for the grassy bank beside the trail. She emerged clutching a deeply puzzled garter snake at least 60 centimetres long, with elegant checkerboard markings on its sides and a jagged yellow stripe running the length of its back.

Western garter snake, found at Pipers Lagoon Park, Nanaimo.

The rest of the group -- more than two dozen kids and adults, with an age range from 8 to 80-ish -- crowded around to admire her catch. Our leader, biology professor Tim Goater of Nanaimo's Vancouver Island University (VIU) identified it as a female western garter snake (Thamnophis elegans), almost certainly pregnant, and the largest specimen he had seen at Pipers Lagoon, the small seaside park we were exploring. Western garter snakes have a variable diet, depending on where they live, he explained. Carys's prize catch would specialize in hunting intertidal fishes among the park's rocks and tidepools.

Professor Tim Goater with
a large clam at Pipers Lagoon.

Once everyone had admired the snake, we put her back on the slope beside the trail and watched, fascinated, as she disappeared into the grass and undergrowth in less than a second.

The mixed group of kids and adults wasn't just a casual group of visitors to the seashore. We were students in a class called Explorations of Animal Diversity, one of 10 offerings at this year's edition of Grandkids University. The two-day program is open to kids aged 7 to 13 and to their grandparents or grandparent-equivalents (other senior relatives or special friends).

Carys, left, entranced by birdbanding.

Carys and I (I'm her great-aunt) were in our second year at Grandkids University this year. Her brother, Rowan, was in his third year. He and his special friend, Susan, spent two days in the chemistry lab, making soap, slime, invisible ink, instant ice cream, and pop-bottle rockets -- and learning a considerable amount of chemistry along the way.

Over two days, Carys and I got to see and handle garter snakes both in the lab and in the field, peer at insects through a dissecting microscope, search for animals in the intertidal zone, visit a bird-banding station, dissect a ratfish in search of parasites, and tour VIU's International Centre for Sturgeon Studies.

Master bander Eric Demers shows the wing feathers
of a Common Yellowthroat.

And, at the end of the two days, we all attended a graduation ceremony in the university's theatre. VIU's symbols -- a mace and a beautifully decorated steering paddle -- were formally piped through the theatre to the stage. Then, the VIU registrar, in full academic robes, presented each adult and child with a completion certificate. Kids and adults who had attended Grandkids University for 5 years also received "Masters" medals. (Both Rowan and Carys are determined to get their Masters!)

A female American Goldfinch receives its individualized band.

This is the 11th year for VIU's Grandkids University, and it drew a record 163 participants. Almost a dozen former kid participants have grown up to become VIU students, and a number of the participating adults also take VIU classes. Clearly it's part of the university's recruiting program, but it does more than just generate students.

Carys found a seastar that had lost one arm
and was still regrowing its replacement.

Both the kids and the grandparents learn things -- about the subject they are studying and about each other. For two days, they are equals, experiencing the pleasure of learning something new and interesting. The kids can see that adults don't know everything, but that they can learn. The adults get a chance to see how bright and capable the kids are.

And everyone is reminded that learning isn't drudgery. It's fun.

All photos by Claire Eamer.

Happy Birthday to Us... Almost

By Claire Eamer

Last week, I was delving around in old Sci/Why blog posts, looking for a dinosaur photo to illustrate L. E. Carmichael's post on the enormous Tyrannosaurus rex unearthed in southern Saskatchewan, Move Over SUE, There's a New T. rex in Town. A few years ago, I had visited the fossil's home museum in Eastend, a small town set among the low, rolling hills of southwestern Saskatchewan's shortgrass prairie. I knew I had written a blog post about it, but I couldn't remember when.

Well, I found it. And it was longer ago than I realized. In fact, that post, Seeing the Real McCoy... er, McDino, appeared in Sci/Why's first summer, 2011. I also realized we're about to have a birthday. Sci/Why was launched in April 2011. We're about to turn eight years old! There should be cake, shouldn't there?

Not many blogs will show you this, but Sci/Why will. That is dinosaur poo!
Specifically, it's fossilized T.rex poo -- a coprolite, in polite company -- and it's the
first T.rex coprolite ever found. Here it rests safe in a display case at the museum
in Eastend, Saskatchewan. Claire Eamer photo 

The website intro (just over there on the right and up a bit) credits me with the idea for Sci/Why, but the truth is, it started because I'm lazy. A handful of us kids' science writers were at a conference when one of us said, "I think someone should set up a blog about Canadian science writing for kids." Because, you see, there's a lot of it, and it's actually very good. But a blog sounded like a lot of work -- and I'm definitely not in favour of a lot of work -- so I said, as quickly as possible, "Group blog. It should be a group blog!" (You see what I did there, eh? It's the Tom Sawyer you-will-love-painting-this-fence-for-me thing.)

