Raymond Nakamura and Lisa Willemse, Multimedia co-editors
Chinese New Year gives us a second chance to re-make resolutions that may have dissolved since last month. Here are some of our resolutions for becoming better multimedia editors (if such a thing is possible!) for Science Borealis, inspired by posts in our category.
Original cartoon by R. Nakamura
Be more organized
Our main responsibilities as editors are to be on top of editorial posts for our category, and in the midst of the rest of life, being organized might help. The On Your Mind podcasts by neuroscience grad students always cover a potpourri of subjects, including note-taking and time management.
- Develop artistic skills
Our multimedia category features different approaches to communicating science. CommNatural provides tips on drawing wintry things for people outside of Vancouver who get snow in the winter. And if you wish to work with these drawings on computer, here’s another post on digital image files.
For those more inclined to photography, the Land Lines blog shared some tips on winter photography (en français) to help motivate and improve your lensed creations.
- Pursue a multimedia science career
And for those who are serious about getting into it, CommNatural wrote about getting into a career combining science and art, while Monsters and Molecules noted, with a charming still life drawing, that she is applying to the Masters of Biomedical Communications program in Toronto. Good luck, Laura!
- Don’t forget to wonder
A common trait of many of our bloggers is an enduring sense of wonder. Nurturing this fascination with the world around us seems like a worthwhile resolution to fill our creative pools and inspire new directions for exploration.
Ibycter always has wonderful photos, from the big picture with aerial views of terrain, to the close up view of the ecology of army ants.
The Flying Trilobite took on a little museum tour with family and experienced the ROM through the eyes of a 4 year old.
Bridgette Clarkston waxed nostalgically on completing her thesis about the taxonomy of red seaweed, which included a new species she named after the wonderful film director, Tim Burton.
- Appreciate the little things
Because we can all get caught up in life’s big picture concerns, it’s good to sometimes step away and appreciate those seemingly insignificant things we sometimes fail to notice.
Astroporifera took time to notice a rare insect on some ice, while Monsters and Molecules and Ibycter shared the birdly delights of wetlands and balcony feeders.
- Spread a little love
There’s not much that gives back more than sharing a bit of love, giving aid where needed, doing something completely unexpected, unnecessary or over-the-top for someone else, or just standing up for something you believe in. Given that Valentine’s Day just passed and the news has been rather full of ideological struggles (vaccination is just one), the Science Borealis blogs shared a few excellent multimedia examples of this.
Kim Moynahan took to the ocean waters and shared several videos over two posts, the first a clip of the beautiful artwork created by male pufferfish, and the second a collection of films depicting the release of sharks, whales and dolphins from stray fishing nets.
And Glendon Mellow, inspired by #jesuischarlie, chronicled the feedback from a sketch he shared on Twitter.
- Finally, you can’t forget your own health.
Satisfying our curiosity on how the body functions and stays healthy helps keep us in top form for more blogging and editing! With that in mind, here’s a parting animated video from Signals blog on blood stem cells from the StemCellShorts series.
