Paige Brown: ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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I am a Bio/Nanotechnology scientist turned journalist, with an M.S. in Biological & Agricultural Engineering. Science is my interest, but writing is my passion. I translate science into story, and my dream is to inspire a love for science in every reader. I am also a new PhD student at the LSU Manship School of Mass Communications, focusing in science communications and policy. I currently conduct research on the communication of science—specifically climate science—to various publics, and I write about all things science on a daily basis. Please feel free to ask me questions anytime, and follow me on Twitter @FromTheLabBench.

I’m always ready for a challenge, and I live to be inspired by science.

 

Paige Brown: All Posts

 
 

What Does One Do with a PhD in Mass Communication (of Science)?

Posted 14 June 2013 by Paige Brown

As I travel and meet new people inside and outside of academia, I often get this question. It is a good one, but that I can never seem to answer it in a sufficiently concise answer or one-liner. IS there a simple answer to this question? One simple answer might be: teach. The common and traditional thinking involves earning a Ph.D. in a particular subject in order to teach that subject to future undergraduate and/or graduate students. For example, once... Read more

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When Glaciers Get Dirty: Attack of the Cryoconites

Posted 13 June 2013 by Paige Brown

Shamelessly copied from my blog post at NC Museum of Natural Sciences... Enjoy, and visit our Museum's climate exhibit in the Nature Research Center! I was inspired to write this post after watching Chasing Ice, a fantastic documentary about a photographer's journey to capture the death of today's glaciers. If you’ve ever jumped up from a chair or a car seat that was too hot because it had been exposed to the summer sun, you might be familiar with the... Read more

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Photo of the Week: Eye See You

Posted 7 June 2013 by Paige Brown

This week I was lucky enough to take pictures inside North Carolina Museum of Natural Science's Living Conservatory - a room full of butterflies, and one the the most peaceful and beautiful rooms I've even been in! Using my Canon Rebel T3i, 100mm Macro lens and external flash with Honl light modifier, I captured up-close shots of many of the butterflies in the conservatory. The shot above shows the 'eye' on the wing of an Owl Butterfly, of the species Caligo... Read more

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How Monkeying Around Can Get You in Trouble with Chimps

Posted 4 June 2013 by Paige Brown

Chimpanzees are apes, not monkeys.  Chimpanzees hunt monkeys for meat. Chimpanzees not only hunt monkeys, but they hunt in groups, and share the meat afterwards. Some Chimpanzees, called 'impact hunters,' are more gung ho about hunting moneys than other chimpanzees are. Individual differences in risk-taking and hunting aggression may originate from individual genetic differences. These are some of the 'fun facts' shared by Ian Gilby, Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology and co-director of the Jane Goodall Institute Research Institute at... Read more

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Photo of the Week: Endangered Flower

Posted 3 June 2013 by Paige Brown

This week's photo comes from Sarah P. Duke Gardens on the Duke Campus in North Carolina. The above image is of the plant Thalictrum cooleyi, or Cooley's Meadow Rue, a now endangered species native to the wet bogs and savannahs of North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. This is a rare species of flowering plant in the buttercup family, endangered by habitat destruction and, oddly enough, human-maintained fire suppression. The plant requires sunlight and open spaces - a habitat usually maintained... Read more

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Summer at the Museum, Science Communicator Interviews and more!

Posted 30 May 2013 by Paige Brown

It's official: I am in North Carolina at the Nature Research Center of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences for the summer! My internship, which is tied into my curriculum as a Ph.D. student at the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication, involves anything and everything science communication. I am working for David Kroll, Director of Science Communications at the Nature Research Center, and will be helping writing museum science news, collecting material for the "Science News: Your Views" exhibit at... Read more

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Grand Canyon, Holga Style

Posted 30 May 2013 by Paige Brown

Since my last post was full of DSLR images from my trip to the Grand Canyon, I thought a post dating back to "vintage" film photography was appropriate! Along with my Canon T3i and wide angle lens, I carried my Holga 120N down the 7 miles of Bright Angel trail down to the Colorado river and back up again. The Holga is essentially a cheap piece of plastic that houses a roll of 120 format film - which you must... Read more

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Out West: Canyon Geology

Posted 24 May 2013 by Paige Brown

Howdy! The following blog post comes to you from "Out West," the American west, where cacti bloom and flash floods create some of the most gorgeous rock formations you've ever seen. The above shot was taken in Secret Canyon, a slot canyon on the Navajo Indian reservation in Page, Arizona. Slot canyons, according to our guide to Secret Canyon, are unlike the Grand Canyon and other canyons cut and eroded by a continuous water flow such as the Colorado river. A slot... Read more

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Dashing in Blue

Posted 6 May 2013 by Paige Brown

The blue dasher, or Pachydiplax longipennis (meaning long wings), is a prize for macro photographers. With its beautiful colors, graceful poses and metallic eyes, what photographer wouldn't love to be able to creep up close enough to get a "bugs-eye" view of these abundant creatures? Also known as "blue pirate", this dragonfly contributes to pest control by consuming hundreds of smaller insects every day. I didn't even know dragonflies at bugs until I caught one in the act on camera!... Read more

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Internet Freedom vs. Control

Posted 22 April 2013 by Paige Brown

I was asked this week to write an essay taking a stance on internet regulation and the freedom / control issue. My research into the topic lead me into discussions of the House's recent passing of the CISPA cybersecurity bill, and other dubious propositions for internet regulation and surveillance.  The Internet: According to a 2012 article by Josh Hansen, the last decade “has witnessed the irresistible rise of online media and it is becoming increasingly obvious that it is steadily... Read more

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