Why have such a thing called “Chembites”?
Science is intimidating to the public, to a freshman STEM major, and even to a researcher who is learning about a field other than their own. In the face of this, one thing for certain is that we need more people to understand and appreciate science. This requires people with a background in science to break down complex research in a way that is understandable to those not in the field. At Chembites, we hope we can accomplish this for our specialty, which is chemistry (If chemistry isn’t your thing, please peruse our network of bites sites and find your science of choice).
There are many different outlets for news about chemistry research that are aimed at different audiences. At Chembites in particular, we seek to write about chemistry research on a level that an undergraduate student could follow and understand. This means translating, or as we like to say distilling, all the jargon present in primary research into familiar concepts, often with an abundance of analogies. We also hope to do this in a way that is engaging, which means pouring our own enthusiasm for the research into the page and by keeping it short to keep the reader’s attention until the end.
What can you gain from joining the Chembites writing team?
For many people, joining the Chembites writing team is a way to enter the field of science writing. We are a group of graduate students who want to help other graduate students get started and gain experience writing to see if it is a passion they want to continue pursuing as a hobby or a career. As a writer for Chembites, you will get experience by writing and editing other writers’ work about once per month, and through the editing process you will learn from your teammates about how to be a better science writer. Sorry, this is not a paid position! Though many Chembites writers have gone on to receive fellowships and jobs in science communication! Finally, as graduate students ourselves, we understand the nature of graduate student life, so just like your favorite subscription box, you can pause and restart your participation as an author when necessary (e.g. for defense, a particularly busy lab time).
How to apply:
The application, which can be found here, consists of the following two things:
- A short paragraph introduction about yourself and why you’d like to be part of Chembites
- A sample post written in the Chembites style. This will also act as your first official post on Chembites if you are accepted! Below are a few good examples:
We look forward to receiving your applications! Please contact us at [email protected] with any questions you may have, and follow us on twitter for updates and to hear about our latest articles!!!