And we did. And it's still going. What you are reading right now is Sci/Why blog post #436. As I write this, our all-time total page views number 436,724.

Want a few more stats? Of course you do!

Our most popular column ever, which also came out that first summer, is How big can an earthquake be? by Craig Saunders. So far it has garnered 40,586 page views, and it's in the top five columns almost every week -- especially if there are earthquakes in the news.

Another biggie from that first year is Joan Marie Galat's post, Why constellations and astronomy are important, from October 20, 2011. It has received 19,885 page views (as of this moment), and it too shows up regularly in the top five.

Both those posts address topics that turn up again and again in the news and in the school curriculum. But Shar Levine's piece on the Eleanor of Aquitaine Sundial is a bit more off the beaten track. Still, it has earned 9,393 page views and counting. And Helaine Becker's rant about American children's publishers shying away from the topic of evolution, A Call to Arms -- and Flippers, Too, has almost as many page views. In fairness, Helaine in full rant is always entertaining.

The big hitters in the page-view stats are the older columns, since they've had time to be discovered again and again. But some of our more recent posts are doing very well indeed. Adrienne Montgomerie's Iceman CSI: Tales from a 5300-year-old man, which dates from October 2016, has more than 2000 page views. So do several of Jan Thornhill's immaculately researched and beautifully illustrated posts. Check out her Colourful Wood: Spalting Fungi from last year to see what I mean.

Over the past eight years, we've had writers come and go as their interests and time constraints changed. Usually there are about eight or nine regular contributors, and a few more people who send in a blog post when they have time. We try to update the blog every Friday -- but we remind ourselves that the world won't end because we've missed a Friday. This should be fun -- for us and for you. We hope it is and continues to be. Happy Blog Birthday to all of us!

Yours fondly, Claire (and the rest of the Sci/Why crew)

Science Communication Workshops March 6 at York U

Are you a science student, a budding journalist, or a member of the wide community of citizens interested in science? Here's a Sci/Why blog post for families with youths and teens rather than very young children.

There are two workshops happening that will be of great interest to you, on Wednesday March 6 at York University in Toronto. As York University Faculty of Science announced today on Twitter:

Communicating research findings to the media and wider public in a way that is accurate and captures their interest can prove tricky. How do you stay in control of the story and where does real and imagined fake news fit in?

Two free events open to the wider community on Wednesday, March 6 will explore those issues further with experienced journalists, communicators and a scientist – “Issues and Challenges in Science Communications” and “Communicating Science in the Age of Fake News.”

You can read all about these two public events by clicking the link here, at York University's website. Admission to either event is free, but seating is limited, so contact them to make sure there will be room for you to attend.

These workshops are not only for university people, but for students learning about science communication, and for people in the wider community. “Issues and Challenges in Science Communications” takes place from noon til 2pm, and “Communicating Science in the Age of Fake News” will follow that evening from 6 to 8pm. Either or both of these discussions among experts might be of great interest for students and their parents. If you're a youth interested in sciences or journalism, or the parent of one, these workshops might be just what you need.

And for those people not in the Toronto area, contact your nearest university or community college to see what is happening where you live. If there are no public science events planned in your area at present, that's your opportunity to ask for one. Talk about what you and your friends need, whether it might be Science Summer Camp, citizen science water sampling, or info sessions for high school vocational options. You'll be amazed what can be arranged in your own district. Even a high school, library, or recreation centre can help you. Some speakers will visit isolated communities in person, while others will visit by Skype and internet chat forums.

Science is not something that happens only in universities -- and even when it does, that kind of science is STILL meant to benefit all of us.

Who Writes for Science Centres and Museums, and How?

by Adrienne Montgomerie 

There are words everywhere at museums and science centres: on the walls, in the guide books, in their newsletters, blog posts, and marketing materials, in the visitor activities and kids’ clubs, and in the audio guides and press releases. And that’s just the stuff the public sees. Behind the scenes there are funding requests to write, reports, journal papers, and things like that.

