Some cool sites

I think it's interesting and fun to keep up with various blogs.  If you're a science major, blogs can help you stay informed of new developments in science, ongoing issues, and news developments, and if you're not a science major, it can help you be a knowledgeable citizen.

Here are a couple of sites I've encountered that you might enjoy:

PLoS (Public Library of Science): Not a blog, but a useful resource.  Check it out!

PLoS Blogs Network: A whole bunch of interesting blogs that are vetted and written by reliable writers.  They have specific blogs for whatever interests you.

Scientific American Blogs: Also a series of blogs to browse.  Scientific American is a good publication to look at for articles and information on general topics--and it's generally accessible, but well written and reputable.

Popular Science: It's another science publication for a general, non-specialist audience.  And they have an iPhone app so you can read it on the go!  It's got lots of fun articles and interesting posts, so check it out.

I hope you'll also start paying attention to the news and the ways they portray science.  Sometimes they get it wrong, but if you're not reading critically, you'll never know.  I listen to NPR and read the NY Times, and I try to listen and take note when they bring up science.  It's a fun habit to have, and I stay well-informed, even if my specialization is writing, not science.  Knowledge is power, after all, and who doesn't want to have a little power?

EDITED TO ADD:

I'm a fan of both NPR (npr.org) and The New York Times (nytimes.com) as news sources--they tend to be reasonably reliable (remember, though, they are never completely without bias, so always be on the guard).  So I thought I'd include a few more links:

NPR Science: A good page to check into every now and then to read news stories NPR reports on.

New York Times Science: Check for recent news reports on scientific advances, etc.

My Goals (2012 Style)

Smell that?  It's spring.  Well, it's the spring semester, anyway, and I'm almost certain that there will be one giant snowstorm before spring really begins. My point is, that it's a new year (2012), a new semester, and a new chance to be an awesome teacher.  It's also a chance to re-teach a class I taught last semester, working out the problematic pieces and making it a stronger course on science writing.

You, my dear students, have the benefit of taking a class on its second iteration.  While it was pretty good last semester--I had fun teaching it, at least--I am excited for the opportunity to teach it again to improve and refine my lessons.  So my first goal for this semester is to build on what I learned from teaching last semester and develop a strong course that I can teach again and again.

Since I'm also an academic (and that means I have to publish things), I also plan to submit this course to a journal for publication.  That's my second goal: now that I've worked out some of the problematic bits an have refined the course, I hope to get the ideas published so that others want to teach science writing.

But my primary goal remains the same from last semester: help you, my students, learn how to write as scientists, understand how language is vital to scientific activity, and give you an opportunity to explore, research, and write about a topic that interests you.  The overall goal is to contribute to your growth as writers, to set you on the path to being skilled users of language in whatever setting you encounter.  It's going to be a great semester!