Fishy science

Me and a midshipman fish.

 

West Seattle is abuzz...literally.  Residents report that a strange humming sound disturbing the peace, and it's possible that plainfin midshipman fish are the source of the sound. Dr. Joe Sisneros, one of my University of Washington colleagues, was recently interviewed by the local news...a great example of science outreach. How did he do?  It's tough to communicate in heavily edited sound bites, but I think he did a good job of explaining some science.  What do you think of the reporter?

This story has garnered a fair bit of skepticism, with comments about conspiracies, but mostly people just had a hard time believing that fish could be so noisy.  This seems like an open opportunity to educate the public, and to have some fun in the process.

To be or not to be…what is the question?

I while back I posted about how to deal with Q&A sessions from the speaker’s perspective. More often, however, we’re in the audience.  As an audience member, how do we ask good questions?

I think the answer is simple, but it’s not always obvious, or at least, not always followed.  Simply state your question, then be silent.  Don’t preface your question with a story or a lot of data.  Don’t make several comments-this is Q&A time, not comment time.  And please, be polite. I’m not saying you shouldn’t engage the speaker if you feel that he or she missed something important, and be all means talk with them if you have findings that fit with theirs, or if you have new insight into their work.  In my opinion, however, these discussions – for that’s what they are, should be left after the talk when there’s time for a lengthier chat, and when a room full of grad students or nervous podium speakers isn’t listening in.

I think that F.D. Roosevelt’s advice on public speaking applies best to asking questions during Q&A:  “Be sincere; be brief; be seated.”