Ask a Scientist

What is the life of a scientist like? What is academic research like as a job? How and why does one become a professional scientist? We try to answer all these questions in our conversations with researchers who had their papers adapted and published in Science Journal for Kids. We welcome questions from our readers and listeners! sciencejournalforkids.substack.com

Latest episodes

1. Ask-a-Scientist E10: Dr. Will Beckerson, zombie insects researcher

   14 Dec 2023

   Read Will's kid-friendly article "How do some fungi turn insects into zombies?" in two reading levels (for middle to high school) and in Spanish at https://www.sciencejournalforkid…

   32 min ▶

2. Ask-a-Scientist E9: Dr. Jay Jinsing Falk, hummingbird researcher

   23 Oct 2023

   Read Jay's student-friendly article “What does hummingbird coloration tell us about competition?” at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/what-does-hummingbird-coloration…

   33 min ▶

3. Ask-a-Scientist E8: Dr. Jen Stern, space scientist at NASA

   23 Sep 2023

   Read Jen's student-friendly article “What can we learn from carbon on Mars?” at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/what-can-we-learn-from-carbon-on-mars/ It's available…

   34 min ▶

4. Ask-a-Scientist E7: Dr. Sarah Kienle, leopard seals researcher

   25 Jul 2023

   Read the interview transcript at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/lesson-ideas/ask-a-scientist-podcast-e7/You can read the student-friendly article by Sarah "How can…

   30 min ▶

5. Ask-a-Scientist E6: Dr. Junjie Yao, glassfrogs researcher

   27 Jun 2023

   You can read the student-friendly article by Junjie "How do glassfrogs become transparent?" at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-do-glassfrogs-become-transparent/…

   26 min ▶

6. Ask-a-Scientist E5: Dr. Jen Collinger and Dr. Rob Gaunt, biomedical engineers

   19 May 2023

   You can read the student-friendly article by Rob and Jen "Can a robotic arm be controlled by the brain?" at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/can-a-robotic-arm-be-cont…

   31 min ▶

7. Ask-a-Scientist E4: Dr. Emily Fairfax, beaver scientist

   20 Apr 2023

   Read the student-friendly article by Emily Fairfax "Would beavers make good firefighters?" at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/would-beavers-make-good-firefighters/ I…

   37 min ▶

8. Ask-a-Scientist E3: Dr. María-Teresa Ramírez-Herrera, Earth scientist

   13 Mar 2023

   Read María-Teresa's student-friendly article "How can the eruption of a volcano affect the ocean everywhere on Earth?" at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-can-the…

   33 min ▶

9. Ask-a-Scientist E2: Dr. Allison Master, social psychologist

   02 Feb 2023

   Read Allison's student-friendly article "How do gender stereotypes impact girls’ interest in science?" at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-do-gender-stereotypes-i…

   35 min ▶

10. Ask-a-Scientist E1: Dr. Russell Bicknell, paleontologist

    13 Oct 2022

    Learn more about Russell’s accomplishments and background here.Read Russell’s adapted article here.Click here to check out our Ask a Scientist videos, including a a short video int…

    35 min ▶