Stilianos Louca is the 2017 Grand Prize winner of the Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists, for his work on metabolism, microbes and the environment.

“A scientist walks into a comedy club,” could easily be the set up for a joke. Yet, several researchers have recently started stepping out from behind their laboratory benches and into the spotlights at open mic nights. These new comedic species are not only making their audiences laugh with smart humor, but they are also experimenting with new ways for scientists to interact with the broader public.

Karen Lips is well-aware of the importance of strategic science communication in affecting environmental policy. In November 2014, she and her colleague Joseph Mendelson published an op-ed in the New York Times warning of a pathogenic fungus spreading among European salamanders that could decimate salamander populations in the United States. She and Mendelson urged prompt government action. Within a year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued an interim rule that shut down importation of 201 salamander species to the U.S. “Getting to the New York Times was key,” she says, in making this a higher policy priority.

Beth Shapiro shares thoughts on her award-winning book, How To Clone a Mammoth, in this Spotlight on Science Writers post.

Make the transition back to the classroom easier this fall with these resources from Science NetLinks.