SCIENCE COMMUNICATION

As a woman in STEM, I am passionate about making science more accessible and understandable to diverse audiences. As scientists, we spend our time trying to improve the world through discovery. Making these exciting discoveries without effective communication of their importance to audiences outside of academia will severely diminish the potential of our work to positively impact society. Effective science communication is necessary to ensure that facts and scientific evidence inform public decision-making at both large and small scale levels. Community knowledge is a powerful context. When scientists communicate more effectively, science thrives: effective communication builds support for science, promotes understanding of its relevance to the public, and encourages informed decision-making at all levels.

Towards this aim, I produce science animations, video presentations, and publications that target a non-academic audience ranging from children to adults. Scroll below to sample my work. Follow me at the below channels and feel free to leave a comment. I would love to communicate with you!
"Nothing in science has any value to society if it is not communicated."
- Anne Roe

ANIMATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

Who Can Be a Scientist? Empowering Children to Imagine Themselves in STEM through Play-based Learning

2022 Southeastern Universities Graduate Research Symposium
May, K. E., Winters-Derevjanik, Z., & Guyotte, K. W.

How Does a Lava Lamp Work?
​STEM Studio Skype-a-Scientist Outreach 

How does a lava lamp work? I met with Kaelie Knight Holder, Advisor to the Executive Vice President Upstream for Chevron, to find out.​

Can You Pour a Rainbow Into a Jar?
​STEM Studio Skype-a-Scientist Outreach ​

Can you pour a rainbow into a jar? I met with Stephanie Hearn, Engineering Team Lead for Chevron, to find out.​

Can You Talk To A Computer?
​STEM Studio Skype-a-Scientist Outreach 

Can you talk to a computer? Will it talk back? I met with Michelle Pflueger, General Manager of Asset Development for Chevron, to find out.

The Road to Technology Transfer

In partnership with the University of Alabama (UA) Office for Innovation and Commercialization (OIC), I produced this video titled, "The Road to Technology Transfer" to inform faculty and staff on the process of partnering with OIC to commercialize their research and innovations.

Oh, I See!

Coming Soon!
In partnership with the University of Alabama (UA) Office for Innovation and Commercialization, I am hosting a podcast called, "Oh, I See!" On the show, we highlight UA faculty research and innovations for both academic and non-academic audiences.

The Spectacular Duet of Miss Anna Odette

Inspired by my work on STEM Studio, I published a children's book to empower kids to see the STEM in the things in their world, like dance. "The Spectacular Duet of Miss Anna Odette" takes readers through a journey to find the science, math, technology, and engineering in the things that they already love. Join Anna Rose Odette, a boisterously curious little girl, as she discovers that science and art have much more in common than she thought, and makes a discovery that forever changes ballet. Falling in the footsteps of her namesakes- Anna Pavlova, the first principal ballerina, and Rosalind Franklin, a chemist central to the understanding of the molecular structure of DNA and RNA- Anna Rose challenges readers to ask their own big questions and get creating.

2021 Conference for Southern Graduate Schools (CSGS) Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Finalist

Frontoparietal Network in Executive Functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder
May, K. E. & Kana, R. K.

How Strong Is a Piece of Paper?
STEM Studio Skype-a-Scientist Outreach

How Strong is a Piece of Paper?

2020 University of Alabama Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition
​First Place Winner

​Frontoparietal Network in Executive Functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder
May, K. E. & Kana, R. K.

2020 Alabama Advanced Imaging Consortium
Outstanding Poster Presentation Winner

​Frontoparietal Network in Executive Functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder
May, K. E. & Kana, R. K.

2020 Southeastern Universities Graduate Research Symposium
Outstanding Poster Presentation Award

Neurofunctional Indices of Executive Functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder
May, K. E. & Kana, R. K.

Understanding Schools
Featured on ChildrenatRisk.org and SmartParents.org

For Parents: Understanding Schools (English)
May, K. E., Himsel, G., Rahimian, E., & Negreros, L.

Understanding Schools (Spanish)
May, K. E., Himsel, G., Rahimian, E., Negreros, L., & Alevy, J.

Efficient, Helpful, or Distracting?
Featured by Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education

Efficient, Helpful, or Distracting? A Literature Review of Media Multitasking in Relation to Socioemotional Well-being and Academic Performance (Video Abstract)
May, K. E. & Elder, A.

PUBLICATIONS

Integrating Brain Imaging Results to Better Understand Autism
Frontiers of Young Minds

Frontiers for Young Minds is an open-access scientific journal written by scientists and reviewed by a board of kids and teens. I published an article in this journal describing my research conducting a big summary (meta-analysis) of 16 fMRI studies in people with autism spectrum disorder. 

