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.

Med school candyman plays around with body parts

Mike McCormick, a 2nd year Medical Student at the University of Glasgow, started to play around with candy to learn anatomy, shared some stuff with his friends – and soon had thousands of followers.

How-to & Useful stuff

The Ensonglopedia of Science (AKA Songs About Science (AKA @ensonglopedia))

”What better way to appreciate the world of science than to listen to songs about it?” The anonymous twitterer behind Songs About Science guides us through a song genre which is very different to the stuff they are playing on the radio.

News & Announcements

GapSummit 2016—a top notch networking forum for biotech people

Applications for GapSummit 2016 are now open —“Global Biotech Revolution’s flagship conference”. Alise Molotova from GBR explains why this will be a place where current and forthcoming trailblazers of the biotech world gather to shape the future – and also sharpen their networking and communication skills.

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