I firmly believe that science is not finished until it has been shared with the public, and that all science is interesting, relevant, and accessible if communicated well. I have been involved in science communication and outreach in a variety of roles since 2004. Some highlights are listed here.

USGS Astrogeology Communications Lead

In 2018, the Astrogeology Science Center established a new “communications lead” role to coordinate and improve the center’s outreach efforts. I served in this role from its inception in 2018 until 2024. In this position, I helped other scientists at the center share their work with the press through interviews and press releases and with the public through outreach events, social media, blog posts, and tours of our building.

A major effort during my tenure as AstroComm lead was a complete redesign of the exhibits in our hallways. I worked with a graphic design student contractor and other scientists in Astrogeology to upgrade our hallways to significantly more modern and professional-looking displays:

View of the hall displays before the redesign. Numerous small images are tacked semi-randomly to faded cork boards.
Same location after the redesign. Cork boards are covered in black fabric, and small random images have been replaced with large, vivid images of the planets.

In addition to the hallway redesign, we also had the opportunity to develop larger exhibits to fill the space that was formerly the Astrogeology library. I designed a large 25 ft x 10 ft map of the Tharsis and Valles Marineris area of Mars and had it printed on durable vinyl. I also designed a map of Arizona to the same scale, so that visitors can compare the volcanoes and canyons of Arizona to those on Mars. Click here for a video of walking around on the big map.

View of the Valles Marineris part of the map. Color is topography (blue = low, yellow = high) and details are from THEMIS Day IR. The Arizona map is to scale and in approximate true color (we also printed an AZ topographic map).

Astrogeology runs building tours year-round, as well as a roughly biannual open house, where visitors can come see our exhibits, do activities, and hear talks.

Me, learning about space Legos!
Me, giving a presentation about the Mars rovers to a standing-room-only crowd in the conference room.

Press

Astrogeology was the center of significant press attention in 2019 for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, and as AstroComm lead I helped to organize interviews with some of our emeritus staff (and in a few cases, I was interviewed myself).

I had the great privilege to help organize the interviews with USGS legends Carolyn Shoemaker, Jerry Schaber, and Ivo Lucchitta featured here.
I was also sometimes interviewed!

Some other interviews about various topics that I have done:

  • Unedited version of an interview I did in 2010 with the Australian radio show Hack about my work zapping rocks with lasers:

Part of my role as AstroComm lead was also working with other scientists at Astrogeology to write press releases and develop graphics to go with them. Here are a few examples.

USGS Releases First-Ever Comprehensive Geologic Map of the Moon
Mars 2020 Mission To Be Guided by USGS Astrogeology Maps
It is Easier Than Ever to View Mars Landscapes in High Resolution

Public Talks

I have given many public talks over the years. Here are a few that were recorded, along with slide decks from several others.

Science in FictionDownload
Water on MarsDownload
Current Events in the Solar System (Oct 2022)Download
Reading the Rocks of MarsDownload
Exploring Mars with Robotics – 2023_05_20Download

Science Reporting and Blogging

I enjoy writing, and have had several stints writing about science in various capacities in addition to my press release writing for USGS. I was a science reporter for several university newspapers, and I also had a blog about Mars science called The Martian Chronicles. It started as an independent blog, and became high profile enough to be invited by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) to be one of the founding members of the AGU blog network. I stopped writing for the blog in ~2012, but was asked by the Curiosity team to resume writing rover updates, so my blog became a mirror for the daily updates on the rover’s activity written by many members of the team and posted by NASA JPL. The blog network closed down in 2024.

Writing Awards/Honors

Other

  • Ask an Astronomer (answering questions from the public)
  • Tipitap Apps “Solar System!” and “Exploring Mars!” (e-book series for early elementary students)
  • President of U. Michigan Student Astronomical Society (2004-2006): Organized public observing nights, public lectures, school visits, etc.
  • Science consulting: Thwacke! (improving scientific accuracy in video games)