​Interested in learning more? Click here.

STEM Studio Blog
​STEM Studio aims to engage groups typically underrepresented in the STEM fields by teaching scientific concepts through dance. Our blog highlights STEM professionals from a variety of fields and spanning several corporations, including Chevron Corporation, Children's Hospital of Cincinnati, Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Alabama, Mississippi State University, and The University of Alabama at Birmingham. These blog posts are written at a child-friendly level with linked video interviews to provide access and exposure to role models in STEM to all children.

Click HERE to read more.

Growing Up in Houston 2019-2020: Assessing the Quality of Life in Our Children

In partnership with the United Way of Greater Houston, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and Center for Civic Leadership at Rice University, and many other partners, Growing Up in Houston provides a glimpse into the well-being of Houston's children in an effort to provide stakeholders in our children's future with a tool to identify the most strategic and pressing areas for intervention, chart new paths to move Houston forward, and track progress over time. The data in this publication tells a story of Houston's children excelling in several ways, yet still lacking quality resources in key areas. Through a review of empirical research, the publication provides suggestions for parents, educators, and policymakers to provide necessary support to Houston's children. My role in this publication was to first author the Parenting chapter.

Click HERE to read more.

Growing Up in Houston 2017-2018: Assessing the Quality of Life in Our Children

In partnership with the United Way of Greater Houston, AIG, Shell, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Meadows Foundation, and many other partners, Growing Up in Houston provides a glimpse into the well-being of Houston's children in an effort to provide stakeholders in our children's future with a tool to identify the most strategic and pressing areas for intervention, chart new paths to move Houston forward, and track progress over time. The data in this publication tells a story of Houston's children excelling in several ways, yet still lacking quality resources in key areas. Through a review of empirical research, the publication provides suggestions for parents, educators, and policymakers to provide necessary support to Houston's children. My role in this publication was to first author the Parenting chapter.

​Click HERE to read more.

MY FAVORITE SCIENCE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

Below is a list of my favorite science communication channels. Am I missing your favorite?
Fill out the form below to let me know!

Crash Course

Crash Course believes that high quality educational videos should be available to everyone for free. Crash Course has produced more than 15 courses to date, and these videos accompany high school and college level classes ranging from the humanities to the sciences.

​Frontiers for Young Minds: Science For Kids, Edited by Kids

Frontiers for Young Minds is an open-access scientific journal written by scientists and reviewed by a board of kids and teens. Frontiers for Young Minds believes that the best way to make cutting-edge science discoveries available to younger audiences is to enable young people and scientists to work together to create articles that are both accurate and exciting. Distinguished scientists are invited to write about their cutting-edge discoveries in a language that is accessible for young readers, and it is then up to the kids- with the help of a science mentor- to provide feedback and explain to the authors how to best improve the articles before publication.

Pixar SparkShorts

The SparkShorts program is a program in which Pixar's employees are given 6 months and limited budgets to develop animated short films. It is designed to discover new storytellers, explore new storytelling techniques, and unleash creativity. The results are incredibly moving as Pixar employees illustrate their personal experiences through compelling and moving narratives. My favorites are 1) "Float," inspired by the producer's son, who has autism, and his journey to love his son without restriction; 2) "Purl," a short film about the experience of being a woman in a male-dominated industry and seeking belonging; and 3) "Loop," which explores how we communicate and connect through sensory perception through the eyes of Riley, a non-verbal girl on the autism spectrum, and Marcus, her neurotypical friend.

Sesame Street: Meet Julia

In this clip of Sesame Street, the characters are introduced to Julia, the first Sesame Street character with autism. This groundbreaking episode focused on inclusion and explained in a child-friendly way the differences between individuals with and without autism. Importantly, Julia is a character who is consistently shown to be fully included in her community, as being part of a loving family, being a good friend to other members of her community, and standing up for others.

Smithsonian Science Education Center

The Smithsonian Science Education Center (sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academy of Sciences) is on a mission to transform the teaching and learning of science for all students, across the globe. Their animations target K-12 teachers and students to promote authentic, inquiry-based K-12 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teaching and learning.

TED Education (TED-Ed)

​Ted-Ed's mission is to spark and celebrate the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Their animations cover a wide range of ideas that spark curiosity of learners everywhere. Each video represents a creative collaboration between experts such as TED Speakers and TED Fellows, as well as educators, designers, animators, screenwriters, directors, science writers, historians, journalists, and editors.

    Am I missing your favorite SciComm channel? Let me know!