STFC’s Post

Can you imagine science textbooks without visuals? 🔬 Recently, when I was cleaning and organising my book shelve. These books on different topics in biology are what I happened onto. An immediate sense of nostalgia struck. I used to spend my college days hooked to these books. My nights were spent reading and being enthralled with the natural world's wonders. I used to be in awe of what I read and I would be so excited to share that with my friends next morning. But would it all be that fascinating if these books were just text and words? Probably not. The laws and facts of nature are obviously very difficult to explain without illustrations. Be it biology, physics or chemistry, one can’t study science without visualising it. Visualising first in your thoughts and then on a paper / visual board. From the early days of scientific discovery, visual representation has played a crucial role in advancing knowledge and understanding. Today, the importance of visual arts in science is more significant than ever, as it enhances communication, fosters innovation, and aids in education and outreach. With presence of different medium of visual arts, we can foster innovative ways of communicating science to common people.

Exploring the different ways of what, and how you can publish the work you are doing as an PHD student, much which can be hard to fit within the rigid rules of journals, which leads to a standardization where ideas can't really be tested in the same way. So, I just put the prototype for Keep it Slow, Make it Complex: A Handbook on Substack! It’s a deep dive into creativity, participatory design, and navigating complexity to spark transformation. Check it out and share your thoughts! 🌟 I will continue to publish different texts, comics, and other methods and ways of exploring. Ksenija Komazec Simon Önnered Senem Turhan Creative LAB Mälardalens universitet Erik Bjurström Bengt Köping Olsson https://lnkd.in/dHHUxE5X

This week, Venera Gashaj and I had the honour to present our work at University of California, Berkeley! It was a fruitful conversation on how to design interaction in #EmbodiedLearning interventions. We explored new design possibilities, such as leveraging muscle tension or #EmbodiedMetaphors. We also discussed who benefits from these approaches, for example students with #MathAnxiety, and why. We left the event with the head full of new ideas, thank you all for the interesting questions, and thank you, Dor Abrahamson, for the invitation! cc Bibin Muttappillil Bob Sumner Manu Kapur If you missed it, here are some useful links: 📺 Video: https://lnkd.in/edDqH55G 🔗 Paper: https://lnkd.in/eB3rx34d 🌐 Project page: https://lnkd.in/eZUBSKaA 🗣️ Reference: Chatain, J., Gashaj, V., Muttappillil, B., Sumner, R. W., & Kapur, M. (2024, July). Designing for Embodied Sense-making of Mathematics: Perspectives on Directed and Spontaneous Bodily Actions. In Proceedings of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference (pp. 3318-3335).

When science meets society: is this a new chapter in publishing? More reflections on December publishing deals. A wave of forthcoming science and technology titles suggests a trend: a renewed focus on how science interacts with our society, our history, and our everyday lives. These aren’t just books about equations or fossils—they’re explorations of how scientific understanding shapes (and is shaped by) the world around us. Here are a few standout examples from December deals reported in Publisher’s Marketplace (@PublishersLunch): • Reclaiming Physics: Dan Hooper’s In Defense of Physics tackles the rise of science populism and critiques of fundamental physics, offering a spirited defense of its relevance and value. • Revisiting Our Technological Origins: Abigail Desmond’s Technology: The First Seven Million Years illuminates the ancient, organic tools that predate recorded history, reshaping how we view humanity’s earliest innovations. • Evolution’s Unexpected Outcomes: John Hawks’s The Accidental Inheritors offers a bold new theory on why modern humans outlasted their ancient relatives—a story that links biology, adaptability, and sheer happenstance. • The Science of Rest: David Raichlen’s Rest takes on a topic many of us overlook, exploring how modern habits of sitting and inactivity fall short of our biological needs—and offering healthier alternatives. • Memory’s Fragility: Elizabeth Loftus’s The Meaning of Memory addresses the societal implications of memory’s malleability, challenging us to reconsider how we trust our recollections in personal and legal contexts. • Fighting Misinformation: Melanie Trecek-King’s A Field Guide to Misinformation equips readers with the tools to recognize and resist pseudoscience, scams, and disinformation in an era where truth feels increasingly elusive. What ties these books together is their resonance with societal issues. Whether it’s defending physics against populism, rethinking rest in hectic times, or equipping us to battle misinformation, these titles bridge the gap between scientific discovery and its human impact. For aspiring authors, this is a moment to reflect: Does your work connect science with society? Are you tackling the “so what” of scientific inquiry—the implications for how we live, think, and act? The demand for accessible, meaningful narratives that link discovery with lived experience is only growing. What trends are you seeing (or would you like to see) in science and technology publishing? #publishingtrends #sciencebooks #scienceandsociety #nonfictionwriting #bookdeals #authorslife --- Thinking about writing a book? Reach out—I’d be happy to explore how I can help.

Randall Munroe's book What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions takes a light-hearted yet scientifically grounded approach to answering wild and imaginative questions. Here are 10 lessons from the book: 1. Curiosity Has No Limits: The book emphasizes the importance of curiosity, demonstrating that even the most outlandish questions can lead to fascinating scientific explorations. 2. Science Can Be Fun: Munroe shows that science doesn't have to be dry or boring. By exploring absurd scenarios, he makes complex scientific concepts accessible and entertaining. 3. Understanding Probability: Many of the answers in the book hinge on understanding probability and risk, helping readers grasp these concepts in a fun and relatable way. 4. Appreciate the Scale of Natural Forces: Through the exploration of extreme scenarios, Munroe highlights the immense power and scale of natural forces, like gravity, radiation, and kinetic energy. 5. Embrace Uncertainty: Some of the questions don't have definitive answers, teaching readers that uncertainty is a natural part of scientific inquiry and exploration. 6. The Value of Thought Experiments: The book showcases the importance of thought experiments in science, allowing us to explore theoretical outcomes without the need for physical experiments. 7. Interdisciplinary Knowledge is Powerful: Munroe's answers often draw from multiple scientific disciplines, illustrating how interconnected different fields of knowledge can be. 8. Imagination Drives Innovation: By thinking outside the box, even the most imaginative and seemingly impossible ideas can lead to new insights and discoveries. 9. Be Prepared for Unexpected Outcomes: Some of the book’s scenarios lead to surprising or unintended results, reminding us that science often uncovers the unexpected. 10. Critical Thinking is Essential: Munroe's approach encourages readers to think critically about the information presented, question assumptions, and consider the broader implications of scientific findings. These lessons highlight the joy of learning and the importance of questioning the world around us, no matter how absurd the questions might seem.

Are art and science related? Can one inspire the other? Check out my blog where I explore these connections through my life experiences and how I found my place in science communication. #science_communication #art #science Read “Art — The Colors of The Scientific Method“ by Shravana Ganga on Medium:

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Do remember your first science "lesson"? I do. It wasn't a formal class or anything. I must gave been about six or seven years old and I was helping my mother in the kitchen. It came time to refill ice cube trays and she let me fill them at the tap (we didn't use spring water back then because I hadn't begun making myself Old Fashioned cocktails and so I wasn't an ice snob... yet). I filled tray all the way to the top and my mother corrected me and showed me how to underfill a tray and level all of the cube cups. Of course my tiny child's brain didn't get it. More water = bigger, better cube, right? So I asked her why we would do this. "When water freezes it expands. So if we fill them all the way the cubes overflow the edges and stick together." I asked her why it expands... "It has something to do with the hydrogen molecules in the water, that's all I remember from science class. But let's go to the library tomorrow and look it up!" and so we did. My mother was a single mom and we were on public assistance. We didn't have much, but we had a library card and a great public library (Malden, Massachusetts also didn't have a lot but it had that). There were two beautiful things about that event. 1.) The resource of the Public Library existed and continues to exist even at a time when all of the information contained within any library can be found on the interweb. But for whatever reason the information you get from a library seems more trustworthy. Maybe it is because you have to work harder to find it. Or maybe it's because you have to wade through less bulls**t? Or maybe it's a little from column A and a little from column B. 2.) For those who desire to have *knowledge of things, every day can be like Christmas. I learned the value of treating oneself to gifts of knowledge and understaning at every opportunity given. Deny yourself the Oreos or the bacon on your cheeseburger, but never deny yourself that. *Not necessarily information, for though they are related, they are not really the same thing. "Water freezes when it expands" is information. Understanding WHY it does that is knowledge.

Synthesis of Science and Art: Imagination is the Common Factor! The synthesis of science and art is a fascinating interplay where imagination serves as the essential link between these seemingly different realms. Here’s how imagination unites them: 👉1. Imagination in Science Science thrives on curiosity and the ability to think beyond the known. Imagination drives: ◾Hypotheses and Theories: Scientists envision phenomena before proving them, like Einstein’s thought experiments on relativity. ◾Innovation: From the structure of DNA to the concept of black holes, imaginative leaps transform science. ◾Visualization: Tools like computer modeling or even artistic sketches often help make abstract scientific concepts tangible. 👉2. Imagination in Art Art is inherently imaginative, creating expressions that evoke thought, emotion, or meaning. It: ◾Explores Abstract Ideas: Just as scientists question “what if,” artists explore limitless possibilities of form and concept. ◾Interprets Reality: Artists reimagine the world through a lens of personal perception or societal commentary. 👉3. Common Ground: Bridging Disciplines Imagination enables scientists and artists to converge on shared purposes: ◾Scientific Artifacts: Illustrations of molecules, anatomical sketches, or space imagery are both scientific tools and artistic creations. ◾Art Inspired by Science: Movements like Futurism or BioArt integrate scientific discoveries into artistic expression. ◾Science Fiction: Literature and media often use artistic storytelling to explore scientific possibilities. 👉4. The Power of Collaboration When science and art merge, they create powerful narratives and tools: ◾Public Understanding: Artistic renditions of scientific data make complex ideas accessible to a broader audience. ◾Innovation Design: From architecture to user interfaces, imaginative synthesis results in practical advancements. #science #education #technology #research #engineering #nature #art #knowledge #love #health #memes #learning #study #sciencememes Follow Satish Kakri

Literature Review Process: Adaptive Transition in Architecture Studio Pedagogy Phase 1: Identify the Need for Adaptation #Acknowledge Evolving Demands: Begin by recognizing the necessity to adapt to shifts in the built environment and global architectural practices, as these factors significantly influence studio pedagogy. #Emphasize Multifaceted Learning: Focus on educational methodologies, technological innovations, and responsive strategies, especially in unforeseen challenges like the pandemic. Phase 2: Select Diverse, Reputable Sources #Choose Broad Databases: Source literature from respected platforms such as Elsevier, Scopus, Web of Science, Springer, IEEE, Emerald, Wiley, and Taylor & Francis. #Create a Comprehensive Resource Pool: Include scholarly articles related to architecture education, virtual design, and adaptive strategies, along with relevant books, websites, and authoritative resources to enrich your review. Phase 3: Develop a Targeted Search Strategy #Craft Search Strings and Keywords: Formulate a focused search strategy using carefully designed search strings to identify relevant literature effectively. #Ensure Scope and Relevance: Target titles, keywords, and abstracts to accurately capture discourse on adaptive transition approaches within architecture studio pedagogy. Phase 4: Set Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria #Define Relevance Criteria: Include only studies that specifically address architecture studio pedagogy and the dynamics of adaptive transitions within studio environments. #Maintain Focus and Alignment: This discerning approach will ensure that your review remains aligned with your core objectives, promoting a meaningful exploration of the topic. Phase 5: Extract and Synthesize Data #Organize Information Systematically: Categorize data related to each identified adaptive transition approach by their underlying principles, methodologies, and outcomes. #Conduct Thematic Analysis: Utilize thematic analysis to identify overarching patterns and recurring themes, helping to distill insights into common adaptive strategies and conceptual frameworks.  Phase 6: Develop Comprehensive Frameworks #Create Summaries and Charts: Compile insights into frameworks, charts, and summaries that illuminate the multifaceted nature of adaptive transitions in studio pedagogy. #Enhance Understanding: Use these synthesized insights to foster a deeper comprehension of adaptive strategies, contributing to a foundational resource for the evolution of architecture studio pedagogy. #ArchitectureEducation #LiteratureReview #AdaptiveLearning #StudioPedagogy #EducationalStrategies Location: AA School of Architecture, London, UK