A Science Communicator’s Guide to the Galaxy — the Don’t Panic Edition
Jenna Marston, R&D Communications Specialist and Guest Relations Coordinator, Dow AgroSciences
It’s 2018 and planet Earth is facing challenges like never before. World hunger, climate change and a distracted public may lead to global devastation. Is it time to panic? Not quite. Luckily for us, science is saving the day! However, even the best scientific advancement doesn’t mean anything if the general public doesn’t understand it. This talk will explore how science advocates can better communicate their message in a way that consumers will connect to—so we can support the scientists who are trying to save us all.
A discussion of the evolution of stone tools and
humans: a flintknapping demonstration
Ed Hermann, Research Scientist, Geoarchaeology, Indiana University
Stone tools have been made by our ancestors for at least 2.6 million years. As an enduring artifact type, in many cases, stone tools are all archaeologists have to understand the past. Tool types and production methods have evolved in parallel with our early ancestors. Through stone tool research, archaeologists can learn about our cognitive evolution, how far people traveled, settlement distributions, diet changes through time, chronologies, technological advances, and more. The flintknapping demonstration will offer a glimpse of how stone tools were manufactured, while providing insight into the intellectual challenges of tool production.
