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.

The Crastina Column: Put back the “I’ in science – a poetical plea

Pearl Osirike, University of Ghana: “It is my strong belief that scientific output should not be published only in scientific journals for the learned few but should be available to all.” This Crastina Column initiates the theme ”SciComm in Africa”.

Interviews

The server that enables African research to be shared worldwide

In the summer of 2018, scientists launched the preprint repository AfricArxiv, for African science to be shared, completely free. Crastina interviewed Justin Ahinon, a web developer and one of the founders of the preprint server. This…

Interviews

Kolisa Yola Sinyanya, Cape Town: ‘I won their hearts with SciComm!’

‘We need to spread the scientific word in more modern and society-engaging ways,’ says Kolisa Yola Sinyanya, marine biologist and SciCommer from the University of Cape Town – FameLab runner-up, TED Speaker, and blogger. This is the…

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