{"id":17408,"date":"2024-03-25T21:46:38","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T01:46:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/?page_id=17408"},"modified":"2025-02-19T12:29:19","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T17:29:19","slug":"2024-newsletter-issue-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/news-events\/2024-newsletter-issue-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsletter 2024 Issue 1"},"content":{"rendered":"
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STEEP Newsletter 2024 Issue 1<\/h1>\n

Voices from STEEP<\/h1>

\u201cWe have documented some of the negative consequences, and we send the message back to you: please learn the lesson.<\/strong>\u201d<\/em>                                                    <\/p>\n

Pal Weihe, PhD, Professor, University of the Faroe Islands; Head, Department of Occupational Medicine and Public Health; STEEP Clinical Lead, Project 2<\/p>\n

STEEP leads Pal Weihe, PhD, Laurel Schaider, PhD, and Philippe Grandjean, PhD, were interviewed by Bloomberg Investigates Tiffany Kary for the PFAS documentary The Poison in Us All<\/em><\/a>. This powerful look at the impact of PFAS was featured on Reddit Ask Me Anything Series<\/a>, where STEEP researchers answered PFAS questions from around the world.<\/p>\n

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A Note of Thanks: This edition of the STEEP Newsletter was co-written and co-edited by Matt Dunn, PhD, former STEEP trainee. Dunn now works for RPS as a Contaminant Modeler, but moonlights as a freelance writer and editor. We were grateful to passively sample some of his time (that\u2019s a PFAS joke).<\/p>\n

\"\"Feature<\/span><\/h2>\n
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A Wonderful Jigsaw Puzzle: Science Communication According to Dr. Chris Reddy<\/a>
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\"\"Challenges abound for a scientist engaged in active research. At the end of the day, no matter the field of science, there is no handbook for the management of this litany of anxiety-inducers and a foremost tenet of research: science communication. Dr. Chris Reddy, a University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography (URI GSO) alumni and Senior Scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) took some time to sit down with STEEP and ponder these very stresses and science communication struggles.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a perception out there that science communication is just checking a box. If you come from the mindset that it is a chore, it\u2019s a real missed opportunity. The times when I\u2019m at the lowest is when communicating science lifts me; that\u2019s my life preserver.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n

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Join STEEP on March 28! Chris Reddy, Senior Scientist at WHOI: Communicating Science in a Crisis<\/em><\/h3>\n

\"\"One of the world’s foremost oil spill scientists, Chris Reddy, Ph.D. \u201898, is coming back to the University of Rhode Island Narragansett Bay Campus on Thursday, March 28th, 3:30-4:45pm.<\/p>\n

Reddy\u2019s book, Science Communication in a Crisis: An Insider\u2019s Guide<\/em><\/a> (Routledge, 2023) identifies the principal challenges that scientists face when communicating with different stakeholder groups and offers advice on how to navigate the maze of competing interests and deliver actionable science when the clock is ticking.<\/p>\n

Reddy has responded to numerous oil spills and other environmental crises over his 25-year career and serves as Senior Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). Reddy is a faculty member of the MIT\/WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography and Engineering and has been a Ph.D. committee member for numerous EAPS and CEE graduate students. He has published over 220 peer-reviewed manuscripts and holds 12 U.S. Patents. Chris has testified before the U.S. Congress five times, written more than 30 opinion pieces, and given hundreds of interviews for print, radio, and television. Reddy\u2019s scientific discoveries are heavily recognized by the American Chemical Society\u2019s Grady-Stack Award, the AGU Ambassador Award, the Clair C. Patterson Award, and the Aldo Leopold Fellowship.<\/p>\n

More information and to register.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Community Engagement<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Tested Tips for Trainees<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Helpful tip #547: Never start an experiment on Friday, because everything will go wrong.<\/em><\/p>\n

Melissa Woodward, PhD candidate (University of Rhode Island) and STEEP social media coordinator, recently launched STEEP Trainee’s Grad School Survival Guide<\/em>, a social media series featuring funny anecdotes and practical tips for collaborating and time management.<\/p>\n

Follow STEEP on our socials for a laugh and some valuable insight: steepsuperfund<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Engagement on the Ground<\/h3>\n

\"\"Community Engagement Core (CEC) co-Lead and Senior Scientist at Silent Spring Institute (SSI), Laurel Schaider, PhD, has been actively engaged in community events to educate on PFAS in the environment.<\/p>\n