This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
I didn't set out to draw science comics; I wanted to be an all-around science communicator. I just happened to find my voice with comics. But lately I've been wanting to do more--I want to explain current research in my Beatrice-y way. I took to Twitter to gauge interest in a science comic/illustrator/weirdo such as myself helping researchers with outreach.
Professor people: could I work w/ profs who will write me into their grants for $ for me to help w/ outreach via comics, infographics, etc.?— Beatrice Biologist (@beatricebiology) August 2, 2014
One professor who was willing to experiment with such a collaboration was Christopher Smith from Earlham College. He's working on a large project comparing the soil ecosystems across varied agricultural lands: ones that grow corn, ones that grow soy; soil that is tilled, soil that is not tilled. Part of the project is making educational modules using the data, which will all be publicly available (I'll post an update when the data is accessible). You can also contact Professor Smith with questions: smithch@earlham.edu.
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And so, behold: an illustrated introduction to this project!
Click the image to view it larger, or download the pdf.