SPOTLIGHT ON SCIENCE AMBASSADOR KATIE MOISSE Science Stories organizer Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Science
Story originally posted in Faculty of Science December 2019 Science Matters newsletter
“I launched Science Stories to highlight the important work of science journalists and storytellers. It’s challenging to both describe science in terms anyone can understand and to find ways to make science relatable to people who may not feel connected to it. But that’s exactly what science journalists and storytellers do. They don’t dumb down science; they clear it up and show us why it matters. I think we can all benefit from understanding how they do this and being aware of the different pressures they face along the way. I think it’s particularly important for scientists and science students to think about ways that they can personally make science accessible and engaging to diverse audiences — we can learn a lot from these experts.
“Every science journalist and storyteller who we’ve approached has been enthusiastic to participate. They appreciate that science communication is a focus for us in the Faculty of Science and they’re happy to meet with faculty members and students who are curious about the work they do and how they do it. They also appreciate the opportunity to connect with the Hamilton community and to have a conversation off-campus about science and the media in today’s political climate.
“Most of the science journalists and storytellers who participate in Science Stories spend the day at McMaster. They visit students in our science communication courses and some lead hands-on workshops. All of our speakers meet with students in small groups to discuss careers in science communication. And in the evening, our speakers give a free public lecture. It’s important for communities to hear from science journalists because the media remains an important source of science and health information.
“Last fall, our speaker was Matteo Farinella, a neuroscientist who’s also a comic book author and illustrator. Matteo led a workshop in the Thode MakerSpace where students explained scientific studies and concepts in the form of a comic. This was such a unique experience for students and it revealed that we have some talented artists in our midst. It was an important reminder that science and art can and should go together.” Katie Moisse completed her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo, her Masters in Neuroscience at King’s College London, and her PhD at Western University in Pathology. She was then accepted into Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, interned at Scientific American, reported on health and medicine for ABC News in New York for four years and then edited stories about neuroscience and autism at Spectrum. Katie joined McMaster in January 2018 where she’s an Assistant Professor with the School of Interdisciplinary Science.