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Illustration of a microphone on a navy background. Circles with science-related icons feed into the left side of the microphone; illustration of sound waves come out the right-hand side. Text: LSI SciComm Speaker Series. Liz Neeley and Ed Yong. April 18.
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM | April 18, 2023

LSI SciComm Speaker Series: Liz Neeley and Ed Yong

Rackham Amphitheater (In-person) and Zoom (online)
Audience This is a public event.
Make it make sense: Science communication in times of crisis 
We are living through multiple simultaneous global crises, so vast and complex that they seemingly defy sense. During such times, good communication can help people understand the brutal realities of the present while equipping them with necessary hope in a brighter future. Drawing from their decades of experience, from conservation to COVID reporting, Liz Neeley and Ed Yong will discuss the art and science of sense-making in a time of crisis, and why it's crucial to the challenges that we face. 
 
Copies of Yong's books will be available for sale, along with a book-signing opportunity, immediately following the presentation. 
 
The LSI's SciComm Speaker Series highlights the importance of disseminating scientific findings beyond the walls of the academy and effectively communicating the impact of publicly-funded research. This annual event provides world-leading science writers and communicators with an opportunity to share their experiences with faculty, staff and students, while also tapping into U-M's vast scientific research community.

Speakers

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Liz Neeley
Founder and Principal
Liminal Creations

Liz Neeley is the founder and principal of Liminal Creations, a design firm focused on science and communication. She is fascinated by blending the power and beauty of the art with rigorous research on how people make sense of the world around us. Until September 2020, Neeley was the Executive Director of The Story Collider, where she focused on true, personal stories of science told live on stage. Over the past fifteen years, she has specialized in environmental science, journalism, policy and social media, always searching for the best ways of spreading ideas through complex networks. 

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Ed Yong
Science Journalist and Staff Writer
The Atlantic
Ed Yong is a science staff writer with The Atlantic. He was awarded the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for his crucial coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, and was named  “the most important and impactful journalist" of 2020 by Poynter. He anticipated the course of the virus, the complex challenges that the U.S. faced, and the government’s disastrous failure in its response. He is the author of two New York Times bestsellers, An Immense World and I Contain Multitudes. Before he joined The Atlantic, Ed’s writing was featured in National Geographic, The New Yorker, Wired, The New York Times, Nature, New Scientist, Scientific American and other publications.

Hosts

Life Sciences Institute
School of Public Health
School for Environment and Sustainability
College of Pharmacy
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, LSA
Science, Technology and Public Policy program, Ford School of Public Policy
InSPIRE, Ford School of Public Policy