Sci/Why wanted to know what it was like to work on those materials, so we asked some experts to tell us about it. What follows came out of interviews with three writers from Canada and the United States who specialize in writing for science centres and museums.

How Writers Write Content for Museums

The writers and editors don’t have to have all the knowledge, they just have to know where to find it. Sometimes they get to work with subject experts—scientists and researchers—one-on-one to gather info. Other times they read what experts wrote, to gather facts to share with the public.

“It’s really an exercise in cutting,” said Kimberly Moynahan, to make the expert knowledge fit on a very short panel. She works on exhibits for the likes of the Ontario and Saskatchewan science centres in Canada. Panels explaining exhibits can be super short. “A whole panel might be 60 words. And you’re going to explain fusion,” she said. “What really are the key messages? Everything you write has to add more information. You never repeat anything, because you don’t have room for that.”

“It’s super important to keep it fun,” Moynahan said. “We try to get kids to engage with other parts of the room or activities by challenging them with questions: Can you think of something bigger than an elephant? How many equilateral triangles do you see? Hint, look at the windows.”

Imagine these panels on the wall beside an exhibit: “There’s a big header with question on it, then underneath that, a bold sentence with the secondary information. Beneath that, there might be one or two big sentences not quite as bold, then a paragraph of two to three sentences. A lot of people will only read the headers,” Moynahan explained.

Who the Museum Writers Target Audience Is 

When editing words the public will read, “I often have to eliminate a lot of jargon,” said Sara Scharf, editor in paleontology for materials at the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada. “I try to write for a grade 6 reading level or so.”

Aiming for that 11- or 12-year-old visitor is key, agrees Moynahan. “We might have some messaging for adults,” she said. “But the general audience for tone, language, and facts hit that middle school audience. That age group is the bulk of visitors—with schools coming through.”

Maggie Goodman is writing for younger kids (grades 3–5) because her work at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry in the USA was for a science club as well as a summer program at the public libraries. “Language needs are very important when we’re looking through to make sure things work,” Goodman said. She also considers what kids are interested after 5 pm (outside of school hours).

The Museum Writers' Reference Shelf 

For the facts, the experts on the team are the writers’ most important resource. For the other parts, writers look to school curriculum (available online by province) to find words and ideas that are familiar to kids. Museums and science centres love to teach visitors new things. Knowing what the visitors might already be familiar with helps them build on and extend that knowledge, taking visitors from the familiar to the unfamiliar, and on to new reaches of knowledge. In the USA, Goodman refers to the Next Generation Science Standards that outlines the progression of scientific concepts and depth of understanding across the grade levels.

For checking the use and style of science jargon, writers ask their experts, and check books like Scientific Style and Format and AP Stylebook, and science dictionaries as well as standard school curriculum, and reputable websites. (Also see our article on science vocabulary by grade.)

The Museum Writers' Background 

Writers and editors working in a niche often know something about the topic beforehand, but sometimes their expertise is primarily in language. Scharf has a PhD in the history and philosophy of biology and Moynahan has a degree in zoology. Goodman has a background in educational development, but not in science. Sometimes not being a subject expert can help the editor or writer put themselves in the public’s shoes. They have to write materials that can be understood by visitors who are completely new to the subject, after all.

Moynahan says that her training as a scientist helps her a lot: “It’s helped our design team that I can do some of the research so they don’t have to farm it out. I already have a basic understanding and know what to Google. Most of the time, what you’re writing is not deep science. It’s very helpful to have a science background because you have to pull from three pages and get a story arc onto three [60-word] panels.” The scientists like working with her, she says, because “I can talk with research scientists who are truly expert in the field, and understand [them] enough that they don’t really have to explain [the science].”

What Museum Writers Want You to Know 

Moynahan wants others to know “the fact that it is a career path for a writer. It never occurred to me as a freelancer that there is work [for us in museums].”

“There is that false idea that there’s a gatekeeper to understanding science and liking science,” Goodman said. “We are really trying to tear that down at the Museum of Science and Industry. I’m really proud that there’s a universal ownership to science learning and exploration that’s occurring. Everybody has that on a daily basis, they’re just often not doing that in the terms that are used in a STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] setting.”

“I like looking at the same material from multiple angles, helping to bring cutting-edge research to a broader audience,” Scharf said. “And the challenge of doing so in a variety of voices and registers.”

