Imperial science blog star up for award

David Robertson is the small town blogger done good. In only 2 years he has converted his own little personal website into one of the globe’s most eminent science blogs (davidpj.wordpress.com). Just this month, it has been nominated for the 2011 Weblog Awards Best Science Blog. Felix Science caught up with the web celebrity to discuss blogging, science, and blatant self promotion.

Could you say a little about your background?

I’m originally from Australia, where I did an Environmental Science degree on the sunny Gold Coast. After my degree I stayed on to do a few years of research, but started to feel a bit trapped in the university grind. I took on a couple of extra part-time roles with science outreach organisations, and really enjoyed them. With a real desire to see more of the world, I decided to move to London and study science communication!

When did you start, and why did you start blogging?

I started blogging early in 2009. I’d recently started photography and also knew that I wanted an outlet to express myself more, and a blog was an obvious choice. It was a bit of fun at first, a place to rant and put up stories about surf trips and the like.

What do you write about on your blog?

Whatever I like! It reflects a lot of what I do in my life, so it’s got science, photography, music, surf, random videos and links that I like and stories from what I’ve been doing. Lately there’s been more science and definitely less surf!

How has your blogging style changed over time?

If anything, it changes to reflect what I’m doing at the time. So, while I was working in Australia, it was about weekend trips and concerts and stuff. Then, when I went on a big road trip and followed it up to my move to London, it turned into a travel log; and most recently, it’s morphing more into a science theme, because that’s what I’m studying!

Do you think we need specialist science communicators, such as yourself, or is it something that scientists themselves should be doing?

That’s a really good question! If I didn’t think it was worthwhile, I wouldn’t be doing the course, so I’m probably not the most objective person to ask.

I think that science communicators take some of the pressure off scientists; while it’s important, not everyone who does research has a flair for publicity, and science communicators can help to share new knowledge. However, I also think science has a big aesthetic dimension. It’s not just about scientists telling people about their work, but about enjoying the discovery, the beauty of scientific explanations and uncovering the interesting stories that surround the doing of science. That’s where science communicators can find a niche.

Why do you think academics aren’t blogging more?

I think that, in certain fields, they actually are! If you look into the world of science blogs, many disciplines have quite prominent representatives. Obviously there aren’t thousands of blogs about each subject, but if you have a research area, you can probably find an academic who blogs about it. However, it is quite time consuming and can also be very personal; not everyone has the desire or the motivation to share their research or thoughts online.

What do you think the role of the internet is in the future of science communication?

I think it’s already quite immense. While scientific publication is still, largely, in the paper-based model, research blogging and critique are already changing how the scientific world deals with important new results. It is a new, diverse medium which incorporates elements of everything that has come before: images, videos, text and sound, with a huge extra element of interactivity.

However, it also has pitfalls: it’s easy to find any opinion online, and sometimes it’s hard to know which sites and sources to trust, both on science or any issue.

Why do you think your blog has become so successful?

It’s not that successful yet! I think it’s having a diversity of content and a fairly easygoing approach. I like my blog to be accessible and fun to read wherever possible, and that makes it easy for people to return to.

What’s the future for you and your blog?

Me? I wish I knew! I’d like to pursue outreach and engagement in science, or perhaps policy, depending on the opportunities I get. The blog will no doubt keep ticking over; it seems to have a bit of a life of its own!

Vote for David's blog here