Kelsey N Lucas
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  • Communications & Outreach
  • Image Credits
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YOUR CART

Communications & Outreach

Breaking the walls of the Ivory Tower.
*Scroll down to view recent projects by theme: Science Writing, Education, K-12 Curricula/Teacher Training

Recent Projects

Science Writing

Popular coverage of new science and trends in the scientific community.
-Peer review is a rigorous process, but it should leave trainees feeling valued and not bullied. Sept 2019. Massive.
-The Graduate Research Fellowship Program favors elite schools - again. Apr 2018. Massive.
-What fish can teach us about how humans move
. Feb 2018. Massive.
-How this beautiful, invasive comb jelly adapts to dominate foreign ecosystems. Oct 2017. Massive.
-How stressed-out fish are teaching us about human heart disease. Jun 2017. Massive.
-Scientists are gluing teeth to power saws to learn how sharks eat. Mar 2017. Massive.

-Enigmatic Tully Monster Finds a Home on the Tree of Life. Jul 2016. Science in the News.

Education

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Volunteering at the Harvard Museum of Natural History
As a graduate student, I volunteered at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, where I worked with diverse audiences from inner-city school groups to Harvard professors. I created several kid-friendly hands-on activities to complement the museum’s Marine Life and Sea Creatures in Glass exhibits. I used these activities weekly to encourage visitors to think critically and use their own observations to learn about form and function in marine animals. I also trained other volunteers in marine biology and how to engage visitors with my activities.
Content Developer at MCB80x: Fundamentals of Neuroscience
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are offering new ways of self-paced learning.  Based on the introductory neuroscience class offered at Harvard University, this multimedia-heavy MOOC explores the workings of the human nervous system, from molecular to systematic levels.  I created visual content and review material for the third module of the course: the Brain.  Join in here.

K-12 Curricula & Teacher Training

BiteScis lesson writer
BiteScis is an initiative developed by ComSciCon that seeks to pair graduate students and local K-12 teachers to write research-based, inquiry-driven lesson plans that meet each teacher's needs.  These lessons are written to meet the Next Generation Science Standards.  I was a graduate-student writer during the program's pilot meeting and later after the program launched.  Learn more about the program here, and access my lessons here. 
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Lesson plan
Engaging Teachers in Ecology-Based Investigations
A professional-development workshop held at Concord Field Station, sponsored by Harvard's Life Sciences Outreach Office. For the event, I co-designed an aquatic ecology, inquiry-based, fieldwork-themed lesson plan for use in high school biology and environmental science classrooms, that meet various Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).  The lesson was workshopped with the teachers to adapt them to meet their individual classroom needs.  I also introduced high school teachers to techniques in fieldwork for aquatic ecology and scientific illustration.

Training

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All the Modes 
(Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning)
A weekly seminar on multimedia communications, best practices, and bringing multimedia into the classroom.  I received training in video editing, 2D animation, speaking for a camera, and storytelling.  At the end of the series, each participant produced an educational video.

ComSciCon National Workshop
ComSciCon is a workshop series on science communications held for graduate students, by graduate students.  The National Workshop is a selective event geared for leaders in science communication.  The workshop featured several panels of communications professionals on several themes (curriculum improvement, advocacy, multimedia, diversity, etc), social media use, practice pitching stories, developing curricula for K-12 classrooms, and a writing workshop.

All images are my own, or are from the public domain, unless otherwise stated.