How Science Writing Fuels My Ph.D.

These past couple of years, I have found that what motivates me to keep doing science is often investigating what motivates science as a whole. Giving my work the historical and cultural context that is often left out of the of the daily grind keeps me inspired to add to those narratives.

Early on in my Ph.D. program, when I was rotating labs to find the right fit, I found that for some of those rotation projects, my curiosity for the subject matter bottomed out long before the project was finished. One of the faculty members also noticed this, and, not unkindly, informed me that I would not be a good fit for their lab. I was able to find a project with the Baugh lab that held my curiosity, but not before I had considered quitting my Ph.D. program. In hindsight that rejection was the best thing for me, but it still hurt and confused me at the time. I needed to find a way to keep the flame of my interest in science burning for a longer time.

The following summer I sought to rekindle my curiosity by returning to the scientific subject that made it burn brightest as a child: dinosaurs. Reading Dinosaurs Rediscovered by Michael C. Benton and The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte succeeded in fueling a more general curiosity for science. At the same time, I was attending the summer Graduate Academy seminar on science and research communication, taught by Robin Smith and Karl Bates from the University Communications team. Robin Smith’s origin story was refreshingly relatable. After I requested an interview with her, she told me that after she got her Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from Duke, she found that her more varied interests across scientific subjects were better suited for science writing. Those lessons, combined with my recent reading, inspired me to ask the question, “What is the state of paleontology in my home state of North Carolina?” I reached out to Dr. Christian Kammerer, a curator at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS), with this question. So began my first foray into science writing, and I was hooked.

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As the next fall came around and I began the work for both my thesis and reporting for my NC paleo piece in earnest, I started paying more attention to The Graduate School’s Professional Development newsletters. One day, the newsletter advertised the ComSciCon-Triangle 2023 science communication conference. I applied on the spot. When the acceptance email came in, I was ecstatic. It felt like a sign that I was capable of good science communication, if I kept working at it. The speakers at the convention were all-stars in the world of scientific storytelling (Adrian Smith, Erin Barker, and Shahir Rizk to name a few), and learning from them further solidified the vision I had for this work.

The next big event in my science communication journey also came from same professional development newsletters. This time they advertised Duke’s GRADx talks, a chance for graduate students to present their research in the style of TEDx talks for a general audience. At this point in my career, my experiences with presentations had been either hyper-specific scientific conferences or college improv, and nowhere in between. I shifted my expectations for myself to meet this challenge, since this was the kind of storytelling that I grew up watching on YouTube and that inspired my love for science. My talk went well, and I was soon given another opportunity to improve upon that performance. Soon after GRADx I was invited, along with Chemistry Ph.D. student Yue Zhou, to accompany Graduate School leaders to NC Graduate Education Day at the state capitol in Raleigh to share our research with legislators.

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Research can be an insulating endeavor, but bringing my work out of the lab and sharing it with the wider world of politics helped deepen my appreciation for science and the people that fund that science. The positive reactions I received to my research also reaffirmed my belief that science is inherently interesting to everyone, no matter their background.

I was able to publish my NC paleo piece in The Assembly, and on the high of that success I sent it to Steve Brusatte, describing my interest in science communication that was inspired by his books. To my surprise and absolute delight, he responded. His praise of my writing is pinned to the top of my inbox, a ray of sunshine on cloudy days. I know that wouldn’t have happened without reaching out to people and taking opportunities when they came up. The Graduate School’s Professional Development newsletters are your best bet for finding those people and opportunities that will take you where you want to go. As daunting as extending that extra effort often seemed, I learned to adjust my expectations for what I am capable of to meet the challenge. My small hobby has become a major motivator, and it offers me positive reinforcement to remain an active participant in the scientific community.

Author

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Jameson Blount

Ph.D. candidate, Computational Biology

Jameson Blount is a third-year Ph.D. candidate in the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics program working in Ryan Baugh’s lab.  His work focuses on translating statistical genetics methodologies typically used in humans into the realm of model organisms, particularly the nematode roundworm C. elegans. Follow his writing journey through his science writing blog.