This presentation explains how scientists can use the internet to enhance research, education, and diversity. I created it based on my experience at the Science Online '09 conference, It is meant for an audience that only uses the internet for email and research.

1. The Utterly Amazing and Exciting
World of Science Communication
Online!!!!!
A Few Suggestions from the Science Online
2009 Conference
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Miriam C. Goldstein
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
January 20, 2009

2. Moving Beyond Cat Captions
(not that there’s anything wrong with that)
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3. Four Aspects of Online Communication
• Your online persona
• The internet in the classroom
• Diversity outreach online
• Strange & exciting future directions for
science online
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4. 1. Your online persona: professionalism
• You already have an online persona
• Make sure YOU control it
– Google yourself frequently
– Adjust Facebook privacy settings
versus
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5. Your online persona: self-promotion
Promote your expertise:
Low commitment: professional webpage
Medium commitment: build an resource
High commitment: write a blog

6. Persona Demo
• Googling the teeming hordes of Miriam
Goldsteins
• Miriam’s invertebrate video collection

7. 2. Using the internet in the classroom
Introducing Miss Baker’s
biology class
• “I think TV will be wack in 20
years.”
• “We can’t imagine what it
was like for you all [before QuickTimeª and a
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the internet].”
• ““Thank god for older people
who are able to access
computers and contribute
online materials.”

8. Classrooms online: methods
• Twitter and AIM
– Questions on homework
• Skype
– Video-chats with scientists
• Ning
– Private social networks with message
board, walls, real-time chat
• Wikis
– Webpages that all members can edit

9. Classrooms online: uses
• Blogs
– Field trip blogging (high-stakes for students)
– Summarize peer-reviewed papers
(ResearchBlogging.org, video podcasts)
• Wikis
– Create project or resource, (e.g., guide to field trip
location)
• Message Boards
– Discuss controversial matters privately (e.g.,
evolution)

10. Introducing the Creepy Treehouse
Power dynamics on the internet
– Keep personal lives separate
• Love those Facebook privacy settings!
• Can be in same Facebook group without being
Facebook friends
– Students should always initiate online
contact, never teachers
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11. Classroom Demo
• Miss Baker’s class blog
• Ning - a class page and the Synapse
• ResearchBlogging.org

12. 3. Diversity Outreach Online
Problems:
• Low student recruitment
• Feelings of isolation in pasty white
science-land
• Lack of mentorship
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13. Online Solutions
Online communities can supplement what
is lacking in real life communities
• Compile list of minority-authored
science blogs
• Blog “carnival” about minority academic
issues
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14. Offline Solutions
• Mentorship
– You can reach out/mentor someone who
looks different than you
• Get more undergrads involved
– Bigger net = more minority recruitment
– Invite undergrads to attend seminar, to
volunteer, to go tidepooling, etc.

15. Demo: Diversity Resources Online
• Urban Science Adventures!

16. Strange and exciting future directions for
science online
• Open Notebook Science
– Putting primary record online as it is
recorded
• Multimedia methods
– Journal of Visualized Experiments (JOVE)
– SciVee Pubcasts and Postercasts
[DEMO]

17. A final caution
• Possible conflict with employer or
stakeholders - and it won’t be what you think
• Negotiate blogging agreement AHEAD of
time
– Privacy issues
– Verboten topics
– The occasional crazy stalker and your workplace