Fall 2015

A Report from the FameLab Competition

UWAB graduate students Giada Arney and Eddie Schwieterman competed in the NASA-sponsored Famelab science communication contest during the Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) in Chicago this June. Famelab is an international science communication competition designed to “engage and entertain” by explaining complex scientific concepts in relatable three-minute presentations. The theme of the competition was “Exploring the Earth and Beyond”.  Both students advanced to the final round after getting high marks from judges in the preliminary round.  

“Famelab was an incredible opportunity to exercise and hone my science communication skills. It let me join my scientific knowledge and creative energy to produce something fun, and it’s something I definitely plan to continue doing!" Eddie enthused.

"My previous science communication experience has almost exclusively been through giving planetarium shows at UW," said Giada, "so it was fun to speak to a different kind of audience. Figuring out how to pitch a complex topic in just three minutes was the biggest learning experience I took away from it!"

“The interdisciplinary training provided by the UW Astrobiology Program definitely helped prepare me for Famelab. It’s something I recommend all AB grads try at some point,” added Eddie.

The competition also included a science communication workshop held at the Chicago Field Museum. Eddie won a wildcard award in the final round.

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