A collaborative list of all the science writing and public communication pieces I’ve done so far (updated regularly to include new publications). This list may not be fully up to date on Medium posts — go to my main page @lilawestreich to see my most recent pieces.
2021 Completed Pieces
- Your food may contain more microplastic than your drinking water, Sharing Science, September 21, 2021
- Why deep in the forests of Vietnam, wasp nests glow green, Sharing Science, September 17, 2021
- Wildfire smoke may lead to more miscarriages, Medium, September 16, 2021
- Tiny radio tags reveal the lives of Neotropical stingless bees, Massive Science, September 10, 2021
- How to save a coral reef, Climate Conscious, September 9, 2021
- Which came first, the butt or the mouth? New research gives an answer, Massive Science, September 7, 2021
- Why science says to skip the sixth cup of coffee, Medium, September 7, 2021
- Giant tortoises are not the gentle giants you think, Sharing Science, September 4, 2021
- Chia- a tiny seed with a long history, Sharing Science, September 3, 2021
- There’s a wasp in your fig. Don’t freak out, Sharing Science, August 31, 2021
- Caffeine gives bees a kick, Medium, August 27, 2021
- “Polluters pay” principle gains traction in the Senate, Climate Conscious, August 23, 2021
- Recognizing monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act may do more harm than good, Massive Science, August 13, 2021
- Are goats the next big solution to the climate crisis?, Climate Conscious, Medium, August 11, 2021
- Your risk of death by killer bees has gone way, way up., Medium, August 9, 2021
- How to survive a heat dome, Medium, August 4, 2021
- Conserving your water feels futile in the face of corporate water waste — but keep doing it anyway, Medium’s Age of Awareness, August 3, 2021
- Five things you should demand from a graduate program before you hit “accept.”, Medium’s Age of Awareness, August 2, 2021
2020 Completed Pieces
- Chemicals called SVOCs, emitted from household objects, are altering children’s microbiomes, Massive Science, January 5, 2021
- Curious honey bees are more likely to have curious kids, Massive Science, November 19, 2020
- You should be excited that scientists are releasing 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes this year, Massive Science, September 27, 2020.
- Nectar robbery by short-tongued bees is throwing off delicate pollination cycles, Massive Science, September 9, 2020.
- Native bees are better for the environment and altogether cooler than honey bees, Massive Science, May 21, 2020.
- Climate change will make allergy sufferers suffer a little bit longer each year, Massive Science, May 17, 2020.
- How to stop an invasion. Distributed by The Startup, a Medium blog with an audience of 632K, and by Medium curators to Environment and Science sections, May 5, 2020.
- Pollinator monocultures are a bigger threat to bees than the Giant Asian ‘Murder’ Hornet. Distributed by Age of Awareness, a Medium blog with audience of 27K, and by Medium curators to Environment and Outdoor sections, May 4, 2020.
- Spring signals female bees to lay the next generation of pollinators. The Conversation US (Science + Technology Section), May 1, 2020.
- Bees seeking bacteria: How bees find their microbiome, The Conversation US (Science + Technology Section), April 14, 2020.
- Grad students face uncertainty during the pandemic, The Scientist, March 19, 2020.
- ‘Bee-washing’ hurts bees and misleads consumers, The Conversation US (Science + Technology Section), February 19, 2020.
- Forest fires are good for bee populations, Massive Science, February 20, 2020.
- Think mosquitos only drink blood? Think again., Massive Science, February 17, 2020.
- Sweat Bees, Snipette Magazine via Medium (Snipettemag.com), February 13, 2020. Distributed by Medium curators in the ‘Outdoors’ section.
- How a volunteer gig as a ‘barback’ changed my perspective in grad school, Science Magazine, January 9, 2020 (in print in January 10th issue of Science as A refreshing change, Vol. 367, Issue 6474, pp. 222, DOI: 10.1126/science.367.6474.222).
- Lone Bee, Snipette Magazine via Medium (Snipettemag.com), January 10, 2020.
Public Radio and Interviews
- The Daily — quoted on Asian giant hornet introduction and sensationalizing of the news story in Seattle and worldwide — Why you shouldn’t freak out about that giant hornet (at least not yet), The Daily UW Newspaper, May 12, 2020.
- Healthline — quoted on Asian giant hornet introduction in Washington State — Do we really have to worry about murder hornets now? Healthline, May 8, 2020.
- Featured speaker on KUOW/NPR Seattle public radio (94.9) on giant asian hornets in northwest Washington on The Record with Bill Radke (produced by Sarah Leibovitz) — What a murder hornet is, and why it probably doesn’t deserve the name, May 4, 2020.
- Facebook Live interview with Science Magazine on essay content — ”What does being a scientist mean to you” — March 4, 2020 (major technological issues, but posted online — views = 300+)
- My work was featured on the Oregon State University podcast, PolliNation, by host Andony Melathopoulos, Assistant Professor at OSU, following a public presentation of my scientific research at the Entomological Society of America Conference in Vancouver, BC in 2018. — Mason Bees and Landscapes, Oregon State University Podcast Ep. #74, PolliNation, November 19, 2018 (repeat appearance Ep. #125, The Secret Life of Mason Bees, January 20, 2020).
Personal Blog Posts (Medium)
- How will quarantines impact the bees?, April 12, 2020. Distributed by Medium curators in the ‘Environment’ section.
- Being a grad student in Seattle in the time of COVID-19, March 9, 2020.
- My elevator pitch for genetic analysis of pollen, February 21, 2020.
- My elevator pitch for native bee science, February 12, 2020.
- Science is filled with failure. Grad school taught me how to fail forward., December 30, 2019.
- What’s the best thing you can do to save the honey bees? Stop worrying about the honey bees., November 20, 2019.
Prior to 2020
- What’s happening with mason bee research in Seattle? Rent Mason Bees Blog, March 13, 2019.
- Connecting Native Bees and Pollen in the Pacific Northwest. Orchard Bee Association Quarterly Newsletter, Spring 2018.
- A Teacher Remembered: Dr. Christian Thill’s legacy in the potato industry. Potato Grower Monthly, April 30, 2015.
