Crastina is a platform for the exchange of experience, knowledge and inspiration regarding both scientific peer-to-peer communication and science dissemination

What? An international network of (mostly young) people who love to communicate science & tech.
Why? We think science needs to be communicated with more passion and professionalism.
Where? On our website with interviews & resources + on social media + on Skype and IRL.
Who? A content group (the Crew), a think tank (the Academy), + lots of friends & contacts.
When? Right now – as a matter of fact, we’ve just geared up.

Dr Gleb Tsipursky, disaster avoidance expert: ”I was very frustrated to see all this bad decision-making.”

The increasing numbers of Science deniers in the population and political figures are a growing concern. Many have tried to discuss climate change or vaccination but were confronted with closed eyes and ears (when the discussion did not escalate…

Opinion & Reflection

Let’s have a productive conversation about GMO – but first, stop saying “GMO”!

This article is a part of Crastina's theme ”Approaching the Disbelievers”, written by Dorota Paczesniak Compared to the buzz around new iPhones or electric cars, innovations in food production don’t get people excited. Instead,…

Competitions, Interviews

Time to Celebrate the Periodic Table with a Video Competition – an interview with Ulrika Örn

The year 2019 is designated as the International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT). As part of the celebration, IYPT Sweden arranges an exciting video competition for schools, focusing on the periodic table. Crastina had a short interview with…

Our current theme: “SciComm in Africa”

Pearl Osirike: “The beginning of a new era: science communication in Africa”

A Crastina Column by Pearl Osirike, Ph.D. student at West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana.

Read the Crastina Column

This time, we will learn more about SciComm activities emerging from a geographical area which is often overlooked in the general discussion about science and its communication: Africa.

On the one hand, it is true that African academia has to cope with persistent challenges like poor funding, inadequate infrastructure, staff shortages and recruitment problems. The everyday struggle of experimental scientists is hard to imagine for those who work in labs in Europe and North America. For example, the difficulty of transporting tissue samples and biomolecules sometimes add weeks and months to projects – parcels are lost, frozen samples become thawed and are ruined on the way, et cetera.

On the other hand, anyone who studies the websites of African universities and research institutes will be met by an impressing vitality and optimism. Innumerous projects are ongoing across this vast continent, and many of them include SciComm activities which all provide a lesson for anyone ready to read, ask and reflect.

We have rarely felt such anticipation when initiating a theme here at Crastina; we are confident that we all – authors and readers have much – to learn.

For The Crastina Crew

Olle Bergman, Project Leader