---

Do you remember an exhibit whose writing really stood out? Did you ever think about being on that creative team? Did you learn something when writing an exhibit that you’d like to share? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

Science Literacy or....What?

By Claire Eamer

Think scientists are scary? How about sitting
down with a few scientists at your local pub?
Not so scary after all, eh? Pint of Science is
one of several organizations making that happen.

A couple of days ago, I found myself in a Twitter conversation with an assortment of science communicators and scientists (sometimes, but not always, the same thing). We were talking about promoting science literacy. Or maybe not - because what do we actually mean by science literacy?

The conversation was sparked by a previous Twitter exchange, summarized in this blog post by the fiercely scientific and communicative Sarah Boon: Is it time to stop using the phrase “science literacy”?

And that, in turn, started with a comment from Canada's new chief science adviser, Dr. Mona Nemer. She expressed concern that too many Canadians still think science is a matter of opinion rather than fact. She added, “I think that we need to develop a better dialog and better ways of exciting the youth about science.”

Imagine getting to play with all those cool science toys
at BC's Science World or Toronto's Ontario Science Centre,
without having to make way for scores of rowdy kids. It can
happen. Check your local science centre for an adults-only
night. And if there isn't one, ask them why not!

Now I spend a lot of time writing about science for kids and talking to kids about science - and most of them, I find, are already excited by science. Kids want to know how things work, where they come from, what they're made of - all the things that scientists want to know. And there are plenty of ways for kids to get involved with science: books, magazines, toys, museums, science centres, natural history clubs, space camps, and school itself.

But adults are another case entirely. I've met adults who are sure they can't understand science - are even afraid of science. And often intelligent, accomplished adults who are thoroughly competent in their own fields. At some point between the curious child and accomplished, competent adult, something has happened to convince them that they can't understand things scientific.

How about a science poetry slam? Or stand-up science comedy?
Watch as science lovers battle to communicate science.
What's on the line? Pride, fame, and eternal glory. And it's all
happening at a Science Slam near you.

They lack - in the most commonly used term - science literacy. That sounds awful, doesn't it? As if they can barely read and write. But, of course, that's not the case. Veteran science writer/broadcaster Jay Ingram suggests dropping the term science literacy entirely. No one's really sure what it means in practical terms, and it sounds like a chore, a duty, another unwelcome obligation in an already busy life.

I'd love to see grown-ups having as much fun with science as kids do. And why not? Imagine digging for real dinosaur bones, helping excavate a genuine archaeological site, peering at tiny critters through a microscope or enormous planets through a telescope. Imagine getting to play with all those gizmos and gadgets in science centres without having to compete with hyperactive eight-year-olds. That would be fun!

And, increasingly, you can do it. Science centres and museums and science communication organizations are recognizing that adults need some science fun too. Remember that Twitter conversation that started this bit of musing? It led to a bouquet of recommendations for organizations that are putting the fun back into science for us grown-ups. Click on the links under the images scattered around this post to learn more.

And - please - if you know of a great science event for grown-ups, add it in the Comments section below. Forget science literacy - let's have fun!

BREAKING NEWS

June 30, 2016 -- Author and speaker Shar Levine, a founding member of Sci/Why, has been appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. The appointment, announced today, is for "her contributions to making science easier for children to understand through her hands-on workshops and for her work to involve parents, teachers and librarians in science education."

The Vancouver-based author, known as The Science Lady, said she is still numb with the news. "It's a win for all science writers," In particular, she said, she shares the honour with her long-time writing partner, Leslie Johnstone.

The Order of Canada recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.

Why I Love Twitter

By Claire Eamer

I confess - I absolutely love Twitter. And it's not because I'm a social media geek. It's because of the science. Really!

I know Twitter has a reputation as the place where you post the boring minutiae of your life (and how many times do you get to use "minutiae" in conversation, eh?). But Twitter is actually the place where I find the coolest science stories.

I've found stories so unexpected that I'd never think to search for them. Or breaking stories. Or stories that are simply too cool for school! Of course, the best stories of all are the ones that are totally cool enough for school.

For example, who knew there are deviant corals? And that it's a good thing? I certainly didn't!

What makes a "Deviant Coral" survive a mega-El Niño? Post by @ClaarDanielle on @baumlab's new blog. Great read! https://t.co/OcLU3q7SLh

— realscientists (@realscientists) February 11, 2016

Or that bacteria have eyes. Or are eyes. Or can see. Sort of...

