Science Communication
Scientific research belongs to the public. Sadly, the knowledge we gain from scientific inquiry rarely reaches the public in a form that is accessible to them. I work to foster curiosity in the sciences using a variety of modalities including print and digital magazines, blog posts, events, and public science demonstrations. See examples of my work below. If you would like my input on a science communication project, please reach out!
Science News Articles
Mechtenberg, H. (2024, June 25) Remembering blue bananas: A multi-method approach to episodic memory research. Psychonomic Society Featured Content. https://featuredcontent.psychonomic.org/remembering-blue-bananas-a-multi-method-approach-to-episodic-memory-research/3
Mechtenberg, H and Pfaff, D. (2024, May 28) Never Eat Sour Watermelons: Remembering lists as sentences. Psychonomic Society Featured Content. https://featuredcontent.psychonomic.org/never-eat-sour-watermelons-remembering-lists-as-sentences/
Mechtenberg, H. (2024, May 7). The difference of 10,000 hours: Expert surveillance viewers know exactly what to look for. Psychonomic Society Featured Content. https://featuredcontent.psychonomic.org/the-difference-of-10000-hours-expert-surveillance-viewers-know-exactly-what-to-look-for/
Mechtenberg, H. (2024, April 17). Prioritizing inclusivity does not sacrifice reliability. Psychonomic Society Featured Content.
https://featuredcontent.psychonomic.org/prioritizing-inclusivity-does-not-sacrifice-reliability/
Mechtenberg, H. (2024, February 13). Does our memory always get worse as we age? New evidence suggests not necessarily. Psychonomic Society Featured Content.
https://featuredcontent.psychonomic.org/does-our-memory-always-get-worse-as-we-age-new-evidence-suggests-not-necessarily/
Vaughn, C. and Mechtenberg, H. (2022, June 23). The Language Science Station at Planet Word. Planet Word Museum. https://planetwordmuseum.org/the-language-science-station-at-planet-word/
The Spoken Word: A research digest
I created The Spoken Word in 2018 when I arrived at the University of Connecticut as a post-baccalaureate lab manager. I noticed a problem: the research that emerged from the Language and Brain lab, and other labs, was not reaching people outside of academia. We needed to figure how to deliver the knowledge gained in cutting-edge research to non-scientists in a way that was accessible and grounded in people's personal experiences. So, The Spoken Word was born.
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I am the Editor-in-chief, lead designer, illustrator, and organizer of each issue. My goal is to create a sustainable science publication that is inviting, informative, and encourages our readers to become more involved with the scientific process. Each issue evolves based on what I've learned and the people that dedicate their time to make each issue better than the last.
Every article is written by an undergraduate researcher. Our editorial team, over the course of a semester, teaches them the ins and outs of science journalism. Then, in the second semester, our writers work collaboratively to write their articles. As of the 2024 issue, we have also provided recordings of each article for increased accessibility. We also have an open source model for anyone who wishes to start their own research digest but doesn't know how to start!
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What began as a short newsletter to share research results with our participants has blossomed into a multi-page publication. Now, The Spoken Word is an annual print and online publication sponsored by the LAB Lab, featuring articles that describe how people learn and process spoken language and highlights cutting-edge therapies for people with aphasia (an acquired language disorder). We released our 8th issue in September 2023.
The Language Science Station @Planet Word
The Language Science Station at the Planet Word museum in Washington DC, is a collaborative initiative to bring language science out of the laboratory and into the public. We are partnered with the Planet Word museum to act as a 'living exhibition' where museum guests are able to participate in actual language science experiments right on the museum floor. The project revolves around an annual summer course available to undergraduate and graduate students in which students are taught the background of each experiment, the principles of science communication, and how language science is conducted.
As a senior project associate since 2022, I have taken on several roles including lead instructor of the summer course, project manager, social media manager, graduate student mentor, and public outreach support. Additionally, I assisted with establishing the visual branding. I created an extended color palette to highlight our versatility, designed tablecloths and banners to draw visitors to us, and designed colorful pins that visitors could bring home with them.
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Overall, my goal with the Language Science Station is to create an inviting atmosphere that is playful, fun, and rewards curiosity. These are the core values that we also encourage our student researchers to embody as they introduce language science to visitors of all ages and from all over the world.​
