Science Fellows
The Science Fellows are a subset of the Writing and Speaking Fellows program. We are students pursuing majors in a large variety of subjects, but have taken rigorous science courses and pursued our own research interests.
In doing so, we have realized the importance of communicating science at Barnard and beyond. We work closely with science professors across departments to support every student in developing tools to describe and interpret data, use scientific language clearly and concisely, and blend the skills learned in humanities classes with scientific ones.
Our Mission
We, the Science Fellows, apply inclusive Writing and Speaking Center pedagogy to science at Barnard, and promote students' ability to transfer their communication skills across disciplines. We hope to prepare students for advanced scientific communication, and to see themselves as members of the scientific community by:
-
Breaking down the purpose of the structure and tone of scientific writing
-
Supporting students' abilities to use data to construct scientific arguments and present scientific information
-
Creating a dialogue about best practices for effectively communicating results and conclusions
Primarily, we hope to foster a space for campus-wide discussions about data literacy and effective scientific communication.
If you are unable to meet with a Science Fellow during drop-in hours, we recommend signing up for an hour-long conference using the online scheduler: Writing Fellow or Speaking Fellow. To filter for a Science Fellow, please click the “limit to” button on the menu bar and select “Science Fellow” as shown below.
The Science Fellows also hold drop-in hours open to any scientific writing and some for specific classes/programs. Register for an account with our online scheduler to receive an email notification about the drop-in schedule. Also view the scheduler here:
Some Tips from the Science Fellows...
Science writing can be difficult, but is similar to other types of academic writing! It uses an "hourglass" structure that may be familiar from your writing-focused coursework. See the diagram below to understand how this structure underlies the sections in a scientific article.
If you are struggling with this kind of writing, here are some things you can do:
-
Meet with a Science Fellow!
-
Ask your professors for advice- they know that writing in the scientific style can be daunting and can help you work on it
-
Consult your lab manual, if you have one since these often provide guidelines and examples