Public Understanding of Science
Scientists who study our species’ evolutionary history have a responsibility to communicate their findings to the public. CASHP's Human Paleobiology graduate program prepares students to contribute to the public’s understanding of science through internships at outlets such as museums, TV, news, the internet, and schools.
CASHP graduate students have helped produce ratio stories for National Public Radio, published educational articles for the National Geographic website, developed public initiatives on the understanding of race and human variation with the American Association of Anthropologists, and much more.
Public Understanding of Science Projects
- Annelise Beer contributed to an online school program on human origins at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History
- Eve Boyle created the timeline of early humans for ETC Montessori
- Kristin Carline and Audrey Tjahjadi created a science education YouTube channel - Evolution’s Grad Girls
- Lawrence Fatica created content for the Mountain Gorilla Skeletal Project website
- Hannah Furchak created an interactive educational magazine for a fourth-grade audience with a lesson plan about primates and why we study them – Wild About Primates!
- Gordon Gustafson created a website focused on answering science related questions typically posed by science skeptics, seekers, or deniers using videos of scientists and scholars diverse fields to give their scientifically supported insights – Closing the Gap
- Chloe Keefe developed social media posts for the Smithsonian Human Origins Facebook and Twitter/X accounts
- Claire Lavergne developed a standalone website on sex biology and its relationship to gender.
- Elaine Miller and Marli Richmond created a book about animal brain diversity and presented it as part of the Natural History at Home webinar series - Amazing Brains!
- Rachel Nelson created an educational web page for parents and teachers of middle and high school-age children based on animal behavior research, including videos and infographics
- Clara Mariencheck created a bilingual resource (English and Spanish) that educates people as to how vaccines work and help clears up common misunderstandings about vaccines, their formulas, testing processes, and the immune system
- Alexander Prucha created blog posts for the Skeletons Museum of Osteology
- Farah Saqer contributed to a Paleolithic-themed Play Date event as part of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s Family Programs
- Courtney Sexton created an educational outreach project and resource for canine science - Decoding Dog Talk
- Press coverage of Decoding Dog Talk - District Fray, Hill Rag, The Awesome Foundation
- Kristen Tuosto produced a podcast that explores stories behind the science - Notes in the Margin