Author Archives: Melissae
Sea otter death….and life!
Last fall, our class visited the sea otter researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Sandeep summarized many neat tidbits about otters from that trip on this blog. Two items that really piqued my interest involved otter mortality. In California, many otters … Continue reading
Marvelous mentors at AAAS
Where there are science writers, there’s schmoozing. And parties during the AAAS meeting last week elevated the evening social gathering to a new standard of sophistication. One event, at the Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C., featured fancy finger food and … Continue reading
Etherial sounds from a glass harmonica
The Santa Cruz Baroque festival features a glass harmonica player in a February 12th concert. We’ve all rubbed a wet finger around the rim of a goblet just to hear it hum. This instrument works on the same principle. Many … Continue reading
Following the story
Early in the quarter, I wrote that becoming a writer felt like learning how to swim. Now, after two months of daily lessons, I’ve taken off my water wings and I’m happily paddling around. An experience this week showed me … Continue reading
Crab pot corrosion control
We went on a class outing to the Santa Cruz Harbor last week. Our goal: Find crab fishermen and learn about their catch during the first two weeks of crab season. Biggie, a friendly sport fisherman in the bait shop, declared … Continue reading
Wonderful, wandering wolverines
I watched a fantastic Nature special on PBS this week about wolverines. I always thought of these critters as small bears with exceptionally angry attitudes. But they’re actually quite fascinating. First off, the wolverine is a weasel, not a bear. … Continue reading
Science has gone to the…cats?
Full disclosure: I’m a dog person. (So is Sascha.) I love their exuberance. Excessive tail wags radiate into full body wiggles. At dinnertime, table manners are optional as they snarf their food. And then there are cats. From my cat-ownership … Continue reading
Perhaps Sinatra didn’t know about E. coli…
…or else these would have been the lyrics to “Strangers in the Night.” The opening party for the National Association of Science Writers annual meeting was Friday. A folk singer, a classical guitar/opera duo, and an astronomical a cappella group … Continue reading
Shellfish-snacking otter sounds
During our class field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we learned about the aquarium’s Sea Otter Research and Conservation Program (SORAC). I loved spending time with the researchers watching wild otters hang out in the kelp forest in the … Continue reading
Transitioning from scientist to writer, as told by otters
Over the past two weeks, we’ve all shared our experiences as we shed our previous lives as scientists and let our writer-ness out to run free. For me, this video pretty much sums it all up. For reference: baby otter … Continue reading
Catherine
DanielleVenton
Donna Hesterman
janejaelee
Melissae
Erika Check Hayden
nadia drake
SandeepR
Keith R
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