Saturday, May 31, 2008

SciTalk: Science Advice for Authors

SciTalk is UK web site created by bioscience consultant Ann Lackie (who writes under the pen name Ann Lingard), that acts as a matchmaker between authors and scientists. You can search their databases by scientific subject, which gives you the name of a scientist or scientists in that field. You then can arrange to meet her or him to discuss your fiction. As their logo suggests, the biological sciences are well represented, from bacterial genetics to xenotransplantation.

For example, SciTalk set up a meeting between novelist Clare George with neuroscientist Jonathan Cole, who both approached their meeting with some trepidation, but ended up having a useful conversation:
"Sometimes you come up against scientists who don't understand what it is like not to understand." However, [George] says that with Jonathan this was not a problem. She found him easy to understand and not at all condescending.
It sounds like an incredibly useful resource for authors who are in the UK (or willing to travel there). I wonder if there is a similar resource for US authors and scientists?

If you are scientist interested in sharing your expertise, you can apply to be listed in their database.



Unknown said...

If there is one in the U.S. I hope someone mentions it. That would be tremendously useful for me.

Pierre Lindenbaum said...

http://network.nature.com/group/sciencewriters ?

