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Blue Dot 05: Physics Girl

UC San Diego

MIT grad, former astronomy researcher and Hawaii native Dianna Cowern also carries another mantle: Physics Girl. Her YouTube channel answers science questions in a fun, engaging way, and she's recently began creating content for PBS Digital Studios. 

We talk with Dianna about fighting through school struggles, being part of the YouTube renaissance, and what it's like to have "Girl" in your title. 

On the importance of getting outside

If you sit inside and just consume — meaning just watching videos or playing video games or even just playing games over and over — I think it puts you in a closed framework. And when you get outside, the limits are gone. 

On avoiding the "female scientist" trap

My experience as a woman in physics and as a woman in science communication is something separate (from) my actually doing the science communicating and doing the science, and I hope that that comes across.  

On what makes a good YouTube video

For me — and it could just be the way that I think — but for me, a really effective video asks a specific question and a good question that says "Why does this happen?" or "Why did this happen in history?" or "Who was this person?" and then goes about answering it well.

Dave Schlom is the longtime host and creator of Blue Dot. From surfing to Voyager in interstellar space, rock guitar to orcas in our imperiled oceans, the topics on Blue Dot are as varied as the host’s interests and connections -- which are pretty limitless! An internationally respected space history journalist, Dave is also deeply fascinated by all aspects of the grand workings of nature’s awesome machinery on scales ranging from galactic to subatomic. And topics take in all aspects of the arts and sciences.
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