Turn on the lights!

Abstract

Over the decades that I’ve been a reporter and editor in the news business, I've never met a technical expert who was not just a bit pleased and more than a little passionate about the work they do once you coax it out of them. A crime scene technician relishes every little detail in the forensic evidence they collect. Meteorologists enthuse over El Nino or become giddy at the latest iteration of the Madden-Julian oscillation. Nuclear scientists are fascinated by radioactive daughter products. Despite this passion, most scientists don't make a splash about what they're up to. They go about work every day, picking apart technical details in obscurity, even acting mildly surprised if an outsider shows an interest. What cuts across many “subject matter” disciplines is curious modesty and often the mistaken notion by experts that their work is boring or of little public interest. My advice? Speak up. We're anxiously listening, and while you may have to repeat yourself a couple of times for us to “get it,” we want to understand. We have the ability to shine a light on what you do, and explain why it is important, so help us help spread your important messages.