A few weeks ago, I had the immense pleasure of chatting with Ada McVean who is a full-time science communicator with the McGill Office for Science and Society (OSS). Through our conversation, I was really able to learn about the importance of science communication, how it works, and how the OSS manages to do all this. Science communication, the practice of writing and sharing science with a lay public audience, is something that I, as a science student, hadn’t thought about all that much until fairly recently. I thought it was enough that I enjoyed what I was studying. However, once I began to appreciate how scientific research aims to not only discover new information about the world we live in, but also improve the world we live in, I realized more and more just how important it is to engage the public about these discoveries. I also came to greatly appreciate how challenging science communication can be. This all led me to discover the McGill Office for Science and Society, a unique venture supported by McGill University that specializes in demystifying science for non-scientific audiences. The OSS promotes critical thinking, science communication, and the presentation of scientific and technical information in a responsible and accurate manner. Ada McVean is currently a full-time writer for the OSS and has covered topics ranging from the latest pet allergy reliever to the ecological impacts of President Donald Trump’s hypothetical U.S.-Mexico wall to the reason why there are so many different body types.
Ada recently graduated from McGill with a double major in bio-organic chemistry and in gender, sexuality, feminist and social justice studies. I was curious about what spurred her to customize her undergraduate degree in such a way. Ada explained that she actually hadn’t been all that interested in science until her grade 10 chemistry class. She credits her amazing chemistry teacher for sparking that interest. She eventually applied to both the Life Sciences and Physical Sciences stream at McGill, was accepted into the Physical Sciences stream, realized that she enjoyed Chemistry a lot, and has since stuck with it. As for the gender, sexuality, feminist and social justice side of her degree, she explained that she had taken an introductory course to women’s studies as an elective course and found that she really enjoyed that too. What began as an elective evolved into a minor which ultimately ended up as another major.
What does Ada do as a science communicator? Well, as one might imagine, “it’s a lot of writing”, Ada told me. She recently started some graphic design work as well over the summer (I’ve featured some of her work in this article). She explained to me that there is always content to write about as a science communicator and there is always pseudoscience to debunk; it’s just a matter of choosing what would be most relevant to your audience. Her favourite part about writing for the OSS? She doesn’t have to hold back on the amount of feminist content she adds to her articles. “The skeptic community tends to skew older and male,” Ada told me. Quick aside: I also recently came across a separate article written by a different female science communicator who also stressed the importance of recognizing female science writers.
One of Ada’s current projects includes an “I Live Like Gwenyth Paltrow for a Week” documentation, in which she aims to shed light on Paltrow’s detox regimens which are advertised by her lifestyle brand, Goop. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Goop, it started out as a newsletter where Paltrow could share her “unbiased travel recommendations, health-centric recipes, and shopping discoveries for friends”. Since then, it has expanded into an enormous enterprise that curates all sorts of beauty, fashion, and wellness products — some that sell for exorbitantly ridiculous amounts — including the infamous jade egg that supposedly could improve your sex health, balance your menstrual cycle, and intensify “female energy”. Goop has been continuously criticized for its lack of scientific backing for the brand’s health claims about their products. This, unfortunately, has not stopped Netflix from partnering with Goop to produce a docuseries with a “high-quality and aesthetic spin on wellness TV content”. To the credit of Goop, there is a real issue with how our current healthcare system treats women, and Goop has cleverly taken advantage of that situation. However, this does not excuse Goop from profiting off of products that don’t live up to their health claims, or worse, products that potentially endanger the health of their users. So, maybe Ada’s “I Live Like Gwenyth Paltrow for a Week” project is coming just in time to help us clarify what is really going on behind those (outrageous) health claims.
Regarding the importance of science communication, Ada told me that “everyone is scared of science … and the onus should be on the scientist to explain science”. “People get exploited easily” she elaborated, and this is painfully clear when we do look at how well brands like Goop are faring. The truth is, scientists hold a lot of responsibility. The science that they produce do affect how ordinary citizens live, and when they withhold that information from ordinary folks with little scientific background, they’re essentially letting sheep wander away to the wolves (personal opinion here). Anyway, this is evident especially when bad science prevails. Take, for example, the whole anti-vaccination movement. The fear that vaccinations cause autism originated from a 1997 study that was published in a prestigious medical journal. The study suggested that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine was linked to autism. Other researchers were unable to produce the same results, and the original paper has since been discredited due to serious procedural errors, undisclosed financial conflicts of interest, and ethical violations. However, this study has led to a decline in vaccination rates in the U.S., United Kingdom and an accompanying rise in measles and mumps resulting in serious illness and death. So, absolutely, scientists have a huge responsibility when it comes to the science they conduct.
Unfortunately, when it comes to communicating that science, Ada lamented, “a lot of scientists are terrible writers”. I asked her if she had any suggestions for science students who want to improve their writing skills. She recommended a writing course offered by McGill, CEAP 250: Research Essay and Rhetoric. Her boyfriend had taken the course, and she recalled being able to watch his writing improve throughout the duration of the course. As an Anatomy and Cell Biology student, I can attest that developing my writing skills is something that I have to seek out myself, since there are no courses required by my program that are actually writing-based or communication-based courses (I wholly wish that my department would recognize this and offer us more opportunities to invest in these soft skills too). When it comes to tips for amateur science writers, Ada suggested we try “picturing yourself explaining things to your parents”. She explained that this is something she does with her own father who is very intelligent himself, although not scientifically-trained.
She also recommended that scientists who would like to try out science communication to post things on their own social media or contact a science communication organization like the OSS to collaborate.
When it comes to conducting research for her own articles, Ada admitted that “it’s a lot of Googling”. She mentioned that Wikipedia is, in fact, a good starting point for the search for information. Beyond that, McGill students also have access to a huge berth of databases such as PubMed and other library resources. Ada also stated that you “[shouldn’t] be afraid to reach out to experts”. After all, “there’s no shame in not knowing”, Ada explained.
What exactly makes a good science communicator? A lot of patience, according to Ada. After spending so much of her time going after pseudoscience to debunk, she remarked that “the pseudoscience will start seeking you”. New pseudoscience pops up every day. To that end, Ada added, “a little cynicism and sarcasm also helps”.
To round off this article, I’d like to leave you with a few other science communication outlets that Ada recommended. First, she recommended The Body of Evidence, a podcast and blog run by two of her co-workers at the OSS that examines the evidence behind medical topics. They also interview. You can find them on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher. The second podcast that Ada recommended is Be Reasonable, produced by the Merseyside Skeptics Society and hosted by Michael Marshall. Each episode features an interview with a figure who holds “a belief outside of the mainstream”. Many of these figures are pseudoscientists. Contrary to providing a platform to mock these pseudoscientists, the podcast instead engages with these figures respectfully in order to understand how they have constructed their views and what evidence their views are based upon. You can subscribe to the Be Reasonable podcast via RSS or on iTunes.
At last, I’d like to conclude by sending a huge thank-you to Ada McVean, who was wonderfully generous with her time and with sharing her passion for science communication (and animals — I appreciated that a lot too!). For everyone else pursuing a science degree: consider the importance of sharing your admiration for science with those around you, and working on those communication skills. For all of you other folks: keep being intellectually curious and critically thoughtful.
Information sources
What Happens When You Read Science Writing by Women
https://www.health.com/sexual-health/jade-egg-goop
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/03/well/live/when-doctors-downplay-womens-health-concerns.html
https://www.publichealth.org/public-awareness/understanding-vaccines/vaccine-myths-debunked/
http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/podcasts/
Images obtained from: