The Science Borealis Editorial Team is the lifeblood of the Borealis Blog. At any given time we have 16 to 26 people on the team. From May 2015 when we started tracking hours to February 1, 2016, this all-volunteer team contributed nearly 600 hours to Science Borealis.
This is the second of a two-part series introducing you to this dynamic team. Part 1 is here.
Catherine Lau – Biology & Life Sciences Co-Editor
Catherine Lau is a Science Communication graduate student at Laurentian University and has an MSc in Behavioural Neuroscience from Memorial University. After countless science outreach experiences, a chance to rekindle with the arts, and backpacking in Europe for a few months, she is now on a mission to communicate science through creative means. She is especially interested in arts/science initiatives for the public, from makerlabs to science festivals. Find her on twitter at @cat_lauscats
Joelle Thorpe – Biology & Life Sciences Co-Editor
Joelle is a Clinical Research Associate in the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine at Queen’s University. Before this, she spent most of her days with small rodents. For her Master’s degree in Biology from Queen’s University, Joelle investigated the neuroendocrinology of paternal behaviour in dwarf hamsters. For her PhD in Psychology from McMaster University, Joelle studied how stress impacts steroid hormones and reproductive efforts in female mice. Joelle loves to read (and sometimes write) about science policy, “alternative academic” career prospects for PhDs, women in science, and higher education in Canada, in addition to cool science, of course. She tweets about these things at @JoelleThorpe.
Aini Bhatti promoting Connexon Creative at the 2015 World Congress of Dermatology in Vancouver. (Photo used with permission)
Aini Bhatti – Chemistry Editor
Aini comes to Science Borealis from Vancouver where she works at STEMCELL Technologies. There she scans the far reaches of the internet for the latest science news in immunology and regenerative medicine. She curates and edits content for Connexon Creative’s scientific newsletters and coordinates the newsletters’ social media. She has a BSc in Materials Chemistry with a Minor in English Literature from UBC. Find Aini at her non-science blog, Aini Travels or on Twitter @aininian
Steph Taylor – Physics & Astronomy Editor
After a stint in gravitational physics and a brief detour into Martian geochemistry, Stephanne is currently finishing a PhD in physical oceanography at McGill University. Her winding academic path mirrors her wide-ranging curiosity about the natural world. She blogs sporadically at Eight Crayon Science where she writes and draws about physics, environmental science, Canadian politics, and weird invertebrates. Find Steph on Twitter @8CrayonScience.
Auriel Fournier working the wetlands. (Photo: Michael Picutto)
Auriel Fournier – Mathematics & Statistics Editor
Auriel is a PhD Candidate with the Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Arkansas. She studies bird migration and wetland management and has discovered during her PhD that she likes the math and stats side of things pretty well too. She blogs at aurielfournier.github.io and can be found chatting about birds, statistics and diversity in STEM @RallidaeRule.
Pascal Lapointe – Policy & Politics Co-Editor
Pascal is an editor and science journalist for Agence Science-Presse. He is the author of a few books, including Les Nouveaux journalistes, about the state of freelance journalism, and Guide de vulgarisation, a guide for scientists and writers willing to write for a larger audience. He also (sometimes) blogs about the mutations of science journalism in this Science 2.0 context. And according to some students, he teaches. He blogs at ASP and tweets at @paslap
Josh Silberg – Policy & Politics Co-Editor
Josh is the Science Communications Coordinator for the BC-based Hakai Institute. He has researched everything from humpback whales to whale sharks to rockfish. Now, he shares science stories through blogs, videos, and the occasional poem. He graduated in 2015 with a Master’s of Resource and Environmental Management from Simon Fraser University. Find him on the web or on twitter @joshsilberg.
Michelle Lavery releasing wild female salmon broodstock on the banks of the Miramichi. (Photo Nelson Cloud. )
Michelle Lavery – General Science Co-Editor
After a brief stint researching “rock snot”, Michelle decided to pursue an MSc in Biology at the Canadian Rivers Institute at the University of New Brunswick. In her spare time, she loves to share other people’s incredible research with the public as a freelance science communicator. She’s written for Fisheries Magazine, The Brunswickan, The Fisheries Blog, GradHacker.org, and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (NB), among others. You can check out her website, read her blog, The Green Bin, or follow her on twitter @JMichelleLavery.
Betty Zou – General Science Co-Editor
Betty holds a B.Sc. in genetics from Western University and a PhD in molecular genetics from the University of Toronto. She is currently working as a communications officer at Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI) where she works to promote the research of SRI scientists. Her primary role is to translate complex scientific research into compelling and scientifically accurate narratives for lay readers. You can find Betty blogging at Eat, Read Science or on Twitter @BisousZou tweeting about her favourite things: science, food, global health and antimicrobial resistance.
Katrina Wong – Science in Society Co-Editor
Katrina (KVW at Seagery) graduated from the University of Victoria with a BSc in Biology and English Literature. While undertaking new editorial roles with Science Borealis, Ricepaper Magazine and Discorder Magazine, she continues to talk to artists and creatives for Nakid Magazine. She is currently working on a science/art zine, always on the lookout for flowers to press.
Robert Gooding Townsend with ecology in his preferred environment. (Photo: Simon Gooding-Townsend
Robert Gooding-Townsend – Science in Society Co-Editor
Robert holds a Bachelors’ of Knowledge Integration and of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo, where he is currently working towards a master’s in Applied Math. His academic interests revolve around models of complex systems, the insights they can provide, and their tricky relationship with policy. His proudest moment was winning a prize at MIT for bogus science. Find Robert at @rjgoodin on Twitter.
Raymond Nakamura – Multimedia Co-Editor
Raymond (@raymondsbrain) co-edits the Multimedia category for Science Borealis and draws cartoons for the website and newsletter. As Head of Raymond’s Brain he writes, cartoons, and develops educational experiences for food. He has contributed to the Science World blog for eight years. He earned his doctorate on the hydrodynamics of sand dollars from the University of Toronto, some time after the invention of personal computers but before the Internet.
Liz Martin-Silverstone sure digs fossils. (Photo used with permission)
Liz Martin-Silverstone – Multimedia Co-Editor
Liz is a PhD student in palaeontology at the University of Southampton in the UK, where she studies pterosaurs using modern imaging techniques such as computed tomography to better understand their internal structure. Growing up in Alberta introduced her to palaeontology and fossils, and she’s been studying them ever since. She loves scientific communication, especially through non-traditional means. Liz blogs at Musings of a Clumsy Palaeontologist and helps produce Palaeocast, a podcast on palaeontology. Follow her on Twitter @gimpasaura.
