public engagement

The lockdown has brought many challenges but one of its unexpected benefits has been the growth of digital conferences, lectures and events that allow us to tune in no matter where we are in the world. My favorite science comedy night in London, Science Showoff, even moved itself to the virtual world, and last week I took the opportunity to present my own comedy ‘set’ about my work with circadian scientists at CBMR.

In Gina Czarnecki and John Hunt’s living artwork Heirloom, cells grow almost imperceptibly. Keeping them alive and healthy is, however, far from easy. Last month we hosted two interactive workshops entitled Cellcraft to allow curators, artists, and others interested a glimpse into the world of growing and caring for cells. Under the guidance of Dr. Rod Dillon we were […]

And although the biohacking lab has gone we want to keep in mind the lessons with regard to the importance of craft and openness in science. Here’re some words from the opening on togas, lab coats and open science in the academy:

Yesterday I got together with 4 colleagues from the NNF Center for Basic Metabolic Research to do a Science AMA on Reddit. If you don’t know what Reddit is, this is a good place to start. AMA is short for ‘Ask Me Anything’ and is basically a session during which a person (or persons) of interests sits down […]

A couple of weeks ago I was playing around with the idea of setting up a forum for our researchers to discuss and share ideas on communicating their science. My initial instict was to use Facebook, mostly because it seems to be the preferred social platform in Denmark in general. But is it the preferred […]

I’m preparing a grant application for the Danish Humanities Research Council, which if successful will include a PhD position in science communication/media studies. The project investigates ontologies of mind/brain in neuroscientific studies of hunger and obesity, via philosophical analysis, media studies, and exhibit making. The specific direction of the science communication/media studies PhD will be developed by the candidate within this framework. The project is […]

Following my last blog post about a 1yr research job in Leiden looking into relations between bio-art and science communication, more exciting scholarship news… Our neighbours the Department of Media, Cognition, and Communication at the University of Copenhagen are currently advertising a PhD scholarship in science communication with a focus on synthetic biology: The student will […]

The Waag Society, Amsterdam, Museum Boerhaave, Leiden, and University of Amsterdam, have released a call for applications for a 10 month project exploring the use of Bio-Art as a science communication strategy, potentially leading to a PhD project. The relation between art-science and strategies for public engagement raises some fascinating and underexplored questions about how […]

Have an interest STS and/or digital methods? Curious as to what they are and what the fuss is all about? Want to explore Copenhagen by foot? Enjoy beer? If you answered yes to any of these, then come and take part in the digital methods ‘talk-walk’ on the 8th of March. The idea comes from […]

Here’s my short speech at the opening of Biohacking: Do it yourself! last Thursday evening: In true hacker style, this opening is somewhat ad hoc-ish. We will spend about 20 minutes up here in the old auditorium; several people will say a few introductory words each, in several languages. Then — because there isn’t room for […]

Today I had the pleasure of being invited to a talk at The National Museum by Jonathan Wichmann from Maersk Line. I got the invitation from Ida Gustav and Linea Hansen, so kudos to them 🙂 Maersk Line have had immense success on social media and reaching levels of fans/likes/engagement that the rest of us can […]

From January 25th, Medical Museion will house an open biohacking laboratory, pieced together from recycled furniture, IKEA cabinets, and cheap “hacked” instruments made by do-it-yourself biologists from BiologiGaragen and Hackteria. At a series of hands-on events and discussions, visitors are invited to step inside the world of practical biotechnology, and encounter the dreams and realities […]