Tuneage Tuesday

All you Harry Potter fans out there might enjoy watching actor Daniel Radcliffe sing Tom Lehrer's "The Elements". Even cool guys dig science!



Test your celebrity trivia. What famous people do you know who have secret scientific lives?

Today I have a sad announcement. The New Voices blog will be ending this week. The blog archive will continue to be available online, but we will not be adding new content. Thank you all for your interest and support over the years. On Friday, we’ll be posting information on how to remain engaged with Research!America and our advocacy efforts.

Campaign Theme Songs

As the race for the presidency starts to heat up, you might start to notice some interesting theme songs on the campaign trail. While some candidates seem to have no trouble borrowing a tune to pump up the crowds at a rally, others find themselves in hot water with recording artists.

For this week's Tuneage Tuesday, try naming that tune.

What campaign songs would you recommend for the newest batch of political hopefuls?

Science vs. Faith?

One of the biggest challenges for many advocates is encountering the science versus faith "controversy." Neil deGrasse Tyson explains the reality of the situation:

Rockin' Out for a Good Cause

This week's Tuneage Tuesday features N.E.D., a sweet band made up of gynecologic oncologists. The band's name stands for No Evidence of Disease and the "rock docs" hope to use their talents to raise awareness of gynecologic cancers and the 90,000 women who struggle with them every year.





Let us know if you know of other scientist musicians! We'd love to feature them on future Tuneage Tuesdays.

Google Science Fair Winners

These ladies will either inspire you or make you feel old. Contestants in the Google Science Fair came from all over the world, but three Americans triumphed. Could these three be members of the next generation of New Voices? We hope so!




Share this video with the aspiring young scientists in your life.

Evolution Rap

You've heard about evolution. You've heard about the "controversy" surrounding evolution. Now you can hear how evolution and pop culture intersect.*

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

* The views expressed in the rap are those of the artist Baba Brinkman.

30 Seconds or Less

Whether they call it an elevator pitch or a spiel, almost every professional communication seminar is going to include a section on explaining what you do in 30 seconds or less. In a soundbite society, that skill is becoming more and more important. Here's a great example (and a retake) on how it can be done:

Watch the full episode. See more Secret Life of Scientists.

Today's Tuneage Tuesday challenge: Record a 30 second or less video of yourself talking about your work and send us a link or the file to see yourself on an upcoming Tuesday! It's super easy to use your computer, smart phone*, or digital camera to record 30 seconds. Try it now!


*If it's easier to send your video phone to phone, email me at hbenson at researchamerica.org so I can send you the appropriate contact line.

Getting Rational About Public Health

Spoiler alert: This talk is about public health policy regarding HIV and methods of transmission, including drug use and sex.




If you were giving a TED talk, what health policy issue would you want to talk about?

Pew Research Scholars

Any video that shows off the awesomeness of researchers is good for us.




Want to be a New Voice? Leave us a comment or drop us a line at programs at researchamerica.org.

Robotics & Health Research

In deference to all of our military service members who have given their lives in defense of our country and their fellow Americans, today's Tuneage Tuesday is taking a look at health research for the military.

Federal funding for research has made it lots of cures and treatments possible, and in the military that means taking care of battlefield injuries, like loss of limb. This March, I had an opportunity to meet Dean Kamen when he won a Research!America Advocacy Award, and he is, unreservedly, a genius in jeans. Take a look at how his robotics research is improving health.

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Commencement Speech Anyone?

It's that time of year, when young people across the country find the cure for their cases of "senioritis" by dressing in long robes and funny hats and sitting through long ceremonies to - in the end - receive a piece of paper. But we all know that that piece of paper is so much more than it seems. A diploma symbolizes years of study and serves as the culmination of a degree of achievement. It's worth sitting through the speeches to get it.

As graduations go, mine were all pretty standard. After a few "commencement really means the beginning" quips and a few jokes or anecdotes from the likes of Doris Roberts or David Gregory, I was walking across a stage and turning my tassel. Mostly, I remember being nervous about whether or not my stuff was packed back in the dorm or if I would hear back about a job application.

