Students
Like most teachers, I get much of my professional pleasure from working with students. I’ve had too many undergraduate students to keep track of or link to, but I’m tremendously proud of them. Click here for information on my former PhD students.
Teaching
As of 2025, I am no longer actively teaching, though I am continuing my research and administrative roles. Most of my courses addressed public communication of science and technology. Here are some of my syllabi (content often changed from year to year; note that links within syllabi may not all work — some require Cornell University library access, others have no doubt died over the years):
- Comm/STS 2850, “Communication, Environment, Science, & Health” (survey course)
- Comm/STS 3020, “Science Writing for Media” (mostly science journalism)
- Comm/STS 4660, “Public Communication of Science and Technology” (undergraduate seminar course)
- 4660 syllabus, 2013, Current research in PCST
- 4660 syllabus, 2015, Science museums
- 4660 syllabus, 2017, Science in culture
- 4660 syllabus, 2019, Science in culture
- 4660 syllabus, 2021, Science in culture
- 4660 syllabus, 2024, Science communication and AI
- 4660 syllabus, 2025, Science communication and AI
- Comm 5660, “Science Communication Workshop” (weekend workshop for graduate students in the sciences)
- 5660 syllabus, 2018 [Spring]
- Most recent syllabus available at: http://blogs.cornell.edu/scicommworkshop/
- Comm/STS 6660, “Public Engagement in Science” (graduate seminar course)
Professional activities
Much of my time is spent helping build the scholarly community of people exploring public communication of science and technology. From 1998 to 2003, I was editor of the journal Public Understanding of Science. I was a founding member of the International Network on Public Communication of Science & Technology, and continue to be active at its meetings (the next international conference will be held in 2027 in Shanghai, China).
I also spend a lot of time interacting with the science community, helping integrate science communication into its culture. I was the 2011 chair of the “Societal Implications of Science & Engineering” section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and 2017 chair of its section on “General Interest in Science & Engineering.” From 2006 to 2009, I served as co-chair of the U.S. National Research Council study on Learning Science in Informal Environments. Several years later, I served on a follow-up committee that produced Communicating Chemistry in Informal Settings (2016). I was also on the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) committee that produced Learning Through Citizen Science: Enhancing Opportunities by Design (2018). Activities that contribute in this area include:
- Roundtable on Public Interfaces of the Life Sciences, 2013-2015 (member)
- Center for the Advancement of Informal STEM Education, www.informalscience.org (external advisory board)
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Section X, Societal Impacts of Science & Engineering (chair, 2011)
- Section Y, General Interest in Science & Engineering (chair, 2017)
I’ve also been active in Cornell University faculty governance. In 2014-2016, I was Speaker of the University Faculty Senate, and from 2016 to 2020, I was a faculty-elected member of Cornell’s Board of Trustees. In January 2022, I became Cornell’s 13th University Ombuds.