Talking Science, Aliens, And RoboCop With Kids!

The hardest part of communicating science isn’t when it’s in front of your peers or viewers or readers—the people you expect to know what you are talking about and why. For me, it’s talking science with kids. There isn’t anything like the inquisitive stare of a pre-teen to elicit the feeling you are about to speak in front of your biggest audience ever. At the same time, communicating science to kids can be the most rewarding part of the job. That highbrow metaphor you use to make sure readers understand exactly how that particular protein interacts with that particular cell in this particular animal doesn’t mean a thing anymore. You have to be at the top of your game, ready to field questions on everything from RoboCop to the plausibility of Ancient Aliens. Returning for a second time, I tried to do just that with Gil, the incredibly precocious 11-year ...