A few years out from my own graduations, I'm able to better appreciate the content of commencement speeches and pick out the truly wise nuggets of wisdom in them. So, for this Tuneage Tuesday, here are a couple of well-known commencement addresses from science-y folk to inspire you this graduation season.

From computer scientist, Randy Pausch to Carnegie Mellon's class of 2008.



To the Vassar class of 2010 from Lisa Kudrow, who received her degree in biology there in 1985.



Congratulations to all of our readers who have earned their diplomas this year. Drop us a line in the comments so we can celebrate with you!

Let Me Be Clear: Science Journalism in the Age of the Genome & Twitter

"Let Me Be Clear: Science Journalism in the Age of the Genome and Twitter" was held May 11, 2011, at the Holeman Lounge at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. More photos.

Last Wednesday, I got to help out at a really exciting program at the National Press Club: Let Me Be Clear: Science Journalism in the Age of the Genome and Twitter.

Anything that has to do with science and talking about science automatically has me interested, but the line-up for this event was especially awesome. Also, I had the pleasure of working on the accompanying public opinion poll which shed some light on the perception of scientists and journalists in Missouri.  Some of the top line results were covered in the press release, but listen to the program to hear Research!America President Mary Woolley lay out the findings.
 

Grad Student Rap

Hat tip to Isis the Scientist and Biochembelle for sharing this fabulous tuneage.

Science is Real

Today's Tuneage Tuesday is brought to you from neither Istanbul nor Constantinople (despite being a featured location for They Might Be Giants).

A Nobel Laureate Looks Back

At Research!America's recent Advocacy Awards dinner, I had the honor of serving as the point of contact for Dr. Michael Bishop. Not only is he an amazingly brilliant scientist, he is a passionate advocate, a diligent teacher, and one of the most personable men I've ever had the pleasure to meet.

Listen to him speak about what he would do different, looking back from the "twilight" of his career:




Congratulations on your award Dr. Bishop!

How Much is a Good Teacher Worth?

Comic credit: Surviving the World

Most of the time when we talk about education, we talk about a greater need for focus on STEM topics, keeping religion out of the science classroom, or issues in higher education. If we want to think about things in a new way, maybe we need to start considering different options. This Tuneage Tuesday (2 days late), listen to this NPR Planet Money podcast about a plan to revolutionize the U.S. economy that revolves around public-school teachers. The story begins at 3:30 into the podcast.

What would you do to revolutionize education?

NIAID Director Anthony Fauci on The Colbert Report

It isn't easy to have a conversation about AIDS with Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and make it funny.

Stephen Colbert did it last night, however, and he made the conversation interesting and incisive, too.

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This is an excellent example of making science accessible to the public. Fauci provides statistics, explanations, and a bit of commentary on US health policy, while Colbert makes it fun and entertaining.

Here's a bonus: NIH Director Francis Collins and Colbert back in October 2009.

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Francis Collins
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Food (and Drug Administration) for Thought

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) goes through an enormous amount of work to ensure that our pharmaceuticals are safe and effective. It also, however, has to ensure that they’re real.

A recent 60 Minutes report examined the growing problem of counterfeit and poor-quality medicines. The story is yet another reminder that the FDA needs better financial support for its research and monitoring efforts, and that Congressional budget cuts to the agency could have a direct effect on you and your medicine cabinet.



For more on FDA’s regulatory work abroad, check out this Nature Medicine story, written by myself.

Blending Art and Science in the Classroom

The connection between art and science can be difficult to make. The exacting precision of studio art and the precise exercise of a lab experiment seem similar in words alone. As STEM education becomes more and more critical, and funding for the arts are cut from school budgets, perhaps it is time for these two strangers to become partners in education. Not sure it can be done? This ARTstronomy project in Dublin lays out the steps to bridging art and science.

Star Wars and Whooping Cough?

Found this clip encouraging immunization on Twitter from @sethmnookin about a month ago. What modern classics do you think would be effective for sending public health or research messages today?