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.

Science and Comics: Bridging the Science and Art Gap

“Science + comics = awesome” is the motto of an event in Leeds during British Science Week 2016, organized by the West Yorkshire British Science Association branch. We got in touch with Anna Woolman—biology student, comics enthusiast and one of the project leaders.

Interviews

How science communication agencies like Mediomix can enlarge the outreach of your research

Mediomix (www.mediomix.de) helps to improve the outreach of your scientific research. Here, the founder Dennis Fink explains why scientists need to use the services of scicomm agencies. As the sheer amount of scientific research is increasing,…

Interviews

Improving your public speaking skills – some advice from Daniel Wendler, social skills guide

Daniel Wendler is a doctoral student in clinical psychology, as well as the founder of ImproveYourSocialSkills.com – an online social skills guide. Here he gives some advice on how to improve your public speaking skills. The theme of…

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