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.

Åsa Melin – Klimakteriepodden Podcast

When the first hot flash hit, Åsa Melin realized not only that she had reached menopause, but also that she did not know very much about it. Searching for information, she noticed it was hard to come by, and nobody wanted to discuss the topic.…

Opinion & Reflection

Are we what we hear? A reflection on sound, identity and science communication

Sounds have the power to place us in different mental spaces. Accordingly, sound and music can connect deeply to our perceptions of who we are and where we come from. While musing on how sound can be used to communicate science, I started to…

Opinion & Reflection

A handful of podcast recommendations from the Crastina crew

For the Science and Sound theme Crastina’s editors and writers compiled a subjective selection of podcast episodes that impressed, amused, and inspired us. Explore the variety of topics and formats, and immerse yourself in these fascinating…

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