Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online
By pretty much every metric, this month was the best month we’ve had at Southern Fried Science since the pandemic began. It turns out people do still read blogs and just a little bit of effort posting regular updates goes a long way. 13,500 of you stopped by to see what we were writing and … Read More “What you read on Southern Fried Science in January” »
The structure of scientific inquiry has coalesced around a model that is, in general, both expensive and exclusive. This centralizes knowledge production within a circle of individuals, organizations, and institutions which rarely reflects the breadth of identities, experiences, and ways of knowing of those most directly connected to the places being explored. Nowhere is this … Read More “It is your ocean. You should have access to the tools to study it.” »
Today marks 15 years of blogging for Southern Fried Science! In that time, I’ve written over 600 blog posts on a huge variety of topics, and spread the good word about shark science and conservation. I’d like to celebrate the occassion by looking back on 15 things that I’m proudest of during my time as … Read More “15 things I’m proudest of in 15 years of science blogging” »
I recently got an incredible opportunity to do some public science engagement. My friends’ daughter, who absolutely loves sharks, was turning 5 and having friends over for a shark (and pirate, and octonauts) themed birthday party. And she wanted to know if I would be willing to attend and answer the kids’ questions about sharks. … Read More “I was the entertainment at a 5th birthday party: A new favorite science communication gig” »
It finally happened. Three years after Chris Parsons and friends announced their podcast on this very blog, I have joined the Cephalosquad (I actually joined almost a year ago, but we have A Backlog). Meet Patches Tenderfoot, a rabbitfolk necromancer who believes that if he delves deep enough into the arcane arts, he can de-extinct … Read More “Want to join the Cephalosquad? Fight the Kraken!? Listen to a D&D Podcast!?!? Start here!” »
In a region once thought to be so ecologically uninteresting that it was viewed as a useful testbed for deep-sea mining equipment, NOAA researchers have detected what could be the world’s largest cold water coral reef. “For years we thought much of the Blake Plateau was sparsely inhabited, soft sediment, but after more than 10 … Read More “The world’s largest cold water coral reef lies beside the first experimental deep-sea mining test site” »
2023 was a year of endings. I closed several projects and spent a lot of time, behind the scenes, laying the foundation for project I hope will have an impact in 2024. I don’t really think of myself as a science communications person anymore. We are activists, working to achieve specific science-informed policy outcomes. We … Read More “Taking Initiative: My 2023 year in environmental education, outreach, and activism” »
In January 2024, I presented the John Moore Lecture at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology conference. The aim of the Moore plenary is to offer the society a new perspective on science education, and my talk was entitled “You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Engagement Strategy: Lessons Learned from Teaching the Public About Shark … Read More “Lessons learned from teaching the public about shark science and conservation: Insights from my SICB Plenary” »
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that deep ocean exploration is an expensive endeavor. Vessels, instrumentation, deep-submergence vehicles, and analytical tools are costly to run and the specialized training needed to maintain that equipment is often a career in itself. Deep-sea research cruises are among the most logistically complex peacetime operations in human history. When access to … Read More “Deep Ocean Exploration needs to move beyond Imported Magic” »
