Our blog would be nothing without our writers. Unfortunately they can’t stay here forever; they must go on to their next great adventures in life. So, we wanted to take a moment to recognize a few of our authors who have recently left or are preparing to leave soon. We wish you all the very best in your careers!…
![[An embellished map of the world from 1689, including separate frames for the western hemisphere, eastern hemisphere, and north and south poles.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2022/04/1024px-World_Map_1689-by-Gerard-van-Schagen-public-domain.jpg)
Every academic discipline has its own special words and phrases. However, it is hard to match geography in terms of words that are just curious. Did you know that “space” and “place” mean very different things? That the “Annals” is the hallmark of a geographer’s career? And the “First Law of Geography” is extremely important, but does not always hold true? To decipher the meanings of these words and phrases, we first must come to terms with the most ambiguous word of them all: “geographer”…
![[Pictured is an extended arm holding a small, white bottle of sunscreen.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2020/12/FEATUREDIMAGE-e1609264430905.jpg)
We all know that feeling of smearing sunscreen across our face during the hot summer months. Heavy, oily, and greasy… it’s not the most elegant experience. But how important is sunscreen really? Well, as it turns out, it’s pretty essential for our health. Sunscreen protects us from ultraviolet (UV) rays, which come in two forms, UVB and UVA. Science shows that wearing sunscreen not only protects against sun damage and cancer, but also prevents visible signs of aging, evens skin tone, and reduces dark spots on the skin. Unfortunately, despite all of these health benefits, more than 85% of men and 70% of women do not wear sunscreen regularly. So why is that?
![[Picture is a pipette with oil coming from it and a small gold spoon with shea butter on it, both placed on a background of lotion.”]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2020/11/FEATUREDIMAGE.jpg)
Making sure your skin is properly hydrated and moisturized is essential for healthy skin. However, with Fall and Winter upon us, this weather can throw us off balance! We have all experienced that uncomfortable feeling when our lips are chapped, our cheeks are red, and our face feels tight or dry when walking through the blustery cold. With so many products on the market, it can be impossible to know what ingredients to look for. Depending on your skin’s needs, you may benefit more from certain ingredients over others. Some people suffer from dryness whereas others experience dehydration…
![[This image is of a first person view of a desk with an opened lined notebook on the left, a laptop open in the center, a person's left hand is holding a cup of coffee, and the right hand is holding a phone opened with the Facebook login screen.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2020/11/notebook-614213_1920.jpg)
Science communication on social media largely happens through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (you can find the ScIU blog on all three platforms), but in reality, it extends beyond these three primary sites into platforms such as TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, and more. On any one of these platforms, people from around the world are able to form digital communities where they can talk, educate, learn, advocate, and make new friends. I have been the Social Media Chair for ScIU for over a year now, and in that time, I have learned quite a lot about science communication from social media.
![[An image of gloved hands working with test tubes. The image has a large red X over it.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2020/09/Study_X.jpg)
Science journalists are always announcing the results of the latest study. The more bizarre and controversial, the better. A recent study is, almost by definition, cutting-edge research — what better way to tap into the pulse of science? Except, the latest and greatest research is just as often wrong. The concern is not simply with hype. Rather, the problem is the “study.” As a unit of scientific research, it leaves much to be desired, and for those who are unfamiliar with the practices of the scientific community, how to interpret a lone study can be deeply confusing.
This post was written by ScIU Social Media Intern Jack Reasner, an undergraduate at IU’s Media School. The Center for Media Literacy defines media literacy as “a 21st-century approach to education. It provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate, create and participate with messages in a variety of forms — from print to video to… Read more »
Amid this pandemic, you may be having conversations with family members similar to my own. I was talking to my brother about going to the grocery store and buying some eggs for baking when I was pretty strictly told that “no, you shouldn’t because the virus can be transmitted through food.” As a scientist myself, this was intriguing advice. So, I asked him to show me where he had read it. Sadly, nowadays when we are bombarded with news at every corner we turn, we were unable to backtrack his source…
![[Picture of a flat-faced dog (a pug) sitting gracelessly and panting]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2020/02/fawn-pug-resting-on-floor-1289557.jpg)
On Saturday, February 16th, biologist and noted public intellectual Richard Dawkins tweeted about eugenics. Dawkins provided no context. No ongoing dispute he was inserting himself into. No obvious interlocutor. And certainly not anything as convenient as a few previous tweets to set the stage for this surprising announcement. As someone interested in science communication, genetics, and ethics, I find it worth exploring how he screwed up, how he didn’t screw up, and what any of this means for science…
As an international woman of color in STEM who didn’t grow up attending science fairs, it was quite a shock to my family (and myself) when I declared science as my field of study. As a teenager in India who was forced to decide my career at the age of 16, it was quite a… Read more »