This August, the Center for Communicating Science added multiple new friendly faces to our team and said goodbye to others. We want to thank our wonderful graduate assistants, Liz Gray and Quinn Richards, who dedicated much of their time, creativity, and efforts to our program and have since moved on to other things. Gray worked with us last summer facilitating workshops, developing a social media plan, and designing documents. She enjoyed working with the staff and growing her computer, design, and teaching skills. She is in her second year of her graduate degree in arts leadership and is currently working as an assistant in programming and engagement at VT’s Moss Arts Center. 

    Richards was with us for the 2022-23 academic year. Their favorite part of their time at the center was the connections made with students and faculty in various departments across the university and the staff they worked with at CCS. Richards is in the second year of the Master’s of Public Health program. They are currently working as a graduate research assistant for the Institute for Policy and Governance, a shift leader for the equine volunteer program on campus, and a student researcher in the Department of Population Health Sciences.

    Thank you for your dedication to the Center, Liz and Quinn!

    We welcomed a new graduate assistant, two undergraduate interns, and two post-Masters of Fine Arts (MFAs) this fall. Firstly, our graduate assistant for this semester is Heather Winslow. She graduated from Piedmont Community College with an associate’s degree in general science, the University of Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in creative writing, and is now in Virginia Tech’s interdisciplinary graduate program. Winslow joined the center because she is passionate about our mission of making science accessible and looks forward to applying what she learns to her own research.

    Maia Mirro joined our staff as an undergraduate intern this semester. She is a senior with a major in professional and technical writing and a minor in sustainability. After graduation in May, she seeks to use her degree for environmental science and/or research. Mirro joined the center because she supports and realizes the importance of our work and hopes that it will gain her more experience as a science writer.

    Meg Luciani is the second undergraduate intern who joined our staff this August. She is a senior who majors in neuroscience with a concentration in cognition and behavior and minors in professional and technical writing. Luciani hopes to enter graduate school in the fall of 2024 to begin working for her Master of Science in Counseling degree. She joined the center because she enjoys both science and writing and hopes to work with science writing and communication skills.

    Shanon Weaver is one of our new post-MFAs. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in theatre and dance from the University of Texas at Austin and recently got his Master of Fine Arts in acting from the University of Georgia. Weaver has a plethora of experience on stage and behind the scenes from his role as co-director of an award-winning theatre company, over 30 years of acting, and additional training from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, to name a few. His ongoing research is on integrating philosophy and spirituality into an acting methodology.  

    Brooke McCarthy is our second post-MFA. She gained her bachelor of science degree in accounting from Monmouth University and Master of Fine Arts in acting from the University of Georgia. She has received multiple awards for her acting performances, including “Best Selling Show” in New York City’s Frigid Festival, “Best of Fest” at the Hartford Fringe Festival, and “Philly Fringie” at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. McCarthy’s research works on creating art that emphasizes sociocultural awareness and community building.

    McCarthy and Weaver both teach the undergraduate course Integration to Applied Collaborative Techniques (TA 2404), developed by Center for Communicating Science director Patty Raun. We are excited to have them working with us!

By Meg Luciani, Center for Communicating Science student intern