A Decade in Review: Celebrating 10+ Years of Sci on the Fly!
Sci on the Fly is 10 years old!
Launched in 2013, the fellow-run blog and podcast has been promoting public dialogue about science and policy for over a decade. Even though fellows may only be around for a year or two, the blog has maintained a continuous presence thanks to all their hard work. Their legacy of shared knowledge and experiences spanning over a decade continues to be a resource to those interested in science policy.
Each new class of fellows brings fresh perspectives and insights, reflecting the changing landscape of science policy and maintaining the blog's relevance. Through this, Sci on the Fly has helped foster community and weave together multiple generations of fellows for sustained discussion around key topics. For this article, we interviewed the three founders of the blog, Lynn Adams (’11-’13, EPA), Judy Keen (’12-’14, NIH), and Lynn Hull (‘12-’13, NIH) to get their perspectives on the history and development of the blog. We also interviewed Beth Linas (‘15-’17, NSF), who spearheaded the creation of the Sci on the Fly podcast.
History and Early Challenges
The blog was founded by AAAS fellows Lynn Adams, Judy Keen, and Lynn Hull, with a dual mission: first, to engage the public with science in a way that is clear and interesting to the lay audience and show how exciting and relevant science can be through the blog posts; secondly, to provide a forum for fellows who wanted to practice their science communicate skills. By bringing together a diverse group of fellows with a range of backgrounds, the idea was to provide scientific expertise on a variety of topics.
Initially, the three founders were interested in starting individual blogs to practice their communication skills. Through conversations on the AAAS Fellows listserv and a science communications affinity group, the idea to start a single blog solidified. One of the AAAS program directors quickly offered to host the blog on the AAAS Fellows site and help with the technical and publishing side so the authors could focus on writing great articles. Adams and Keen both said that this was instrumental in the blog’s success, and they felt very supported by the efforts of AAAS.
Other fellows with editing and blogging expertise were early contributors, such as Ruthanna Gordon (’11 – ’13, EPA). However, creating the blog was not without its challenges. Founders had to generate awareness within the Fellows' network and recruit them to produce regular content.
The early blog was primarily run by the four founders, but doing this while balancing their fellowships proved difficult. Over time, other fellows wanted to contribute, introducing a new set of challenges with organizing, scheduling, and content sharing.
When asked, Keen says that she is very happy that the blog is still around, and that she thought it was important to pass it on to other fellows. She also mentioned that the start of the blog was helped by good timing, and she had seen other blogs start and end without lasting as long as Sci on the Fly. As the founders moved on from their placements, they remained confident that the next cohort of fellows would keep it alive, and they stayed in communication to advise the next group of fellows as they continued the blog.
“The possibility that someone would stumble upon the blog and learn something about science from what fellows wrote, that is a huge win.” - Lynn Hull
Check out all 170+ Sci on the Fly posts here: www.aaaspolicyfellowships.org/blog
- I do science policy https://www.aaaspolicyfellowships.org/blog/i-do-science-policy-what-does-even-mean
- Reaching beyond the fellowship: https://www.aaaspolicyfellowships.org/blog/reaching-beyond-stpf-fellowship
- Trust the Scientists (All of Them): https://www.aaaspolicyfellowships.org/blog/trust-scientists-all-them-ai-impacts-everyone-and-everyone-should-impact-ai-policy-1
Evolution and Growth
Throughout the years, Sci on the Fly has covered a wide range of topics, shifting with each cohort of fellows and shaped by world events. These have ranged from articles about national security and climate change and posts on GPS navigation and infrastructure, to more fellows-oriented posts like tips on how to survive interview week and doing science at Comic Cons. The blog also helped fellows cope with the COVID-era shifts in interviews and placements, which helped build community even while people were kept apart. These are only a few of the many posts that fellows have written over the life of Sci on the Fly, and the blog continues to evolve. One of the newest evolutions of the blog is the addition of a podcast, started in 2016 by fellow Beth Linas (’15-’17, NSF).
Linas created the Sci on the Fly podcast in 2016 with the mission of promoting public understanding of science and policy, a forum where scientists communicate science and policy. From the beginning, Linas, along with the help of fellows Claire Schulkey, Richard Ames, Sesquile Ramon, and Carlos Faraco, wanted the podcast to be relevant. Linas says that this is what makes the podcast stand out – going to the core of the research and presenting the material in ways that can be understood by everyone. They encouraged podcasters to think about topics that were in the popular press and find interesting ways to delve deep into these topics and communicate the science behind policies. One example of this was during a Zika virus outbreak in 2016, when Linas created a podcast explaining how genetically modified mosquitoes could assist in stemming a larger epidemic of Zika.
The success of the podcast was not without challenges, and the making of a podcast has many technical aspects, from recording and editing to production. Linas was able to find a group of fellows who were passionate about science communication, and together they learned how to pull off a successful podcast.
“While we didn’t produce a ton of podcasts that first year, I am proud that this podcast is still going strong today.” – Beth Linas, founder of the Sci on the Fly podcast
8 years later, the podcast has covered 98 episodes, from the inaugural episode “The Scientific Method: What does it mean to you?”, to episodes on how fellows dealt with COVID-19, and a 4-part series called “Science Helps Us” that showcases ways that science helps shape our modern world. The podcast has also featured some interviews with notable guests, like Anthony Fauci, former Chief Medical Advisor to the President of the United States, Daniel Simmons, former Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and others.
Check out all 98 episodes of the podcast here www.aaaspolicyfellowships.org/blog or on iTunes itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sci-on-the-fly/id1299134465
- AAAS S&T Policy Fellows in the Era of COVID-19: https://www.aaaspolicyfellowships.org/blog/podcast-part-1-aaas-st-policy-fellows-era-covid-19
- Science Helps Us… Create the Future of Computing: https://www.aaaspolicyfellowships.org/blog/podcast-science-helps-us-create-future-computing
- Zika, the Olympics, and Other Mass Gatherings: https://www.aaaspolicyfellowships.org/blog/podcast-zika-olympics-and-other-mass-gatherings
The Future of Sci on the Fly
Sci on the Fly continues to be a forum for fellows to practice their science communication skills and a venue for reaching out to the public about science policy topics that impact society. It is both a tool for spreading expert views on relevant issues and a method to reach out to the future fellows who will join our ranks. The blog wouldn’t be possible without both the support of AAAS and without our readers and fellow contributors who make this happen. Through continued support and contributions from fellows, we hope to see the blog continue into the future.
"I am grateful to the AAAS Fellows program for supporting us in creating Sci on the Fly, and for continuing to support it after we had moved on." – Lynn Adams
About the Author:
Andrew Czeidinski is a 2023-2024 fellow placed at the National Science Foundation in the National Science Board Office. He is also the executive editor for Sci on the Fly, and has previously served as a managing editor and contributing editor to the Radiations of Sigma Pi Sigma and the SPS Observer, respectively.
