“There is one thing more vital to science than intelligent methods; and that is, the sincere desire to find out the truth, whatever it may be.” –Charles Sanders Peirce, scientist and philosopher of science.

Although I’ve learned to appreciate scientific discoveries because of the sheer wonder and awe of science, I first became interested in science and science communication because of very practical reasons. When I was six years old, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and in order to take care of myself I quickly realized that I needed to understand the biological basis of this disease. After delivering several mumbled and probably confusing answers to the inevitable question, “What’s that thing you're wearing on your pants?” (a reference to my insulin pump) I also recognized that I needed to be able to communicate this newfound knowledge to people who either knew nothing about the disease or were confused about the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Over time, I became more interested in understanding how scientists had actually figured out the "facts" about type 1 diabetes that I had learned how to explain so well. In high school, I took a lot of science courses that emphasized hands-on lab experience, but I now know that I was still primarily learning and memorizing facts that I perceived to be scientific “truths.” This knowledge gave me a good foundation in the biological and chemical sciences, ultimately leading me to major in biology at Stanford. However, when I started doing my own diabetes-related research in Dr. Seung Kim’s Developmental Biology lab during my sophomore year, I quickly learned that scientific research—and diabetes—was much more complex than I had previously considered.

When scientific concepts are communicated to a broader audience, whether in the form of a textbook chapter or news article, they are often treated as obvious and permanent truths. As a student of science who sometimes struggles to read and learn from dense, complicated, and jargon-filled scientific publications, I appreciate the simplicity and clarity of these forms of science communication. However, as someone learning how to design and perform experiments, I also know that scientific research is much more non-linear, uncertain, and inconclusive than these science communications make it out to be. Additionally, working on diabetes research has reinforced my understanding that scientific “truths” are not necessarily permanent, since scientific knowledge develops as more research is conducted. When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2000, scientists did not know that cellular identity changes occur in the pancreatic alpha cells of type 1 diabetics, but this is now the focus of my Honors Thesis research. My experiences learning and performing research have made me recognize the challenges of both scientific research and science communication.

As a student, young scientist, and developing science communicator, I straddle an interesting line between non-expert and expert, consumer and producer of science communication. My ePortfolio is a collection of essays, presentations, and projects that analyze and explore the broader questions about science and science communication that I have asked at Stanford. My artifacts address 3 key themes about the communication of scientific "truths": Communicating Research Methods, Communicating Uncertainty, and Communicating Changes. Although my artifacts are written primarily for an academic audience, they nevertheless differ in their lengths, styles, and purposes.

Like scientific publications, my ePortfolio conveys a process of knowledge-acquisition as I have learned about the process through which scientists find out and communicate scientific truths. My artifacts raise important questions rather than present conclusive answers, and I hope to continue to ask these questions after Stanford as I pursue a graduate degree in epidemiology. Thus, in addition to showing the work that I have produced as an undergraduate at Stanford, my ePortfolio also serves as a document from which to look ahead into my future as a scientist and science communicator.

I took/created the photograph of the tissue culture fume hood and the composite confocal microscopy image of a type 2 diabetic pancreatic islet.