SciOnline - Student Reflections

For the final run of SciOnline 2011 posts we have something special, the reflections on the conference from three high-school students who attended the conference with their teacher Ms. Baker, who, which the help of her students, blogs at Extreme Biology. This will be a series of three posts covering the experiences of seven students.

Name: Alex
Location: USA
Date: 20th January - after SciOnline 2011

Looking back at the unique and utterly fulfilling memories of my Science Online experience, it's near impossible to pick out a specific moment as my favorite. From touring the Duke University forest (which was fantastic despite the freezing weather and icy ground), to snacking on Only burgers outside the conference, there were some truly unforgettable moments. An interview with Seth Mnookin (author of The Panic Virus among other pieces) was an unforgettable moment from the trip. I really loved our discussion of post- 9/11 paranoia amongst Americans, and how it affects journalism and the way the medical community and their patients get their information.

Perhaps even more than my new knowledge on blogging and science media, what I learned most from Science Online were social skills in a business setting. Learning how to network, interview my peers, and get over my shyness was the greatest skill I learned from the conference. Humans are social creatures, and through the use of extensive social networking and tweeting, I learned how to connect on a personal and professional level with the scientists.

I also can't forget to thank Anton and Bora, who are not only incredibly smart, but also kind. In a world where adults often talk down to kids, they were both very respectful and nice. Thank you to our chaperon and the person who provided us with the opportunity to come, Ms. Baker. Also, thank you to our other chaperon Dr. Ward, who also help make this incredible experience possible.

Name: Carl
Location: USA
Date: 20th January - after SciOnline 2011

This year's Science Online conference was even better than last year's. I felt that the more open style of discussion in the sessions helped create better discussions and understanding between the scientists/bloggers/journalists and people in the audience. My favorite part of the conference was actually gettting to meet the scientist, Hannah Waters, who I interviewed and had been following on Twitter for a month. It was one thing to look at and read about her on her website, and interview her over e-mail, but to actually meet her was amazing. I got the opportunity to sit in on her session which helped me listen to her view on blogging.

My favorite session was "But it's just a blog!" In this session, I was told how to make my blog more exposed in the community and what I could do to make a better blog. It was extremely helpful listening to well-known, established science bloggers and taking their advice into consideration for
my own personal use. Also, not only did the bloggers on the panel advise young bloggers on how to make themselves established, but people in the audience did as well.