Writing and Editing
Since 2012, I’ve written hundreds of popular-science articles and scripts. In 2018, I also began to work as an editor. My writing focuses on offering everyday readers and viewers an accessible yet nuanced view of what’s new in the natural world.
SciShow
Since 2016, I've written more than 120 scripts for the popular YouTube show SciShow. In total, they’ve received more than 24 million views. I've written episodes as varied as the origin of the solar system, remarkable cartwheeling spiders, and the strange world of quantum cognition! The short-video format requires a brisk, witty writing style—something that works well for communicating science in all sorts of venues.
Eos
Since 2020, my writing has appeared in print and online for Eos, the magazine of the American Geophysical Union. Eos is a publication about geoscience, written for geoscientists. Each of my Research Spotlights summarizes a newly published research paper in 200 – 400 words. The goal is to keep researchers across the many fields of geoscience abreast of new developments outside their specialty, so each piece requires translating domain-specific knowledge and terminology for a broader audience.
Crash Course
In 2018, I edited nearly 20 episodes of Crash Course Engineering, produced by PBS Digital Studios in cooperation with Complexly. With my background in physics, I provided the show a firm technical grounding, while ensuring each episode was clear to non-engineers.
Sen
In 2015 I was a correspondent and expert blogger for Sen, where I specialized in Saturn science and the Cassini mission. An archive of my stories can be found here!
Universe Today
From 2014 – 2015, I wrote a number of freelance pieces for Universe Today, specializing in opinion pieces and “science explainers.”
Planetary Society: We Can Afford to Orbit Humans at Mars by 2033 (2 Apr 2015)
Will Space Play in the 2016 US Election? (30 Mar 2015)
Are Asteroids the Future of Planetary Science? (26 Jan 2015)
How Did We Find the Distance to the Sun? (4 Jan 2015)
Shooting "Color" in the Blackness of Space (2 Dec 2014)
Alone and Confused, Philae Breaks Our Hearts (16 Nov 2014)
Other Writing
Staring in 2012, I blogged about astronomy and space exploration at Cosmic Chatter. Although the site is no longer available, here’s a few of my favorite pieces:
A Billion-Year Monument (19 July 2014)
A Short History of Pi (14 Mar 2014)
Coming Full Circle on Water in the Cosmos (26 Jan 2014)
American Science Education Is Failing (30 Dec 2013)
Below is a list of other online pieces I've written:
Why Save the Sky? (Astrobites, 29 Oct 2014)