kearns headshot

Faith Kearns, Thursday, May 26th at 12:15pm at the Bozeman Masonic Hall

Faith Kearns is a scientist and science communication practitioner who focuses primarily on water, wildfire, andclimate change in the western United States. Her work has been published in New Republic, On Being, Bay Nature, and more. She has been working in the science communication field for more than 25 years, starting with the Ecological Society of America and going on to serve as a AAAS Science and Policy Fellow at the US Department of State, manage a wildfire research and outreach center at the University of California, Berkeley, and bridge science and policy advocacy efforts at the Pew Charitable Trusts. She currently works with the California Institute for Water Resources. Kearns holds an undergraduate environmental science degree from Northern Arizona University, and a doctorate in environmental science, policy, and management from the University of California, Berkeley.

 

kearns book

In Getting to the Heart of Science Communication, Faith Kearns has penned a succinct guide for navigating thehuman relationships critical to the success of practice-based science. Using interviews and personal anecdotes, as well as her owninsights as a field scientist, Kearns walks readers through the evolution of science communication and how emotional and high-stakes issues have shaped communication. The meat of the book lies in the middle chapters, where Kearns offers key tools for communicators: listening, working with conflict, and understanding trauma, loss, and healing. She concludes the book with a substantive discussion on diversity, equity, and inclusion in science communication, and advice to readers for handling their own emotional needs in an unpredictable career landscape.