“Use a picture. It’s worth a thousand words.” This timeless expression first appeared in a 1911 Syracuse Post Standard newspaper article. If you ask Mohamad Elgendi, he’ll say it’s more…
Continue ReadingSocial media has become a ubiquitous part of our lives, completely changing the way we share information and connect with others. As scientists, we would be remiss to not combine…
Continue ReadingClass Cephalopoda is home to some of the most intelligent and mysterious critters in the sea. Including species of octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus, cephalopods are a type of mollusk…
Continue ReadingIt is no secret that many STEM fields, especially physics and engineering, suffer from a lack of equal representation by race, ethnicity, and gender. Approximately 75% of all physics degrees…
Continue ReadingThe 2017-2018 SWAC executive board would like to give a big thank you to our 2016-2017 board members who retired their positions this year! The last academic year was a…
Continue ReadingAs scientists, we strive to communicate complex ideas to diverse audiences while seeming both confident and enthusiastic. No wonder public speaking can be overwhelming and fear-inducing. Could we all be…
Continue ReadingEarlier this year, scientists from the Belmonte lab at the Salk Institute (La Jolla, CA) reported the first successful grafting of human stem cells into pig embryos. In other words, they were…
Continue Reading“A picture is worth a thousand words.” Communication in the written form is frequently accompanied by helpful graphics or attractive pictures. They help the writer explain a point…
Continue ReadingThe March for Science has drawn widespread support from a community anxious about the state of science under the new Trump administration. But while many are strongly in favor of…
Continue ReadingEvery day the media bombards consumers with different recommendations regarding the amount of food to consume, important micronutrients to keep in mind, and general advice about what you should be…
Continue ReadingIn the past, the largest obstacle that separated humans was distance. In the first half of the 20th century, we built machines that made it possible to drive non-stop from…
Continue ReadingWe all get that same question over and over again from everyone we meet — the old friend at the grocery store, an uncle at a family reunion, or even…
Continue ReadingContestants on the TV show “The Biggest Loser” may not be “losers” after all. A recent study of Season Six contestants has revealed that six years after the show ended,…
Continue ReadingAs a huge Minnesota Twins fan, I was sad to hear that former catcher and current first baseman Joe Mauer is still reporting concussion-related vision problems. These symptoms stem from…
Continue ReadingFrom graduate students to faculty members, scientific researchers generally receive training in writing technical documents. Usually these documents are intended to communicate findings to other scientists.
Continue ReadingImagine a pathogen that makes its host more sexually active. It may not kill its host right away. It may not kill its host at all. It is easy to…
Continue ReadingFollowing the Super Bowl, millions of football fans suddenly exhibit mood swings and odd behaviors. Symptoms include flipping aimlessly through TV channels on Sunday afternoons or a sudden obsession with…
Continue ReadingStatistics. Ugh. Why force-feed such a dreary topic to countless innocent students across the globe? Well, statistics is actually an outrageously important field of study. People make graphs to summarize…
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