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.

Florence Schechter, science YouTuber: “Talk about what you find interesting; that enthusiasm will shine through!”

Florence Schechter, biochemist and science communicator from London, shoots and edits her own YouTube videos in a wide range of science related topics. She is currently producing a new YouTube series called 'How To Spot A Scientist’.

Interviews

How platforms like External Diffusion can highly improve the outreach of your research paper

External Diffusion (www.externaldiffusion.com) is a web hub specifically built to help authors of scientific publications spread the word about their hard work to a targeted audience, thereby increasing their impact. Got your scientific publication…

Interviews

How platforms like Clarafi can drastically improve your scientific visualization skills

Clarafi is a community of scientists, graphics professionals, students and educators interested in scientific visualization. Their scope is everything from advanced uses of visualization in science to visual literacy in the K-12 space. A…

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