This bacterium acts like a one-cell eyeball https://t.co/dKrrgYcxnX pic.twitter.com/twQkjNi9gB

— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) February 9, 2016

And then there's this week's breaking science story - about gravitational waves. Mind boggled by that one? If you want to follow the story or understand it, the Twitterverse has got you covered:

"Biggest Scientific Event of the Decade" #gravitywaves Discovered! Watch the Video: https://t.co/S89Cgvn05X pic.twitter.com/56IHt7FykU

— Check123 (@check123com) February 12, 2016

And then there are the regular Twitter users I follow for the great science stories they tell. Science writer Ed Yong, for example. Or Brian Switek, who loves dinosaurs with a passion equalled only by the nearest five-year-old. Or Sarah Boon, who thinks and writes very well about both science and science communication.

If you want to learn what's happening in Canadian science, check out the feed from Science Borealis. Here's an example:

New post #fromthefeed Life amid acidity near a smoldering part of the Arctic https://t.co/LOhniPEXld

— Science Borealis (@ScienceBorealis) February 11, 2016

You can even find a bunch of the Sci/Why crew on Twitter: Helaine Becker, Paula Johanson, Lindsey Carmichael, Joan Marie Galat, Marie Powell, occasional blogger Margriet Ruurs, and even me.

And here's one final, awesome tweet:

Listen to this!
Caribbean Whales Have an Accent: https://t.co/Dft3cjQUv5 #marinemammals #zoology pic.twitter.com/TiP8mrleaT

— Hakai Magazine (@hakaimagazine) February 12, 2016

Enjoy!

Are Canadians interested in science? You tell us!

By Claire Eamer

A couple of weeks ago, Rick Mercer delivered one of his trademark rants in support of science - pure science, whether or not it confers immediate economic benefit. He criticized the federal government for its lack of respect and support for science and said that Canadians are “as passionate and curious as anyone else” when it comes to science.

Now, as a science communicator - both to kids and to adults - that is my experience too. I've talked to kids, teachers, librarians, parents, and passing adults from Vancouver Island to Nunavut in the past few years. Almost all were enthusiastic about science, curious about how things work, fascinated by the natural world, and delighted to learn new things. (The exceptions were two kids from a religious fundamentalist family and one grown-up radio interviewer - but you can't please everyone, I guess.)

But this, it appears, is not everyone's experience.

Canadian geneticist David Kent, currently at the University of Cambridge in the UK, wrote a blog post politely and articulately disagreeing with Rick Mercer. That triggered an online storm of the best possible kind - some people agreeing with Kent and others disagreeing.

Besides the stream of comments attached to Kent's post - all polite and passionate (including, I hope, my own) - the discussion has continued on other blogs, Facebook pages, and Twitter feeds.

One of the commenters, science communicator Kevin Mogk, felt strongly enough about the discussion to repost his own comments, inviting more discussion. Another referred to his own earlier post with concerns similar to Kent's. 

A number of people referenced the Council of Canadian Academies' report, issued in August 2014, on the state of science culture in Canada. Among its findings: "Canadians have positive attitudes towards science and technology and low levels of reservations about science compared with citizens of other countries."

The Canadian science blog and blog aggregator, Science Borealis, recently published a careful and detailed set of counter-arguments to Kent's post.

Theresa Liao, science communicator at the University of British Columbia and a friend of David Kent, posted her own response on her blog, Science, I Choose You!

Among the evidence cited for Canadians' interest in and enthusiasm for science are the excellent books, blogs and articles being produced by Canadian science writers for a Canadian and international audience, including:

• nominees and winners of the Canadian Science in Society Book Awards  and the Lane Anderson Awards
• the Canadian science bloggers listed and featured on the website of the Canadian Science Writers' Association and the Science Borealis blog
• the substantial audiences attracted by CBC Radio's Quirks & Quarks and CBC Television's The Nature of Things
• the crowds of kids and adults who fill science centres, science museums, and open science days at universities and research centres

So, who is right? Or are we all right, to some degree? What do we - all of us - need to do to make sure that Canadians have access to scientific information in a form that makes it useful to them? And how can we ensure that kids who are passionate about science (and that's most of them, in my experience) don't lose that passion as they get older, whether or not they become scientists themselves?

If you read this far, you care - and you have an opinion. Please share!






