One of my favorite shows to watch as a kid was Bill Nye the Science Guy. I fondly recall being glued to the television as Bill enthusiastically explained the mysterious wonders of the universe with all of his props, gizmos, and gadgets. Unlike science teachers at school, whose seemingly endless lectures bored me, Bill Nye’s hands-on, interactive approach held my attention. He simplified complex science concepts so well that even an 8-year-old, English-as-a-second-language learner could understand them. It was awe-inspiring.
As an MD/PhD student, I carried Bill Nye’s enthusiasm for science with me, but not his skill at explaining science to a lay audience. And yet a video that I worked on, Spying on Breast Cancer Metastasis, has now been featured on the blog of Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, and has received national recognition. The video-making process helped me understand the importance of communicating science to nonscientists, and I think it offers valuable lessons for other young researchers.
As a graduate student in the lab of Dr. John Condeelis, I worked early in the morning and late into the evening doing what I found fascinating — imaging breast cancer cells as they spread. Everything in the lab made sense to me. But at home, I would struggle to explain to my wife, a college career advisor, what I’d done all day. All the technical details about mouse work and assays left her feeling confused. I was disappointed that I couldn’t fully share how exciting and important I felt my work was.
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