Author Archives: Samantha Jones, PhD

July 26

A Neuroscience Perspective on the Lifelong Consequences of Detaining Kids at the Border

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[En español] If you’ve been even partially tuned in to the news over the last few months, you’ve heard about the gut-wrenching separation of children from their parents at the United States border and the detainment centers where these children have been held. You may have seen pictures of young kids in cages, been watching when […]

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June 28

Zika: Predicting the long-term effects of an unrelenting virus

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Summer is upon us, and with that comes much-anticipated vacation travel. As you pack your bag with sunblock, clothes that haven’t seen the light of day since your trip last year, and that sci-fi novel that has been sitting on your nightstand since February, don’t forget what might be the most important item: bug spray. […]

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February 15

Botox: The good, the bad and the beautiful

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Awards season is upon us. From the Golden Globes to the Grammys to the Oscars, we’ve seen celebrities posing on the red carpet, chatting with TV hosts, and accepting awards on stage. All the while I’ve found myself wondering, “Is he happy?” “Is she disappointed?” “Are emotions just out this season?” The star behind that […]

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November 23

Science and S’mores: SciCommCamp 2017

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SciCommCamp can be best described as a not-so-average conference for a diverse group of fabulously nerdy science communicators with a common goal: to make science publicly accessible. I left SciCommCamp with pep in my step and a bit more confidence in my planned post-graduate school transition out of academia and into a career in science […]

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October 05

Science for All: Shifting Academic Communication at ComSciCon

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“Whose advisor is unhappy that they’re here today?” asked Leanne Chukoskie, an assistant research scientist at the Institute for Neural Computation at UC San Diego and an affiliate of the Qualcomm Institute. Looking around at a sea of raised hands, she continued, “Know that the act of writing clearly for the public and preparing well […]

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August 17

Zika: Has this virus lost its bite?

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Do you live in a generally cool, dry place and rarely think about mosquitoes? Was last year’s Zika outbreak of little personal concern? You may not have the option of staying carefree for much longer. The Zika-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito is already enjoying widespread breeding grounds as temperatures steadily rise across the globe, indicating that […]

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