Emily Grossman makes science fun

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Emily Grossman makes science fun
Emily Grossman

The author was really excited about visiting Dubai and the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

by

Suchitra Steven Samuel

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Published: Sun 12 Mar 2017, 10:02 AM

Last updated: Sun 12 Mar 2017, 12:13 PM

Science is a passion for Dr Emily Grossman, an expert in molecular biology and genetics with a PhD in cancer research. She prefers to call herself a science communicator, broadcaster, writer, educator and trainer who talks about science on television and radio. She wants to share how exciting science is and explain complex concepts in a fun way.
Grossman was really excited about visiting Dubai and the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. "Apart from doing my own talks, I'm looking forward to hearing Jon Ronson talk about public shaming (as I've had that happen to me) and Jo Marchant talk about how our mind can help heal our body - this is a topic that really interests me and I've just bought her book."
Emily reveals the writing process and how she goes about making complex scientific facts so simple. "I start by dumping my ideas onto the page all in one go, as a sort of stream of consciousness. Once I've done that, I go back and make changes that are needed to make sure it's as clear as possible and that there's a logical flow. I try to write as I would speak, in a casual quirky and chatty style, so when people read it they can almost hear my voice in their head! I think many children might be surprised to read science written in this style, and I hope that this makes it more fun and accessible."
She continues, "To make complex facts simple, I keep asking myself 'why?' or 'how?' or 'what does that exactly mean?' after every sentence I write or say, and then I go back and simplify further and further, so that the ideas and concepts get broken down into simpler and simpler pieces. I make sure I don't use any complicated words - there's always a simple way to explain stuff without needing to use any jargon. If I do feel the need to use any words that might be new or confusing I make sure I explain them."
Her advice to budding writers, "Just start writing. Write something. Anything. It doesn't matter if you make a mess or make mistakes or write utter rubbish to begin with. Just get it all out of your head and onto a piece of paper. Throw down some ideas. Then you can play around with it and turn it into a story; into something magical."
Speaking about her projects in the pipleline, she says: "I've got lots of fun math and science talks coming up in schools and universities. I'm going to be travelling around the world training young scientists in communication skills, and I'm just starting to write a book on weird science facts for kids. I'm really excited about it all!"
suchitra@khaleejtimes.com


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