 

Talking Science with Kids

By Claire Eamer

This blog, in a slightly different form, first appeared on the Eamer Science Services website (where I masquerade as a writer of science for grown-ups), but I thought it might be worth repeating the main points here.

I spent most of May touring Ontario and talking about science with kids, mainly because one of my kids’ science books, Lizards in the Sky: Animals Where You Least Expect Them, was nominated for an award in the Ontario Library Association’s annual Forest of Reading competition.

This was my first Forest of Reading nomination, and it was awesome! It’s a children’s choice award, which means that kids all over Ontario read the books and vote for their favourites. Even if you don’t win (I didn’t), you still win, because schools and libraries buy your books and kids read them.

And, I found, they read with enthusiasm!

I gave presentations at several schools on the Niagara Peninsula to audiences from kindergarten to Grade 8. In one case, the whole K-to-8 school was — rather alarmingly — in the audience. At a Toronto library, the mid-week afternoon audience ranged in age from two to roughly 70. To my amazement and pleasure, all the audiences were interested, attentive, courteous, full of questions, and enthusiastic about science.

Toward the end of the month, I even spent an afternoon at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, talking with kids and adults about animals, habitat, evolution, and the sheer joy of learning about all of them.

The Forest of Reading wraps up with a two-day Festival of Reading at Harbourfront in Toronto. Thousands of kids and teachers attend, cheering on their favourite authors, swapping books, collecting autographs, getting their photographs taken with authors, and generally talking books-books-books with anyone and everyone.

The whole experience was immensely encouraging to someone who cares about books and about science. Books are not dead. The kids love ‘em, in whatever form they find them. And they love science. Both the kids and adults I talked to were full of smart, interesting questions about the science in Lizards in the Sky, and full of enthusiasm for the diversity of life that the book celebrates.

My take-away message from a month of touring? If we can talk about science in an accessible way, people — both kids and adults — are more than ready to listen.

My Excellent Science Fangirl Adventure - Shared

By Claire Eamer

I'm in Boston, a city I've never visited before, and I probably won't see much of it during this visit. Why not? Why am I not out exploring the historic streets, world-famous museums, exotic shops? Sad to say, I am spending my time happily geeking out on science.

I'm at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS, or #AAASmtg if you Tweet). Doesn't sound all that impressive, eh? But really it's hundreds of scientists presenting bite-sized bits of their work and discussing it on panels in front of thousands of fellow scientists, educators, journalists, enthusiasts -- and science geeks like me. More than four days of glorious science indulgence!

It's too much to tell you about here, but I thought I'd post a quick set of links so that you can all indulge in your own mini-geek. So -- here are a few of the places I go on the Internet when I feel like a quick dose of science fun.

For pure fun, great science in bite-sized pieces, and entertaining presenters, try Science in Seconds. It's a site started by four young women when they were grad students at the University of Alberta a few years ago. They have all moved on in their careers (and geography), but they are still producing great science goodies -- two new videos and three new blog entries every week. They're tireless!

You can also check out the contributors to Sci/Why. Just check the list on this site. Several of us blog elsewhere too. And we're cool. Honest!

For more Canadian science bloggers, go to the website of the Canadian Science Writers' Association, where you'll find an ever-growing list of blogs at the side of the page.

A few of the established, excellent, and highly entertaining pros of science blogging have just recently joined up at Phenomena: A Science Salon hosted by National Geographic. There you'll find Ed Yong, Carl Zimmer, Brian Switek (who blogs as Laelaps), and Virginia (whose blog is Only Human).

And does physics baffle you? Try the short videos at Minute Physics. You might still be baffled, but you'll be entertained. Actually, you'll probably be both entertained and un-baffled.

If you can't decide what kind of science you want to indulge in today, Scientific American has a science blog supermarket, with some amazingly fine bloggers, at http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/

Finally, I just discovered this site and I had to share it. Who better to share it with than you? It's the Smithsonian Institution's amazing set of pages on human evolution. To meet our distant cousins and remote ancestors and (almost) shake their hands, go here: http://humanorigins.si.edu/

And if you want to have even more fun -- most of these folk are on Facebook and Twitter too. Just go to their blogs to find the links.

Gotta run. More amazing science on the platter. Have fun!

What Is Science?

Some fabulous quotes and food for thought on the question of "What is science?" from the equally fabulous, Brain Picker. Check it out here.

