Outreach

Science communication

I view speaking with journalists and writing opinion pieces as an important way to share my research and counter misinformation (a list of my interviews and published pieces is available here). I organized an expert panel on the science of herd immunity in the context of Covid-19 and co-authored opinion pieces on the subject, published in The New York Times and The Guardian. I have been interviewed about scientific misinformation in venues including STAT News, Mother Jones, and Michael Lewis’ podcast Against the Rules. I helped develop multiple interactive websites to help people understand long-term interventions for Covid-19, risk of Covid-19 associated with large events, and how protective behavior can affect disease dynamics. I am the President of Scientists Speak Up, a student organization at Stanford focused on communication and advocacy to counter scientific misinformation. You can view recordings of several of our events on our Youtube channel.

Advocacy

I am working with the Coalition for a True School of Sustainability advocating for Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability to reject fossil fuel funding. As part of this effort, I organized a talk by Professor Naomi Oreskes on how funding influences research and was quoted by Inside Higher Ed. I co-authored an op-ed and petition opposing xenophobic legislation that would bar Chinese nationals from attending American graduate programs in STEM fields. For Scientists Speak Up, I organized a talk on how UN rules exclude Taiwanese scholars. As an advocate for gun violence prevention, I spoke at Moms Demand Action’s Advocacy Day in Georgia, organized rallies, and worked as the Operations Director for Maura’s Voice, which funds research on addressing hate and violence.