Selected Events

3MT Finals: University of Kansas [Video]

3MT are competitions held across the globe for graduate students to talk about their thesis to a general audience, with only one slide, no props, in just three minutes! Here is my talk on dangerous box jellyfish venoms and how they might be more common than we think in non-dangerous jellyfish species. 

Science Night - Lawrence Public Library

As part of an initiative to add a science communication component to our Graduate Student Retreat, three graduate students with top scores from science communication specialists were asked to give presentations at the Lawrence Public library. I gave a talk about how jellyfish venoms change over the life of a jellyfish, but just as importantly, the difference between poisons and venoms! We also had specimens, including live jellies and wood cuts, for participants that wanted to learn more about our research. Great work everyone!

Collections Up Close with KU Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum participates in many outreach events that feature the research taking place on campus. Their Collections Up Close is a two part event to specifically showcase natural history specimens: one part on the weekend for the general public and one at a union building during the week for students. I got to share some of the live animals we keep in my lab as well as preserved specimens from the invertebrate collection. 

Inspire a Girl!

Inspire A Girl is a an annual celebration by the Girl Scout of NE Kansas and MW Missouri to " encourage Girl Scouts to work toward their Highest Awards (Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards) and celebrate service to others" (Inspire a Girl Webpage). During the event, Community Partners are invited to bring interactive activities to engage Girl Scouts of all ages at the STEM Expo. My fellow graduate student and I brought activities involving tree rings, sea turtles, and live jellies. We were lucky to talk to over 200 scouts at this event!

The Lives of Jellyfish on the Mall!

Scorching heat and three hours of jellyfish fun, my return to DC as a Visiting Research Fellow naturally began with an outreach event for the whole Smithsonian community, along with several other interns at the Aqua Room run by Dr. Allen Collins. Check out this link to intern Daniel's account of the event! 

PC: @boxjellytalk

Nerd Night Lawrence! Creature Feature II [Link]

Nerd Night is a community-organized, monthly series of three 20 min talks by anyone who wants to share something they are passionate about! Presentation titled “Tale of a Jellyfish Sting: Untold stories of the oldest venomous animals.” I loved the reaction from the audience when talking about how the venom of the Australian Box Jellyfish goes right for your heart!

SEARCH Symposium 2018

Graduate student organized event for STEMM graduate students seeking careers beyond academia. Composed of multiple panels, keynotes, short talks, and networking with researchers across various disciplines. This was a collaboration between Molecular Biosciences and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. I moderated the "Science Communication and Outreach Panel," shown to the right.  Please see website for more information. 

Red Hot Graduate Research, KU Commons

"Ode to the Jellyfish Sting," a six minute oral presentation given to to ~40 staff, faculty, and students across various disciplines at KU. These quick paced talks from a variety of disciplines are meant to foster connections between departments. See webpage for more details of these ongoing events.