It was a warm desert night and I was on a walk with my campmates down the main drag of Black Rock City. Burning Man 2019 had opened its gates less than 24 hours before, and we were taking a break from our camp build to enjoy the first official night of the event. At … Continue reading On Moon Deniers (And Other Stories of Science Communication At Burning Man)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu_tku_eN_I Last August was the beginning of my third year in chemistry PhD school and things were not going well. I was having trouble staying motivated, couldn’t seem to get to work on time, and once there I would pitter around till it was time to leave again. I resorted to buying one of those … Continue reading On Quitting Grad School (And How Burning Man Helped)
When I was a girl, maybe 11 or 12, I had a kind of embarrassing problem. It wasn’t something that happened all the time, but every once in a while, when I’d go to the bathroom, I would find… stuff… in my underwear. I didn’t know what it was or where it came from. I … Continue reading On Mucus, And Growing Up To Be A Scientist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72U9P81Vawg Some of my earliest memories are of me and my little sister staying up past our bedtime so that Dad could read us just one more chapter of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone. Dad would gather us up with blankets and stuffed animals, doing a different voice for each character. When we got … Continue reading Becoming Hermione: A Personal Story About Magic, Science, and My Dad
With Christmas just around the corner, families will soon be coming together with a warm cup of cocoa to watch a classic, possibly for the umpteenth time. A Nightmare Before Christmas was originally released in 1993, but has since gained an almost cult following during Halloween and Christmas alike. But this year, I encourage you … Continue reading Is A Nightmare Before Christmas Actually About Science?
The people we choose to spend our time with often help us define who we are. While most of my time is spent with scientists, I am also deeply connected to the festival community. I have spent the last five years developing my relationships equally between the people I’ve met in STEM fields and those … Continue reading My Magic Words For Confronting Pseudoscience
As a graduate student in chemistry, I have limited free time—I like to spend it not working. Sometimes I watch TV, and my favorite show to binge is Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Jerry Seinfeld’s bite-sized Netflix episodes consists of hilarious people talking about funny things over a good cup of joe. At least, that’s … Continue reading Tips For Surviving Grad School From “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee”