Christmas counts - to the birds

By Marie Powell

As we start preparing the annual Christmas turkey (photo by tuchodi), tens of thousands of volunteers are out in search of other birds - on the annual Audobon Christmas Bird Count.

Before the Twentieth Century, many bird and animal species would need to fear the annual hunting parties in search of sport and/or food for the holidays. According to the Audobon website, this annual hunt turned into a bird-counting census on Christmas Day in 1900, when the idea was suggested by ornithologist Frank Chapman. In its first year, the bird count included sites from Ontario to California.

Today, Christmas bird counts are held across North and South America from December 14 to January 5. Bird counting usually takes place in groups within a defined area, and in all kinds of weather. The data collected helps scientists and researchers study the health of bird populations over time. That helps identify declining bird populations - and ultimately, declining populations tell us about the health of a given area or ecosystem.

It's a way of giving back - and when could that be more appropriate than at Christmastime?

For more about Christmas bird counts, or to find one near you, try these links:

Audobon: Christmas bird count: http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count#

Audobon: Get Involved: http://birds.audubon.org/get-involved-christmas-bird-count

Bird Studies Canada: http://www.bsc-eoc.org/volunteer/cbc/index.jsp?targetpg=cbcparticpate&lang=EN

Marie Powell is a freelance writer and author of Dragonflies are Amazing (Scholastic).

science eBooks

Two years ago I wrote a piece for the Vancouver Sun about ebooks. The text of the piece follows below. The article motivated me to take my own advice and this week our first enhanced eBook- Bathtub Science- comes out with HarperCollins. This book represents a major change in the way that we, as authors, communicate science information. The parents and teachers who have seen the rough cuts love the idea. It makes science exciting and for those who feel intimidated by instructions (and yes, there are many out there who don't try hands-on science activities for this reason), the enhanced eBook is the perfect solution for science scaredy cats.

As science writers we ought to be leading the way in innovative and effective communication of information. How can we best spark a child's interest in science and how can we stay relevant? I have been told by teachers that there isn't a need to buy science books because everything is on the internet for free. Changing that attitude is something that we as science writers must actively address.

RE: "It's far too soon to terminate books" Ceri Radford, Vancouver Sun, (Vancouver, BC, Canadas -Page -A17, June 11, 2009)

Ceri Radford's article, "It's far too soon to terminate books", was in the same self-righteous tone as those prognosticators in the early 1900's who said that cars would never replace horses, or those who claimed that if man was meant to fly, God would have given him wings.

Wake up. Already some of the major North American publishers at Book Expo America (BEA) seem to be abandoning books in print form. At the annual show last week in New York, I was given large format postcards at the Harper Collins booth. Each card had the image of a book cover, and on the back was the book identification number (ISBN), information about the book, the author, the publication date, and a free download of the book when I went to the publisher's web site and put in the 16 digit PIN number. The book was then downloaded into my computer, in my choice of formatting, and I had access to their new front list of books.

Next year at BEA the majority of publishers say they will be giving out their new releases in this manner.

Why is this good thing? Frankly, digital books are better for the environment. Let's start with how a book is made. Trees are cut down; they are then turned into paper pulp, which means chemicals are spilled into our waterways killing fish. The pulp is turned into paper, shipped
off on trucks, processed, printed and shipped off again to a warehouse, which then sends off the books. There is a very large carbon footprint in this process, while downloading a book into a computer requires no gas, little energy and no pollution. There is never extra stock to be warehoused, and there is no waste. Publishers who are worried about their profits love
digital books because, let's face it, they cost very little to produce, nothing to ship or store, and there are no returns.

The bottom line here really is the "bottom line". Digital books make more sense financially. Just as homes are not built the way they used to be because labour and material cost prohibit this kind of construction, so it will be with printed books. As for school books, I hate to agree with Governor Schwarzenegger, but he is right. California ought to move its science and math
textbooks to digital books. Yes, it is going to save the state an estimated 30 million dollars, but that's missing the bigger picture. In B.C., one Grade 9 science text is available on CD, while the Grade 10 text is available online.

Science changes every day but science texts are only updated maybe every 15 years. Having the latest information available to students will mean that children aren't learning outdated science.
So will digital readers supplant paper? Yes. For those of us who like to read in bed without waking the person next to us, a backlit Kindle is great. I don't have to wear my glasses because I can make the font bigger. It always remembers what page I'm on. It weighs less than the 10 books I take along on holidays.

And as an author of children's books, I think that digital books will be good for my work.