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.

Sci Foo: intense intellectual, interdisciplinary interaction for influencers

Science Foo Camp is the Holy Grail of yearly scientific conferences – inspiring, enlightening, a bit mysterious and only for the chosen few. Every August, 250 scientists, influencers, and thought leaders are especially invited to the Google…

Interviews

Catherine Allin: “Science and Music Are the Same Aspect of You Coming Out in Different Ways”

According to Catherine Allin, an astrophysicist from London, UK, being creative and open-minded are qualities that make up both successful scientists and musicians: " I think the things that make me good at music, probably also make me good…

Interviews

The song of plankton – “visualizing” big data as music

Is there a melody in a lake? How about a song in plankton diversity? Swiss biologist and musician Simone Fontana transformed a plankton dataset from Lake Greifensee into intriguing musical imagery – with different instruments assigned to…

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