#Solidarity4Wilmot prevails. Thank you! Charges dropped against Kiera Wilmot. Yes! And YES!! Anyone else doing backflips? This news, combined with her full expulsion from school (for next year) being over turned makes me very, very happy for her. (Though I’m thinking ahead – would returning to Bartow High School be in her best interest? Others [...]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for reaching out and speaking up for #KieraWilmot and showing #Solidarity4Wilmot.  I teared up as I read all of the offers of support to assist Kiera and other students all over the country. I was amazed, but not at all surprised. I know this community of educators, teachers, scientists, [...]

News of Kiera Wilmot’s arrest has seriously unnerved me. She is the Florida high school student who was experimenting with common household chemicals in science class that resulted in a minor explosion. There were no injuries and no damage to school property; however, she was taken away in handcuffs, formally arrested and expelled from school. [...]

I was invited to participate in a weekend workshop on science communication by NESCent: The National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in North Carolina.  I will join a cadre of other science communicators, scientists, and journalists to hash out what to do about this ongoing battle to get quality accurate science news and reports about evolution to [...]

During a recent Twitterchat #L21MediaChat on Race & Media hosted by The Loop 21 and UNITY Journalists I recommended that Science belongs in this conversation – and not as aside. Here is a summary of the conversation on the intersection of Science, Race, and Media. [View the story "#L21MediaChat: How #Science fits in #Race & [...]

PRESS RELEASE *********** The Coalition for the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS) today announced this year’s winner of the second annual Paul Shin Award, honoring the unsung heroes of science communication and engagement. The 2013 winner is Mónica I. Feliú-Mójer, Ph.D., Vice-director and News Editor for Ciencia Puerto Rico. For the past seven years, Mónica [...]

Last month, UNITY: Journalists for Diversity and Loop 21 conducted a survey in which journalists were asked how race relations affected modern-day media, and now we want to here from you. Join the race and media conversation as we discuss how stories like the Trayvon Martin case and President Obama’s election were portrayed in print, [...]

Undergraduate Diversity Travel Awards to Botanical Society of America Meetings The PLANTS program (funded by the National Science Foundation and Botanical Society of America) encourages the participation of undergraduates from underrepresented groups at the annual meetings of the BSA and affiliated organizations (this year in New Orleans, Louisiana, July 27-31, 2013). These meetings focus on [...]

More and more I realize that having a scientifically literate public is imperative. As much as we hear news stories about new jobs and economic relief that STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) will have on our nation and our lives, the truth is, if individuals aren’t ready for these great new, high-paying opportunities then that [...]

On February 6, 2013, I got into a big Twitter chat with the esteemed Ebony Magazine (link here). For those of you unfamiliar, Ebony Magazine, founded by John H. Johnson, first hit the newsstands in 1945. It was THE source of news of relevant African-American issues, showcasing celebrities and highlighting the interests of this community [...]