Science Writing

Weekly Seminar
Instructor: Claudia Geib
UChicago Course Number: SCPD25000

Course Description:

Three decades ago, Carl Sagan wrote, “We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.” This sentence still rings true today. There are many factors you could blame: the education system, U.S. politics, social media, misinformation, the TV news cycle, or increasingly siloed scientific fields. In reality, all of these factors play a role. Here’s another to add to the list: scientists are trained to explain their work to other scientists, but not to the public at large.

Simultaneously, most members of the public do not have the training to read and understand scientific research. Yet that does not mean the public lacks an interest in science. According to Pew Research polls, the majority of Americans are interested in learning about science, health, and technology. If scientists want to help this interested public look past misinformation, trust in research, and vote for science-based solutions, there’s one major thing they can do: learn how to communicate their science clearly and concisely, without the specialized jargon often found in scientists’ writing.

That’s what you’re here to learn. No matter what path you choose to follow professionally, you will leave the course with the skills to construct simple and compelling stories from complex scientific ideas, and to convey accuracy without sacrificing clarity.

About the Instructor:

Claudia Geib (she/her) is a freelance science journalist based here on Cape Cod. Her work primarily focuses on the environment, marine science, and wildlife, though she has reported on topics ranging from astrophysics to meteorology to health. She is the producer of Gastropod, a podcast that looks at science and history through food. She also works as a researcher, producer, and script writer on science films, as well as an occasional fact-checker. She holds a master’s degree in science writing from MIT and is the author of the book Secrets of the Elephants from National Geographic as well as a forthcoming book on ocean exploration and technology from Johns Hopkins University Press.