Annual Global Innovation Through Science and Technology competition helps early-career innovators from emerging economies get a start-up off the ground.

Learn about what it's like to work in science with our series of interviews with STEM professionals. Today's subject: mechanical engineer, entrepreneur, and inventor Elaine Chen.

For years, researcher Scott Doney has been tracking an alarming rise in ocean acidity and its effects on marine life such as clams and lobsters. So when he wanted to bring more attention to the links between pollution and acidification, he spoke with shellfish harvesters and seafood wholesalers whose livelihoods depend on healthy waters.

Restaurateurs are next on his list, said Doney. But to engage these diverse audiences, the senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution knows he must adjust his arguments and the language he uses to convey his concern.