SciComm Hotline

Reyhaneh Maktoufi and Stephanie Castillo
  • 4.0 (4)
  • Social Sciences
  • Updated Weekly

Best friends and SciComm researchers, Reyhaneh Maktoufi and Stephanie Castillo, gossip about all the cringeworthy and exciting ways science is communicated in real life.

  1. 6d ago

    When Academics Disagree on Persuasion & SciComm Goals

    Rey and Steph are reviewing the Journal of Science Communication commentary "Does science communication have its goals wrong? From persuading science skeptics to promoting scientific empowerment" from Anne Toomey and Kevin Elliott, PLUS John Besley and Sara Yeo's response to that commentary. We talk about how each paper defines persuasion, what we liked about each author's claims, and who do we side with? Also, why do we always reference pandemic communication in every freaking episode???? Special thanks to the Civic Science Media Lab for supporting our work in gossiping about all things scicomm. https://civicsciencemedia.org/  References: “Does science communication have its goals wrong? From persuading science skeptics to promoting scientific empowerment” https://jcom.sissa.it/article/pubid/JCOM_2501_2026_C07/  “A response to: “Does science communication have its goals wrong? From persuading science skeptics to promoting scientific empowerment” — A defense of certain types of persuasion” https://jcom.sissa.it/article/pubid/JCOM_2504_2026_L01/

  2. Sep 7

    Are We Persuading Wrong?

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  3. Aug 21

    AI Shaming, Hank Green’s LLM Debacle & the Ethics of it All

    You might have heard of Hank Green’s AI use and its aftermath in the science and SciComm community. You might have also gotten a bit worried about being the target of the next shaming campaign OR that AI users are not being shamed ENOUGH. In this episode, Steph and Rey discuss their thoughts on the whole drama and try to figure out their own boundaries, roles in keeping the community safe for experimentation, yet accountable.  Share your hot takes or ask for advice: drama@scicommhotline.com or visit http://scicommhotline.com  References:  The AI penalty and disclosure paradox: Trust, authenticity and knowledge uptake in AI-mediated communication: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949882126000551Hank’s comment about his AI use. Posted here as its own thing to find easily.https://www.reddit.com/r/nerdfighters/comments/1vc37aw/hanks_comment_about_his_ai_use_posted_here_as_its/?share_id=AIVpWkwkHYrBNO67kyPkU&utm_content=share_button&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1Colin and Samir video on Hank Green situation: https://youtu.be/cVT7MbRBiLY?si=ea4HPR2u9FCU3V01 NYT Opinion, “If You’re Over 40, You’re Ready to Use AI”: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/opinion/teaching-kabbalah-ai.html AI, Craftsmanship, and Scaling Up https://www.instagram.com/p/Db09LxaSD6b/Do people prefer AI-generated stories? https://www.instagram.com/p/DbozJESP2Jh/

  4. Aug 7

    What Makes a Great Science Host? (in our opinion)

    Who is your favorite host? What do you like about them? What makes a good host? It’s not just the person but a whole team and environment that can have an effect. Listen to Rey and Steph fangirl about their favorites and get into the nitty gritty of hosting. Share your hot takes or ask for advice: drama@scicommhotline.com or visit http://scicommhotline.com

  5. Jun 17

    Is Hantavirus the New Pandemic? (Probably not) Communicating Uncertainty with Dr. Alex Dainis

    There is a lot of uncertainty around communicating uncertainty. Despite that, there are a lot of good strategies that we have confidence in. Join Steph and Rey as they discuss the topic with their BFF, Dr. Alex Dainis, who has spent a decade grappling with it and working to identify effective strategies to address uncertainty, such as communication about the Covid pandemic.   Share your hot takes or ask for advice: drama@scicommhotline.com or visit ⁠http://scicommhotline.com⁠  References:  Communicating uncertainty to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review of the literature: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23808985.2022.2085136 Climate Change Debate: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjuGCJJUGsg Jon Stewart on Media's Hantavirus Panic & Klepper on MAGA's Missing Trump Phones | The Daily Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TrEYcwOBB0

  6. May 22

    How Martial Arts Can Aid Your SciComm with Samantha Yammine

    How can Jujutsu, Muay Thai and Kendo teach us communication?! Listen to your favorite martial arts girlies, Rey and Steph, and their superstar guest, Dr. Samantha Yammine, talk about how doing these sports has not only taught them to be better communicators but also kept them sane! Dr. Samantha Yammine, PhD (she/her), is a Neuroscientist-turned-Science Communicator better known as Science Sam. She is the host of Curiosity Weekly, the flagship science podcast for Discovery, founder of Science is a Drag, and a Regular Science Expert on CTV’s award-winning daily lifestyle show The Good Stuff with Mary Berg. Check her work out here: https://www.samanthayammine.com/ Hydroxide IG account: https://www.instagram.com/hydroxide.foodscience/ The Astro Stud (Kihana Wilson) IG account: https://www.instagram.com/the_astro_stud/ Dr. Mike Confronting Dr. Amen: https://youtu.be/J-SHgZ1XPXs?si=PCqZgcJvJ_8MlFuN Bowling Alone book: http://bowlingalone.com/ (Bowling Alone author) Join or Die with Robert Putnam | What Now? with Trevor Noah Podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23SwzXdJQDg

  7. May 8

    Is Your SciComm Persuasive or Propaganda?

    Out of fear that their favorite content is propaganda, Rey and Steph go down a rabbit hole to understand what persuasion and propaganda are. Join their spiral to leave the episode even more confused than when you started. You’re welcome.  References  What Is Propaganda, and How Does It Differ From Persuasion? https://us2.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/11847_Chapter1.pdf How Hitler’s Propaganda Machine Worked https://open.spotify.com/episode/0uaAms7ZIxYDHxCc5baIbL Difference Between Propaganda and Persuasion https://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-propaganda-and-persuasion/ Dr. Becky’s post  https://www.instagram.com/p/DXPXX7GjIB6/ Iran’s lego propaganda https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/10/world/video/iran-lego-propaganda-vrtc-digvid

  8. Apr 13

    Project Hail Mary's SciComm Strategy

    There is lots of content out there about the science of the Hail Mary Project movie, but not much really about the science communication side of the movie! Listen to Rey and Steph talk about (some unexpected) SciComm ideas that showed up in the movies, from emotional flow and trust-building principles to the importance of bad science!  References  Listen to our friend from opinion Science talk to Dr. Robin Nabi about emotions and emotional flow: https://opinionsciencepodcast.com/episode/persuasion-via-emotion-with-robin-nabi/ What are you assessing when you measure “trust” in scientists with a direct measure? https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09636625231161302?casa_token=k3EXyLiapGkAAAAA%3A4WppvSLj0WU9uK3Q9mzbv9UuGud-gCmJWpFfb_N8rOC0UaY7sLHBJRkFofPK3u5IwZLIuJkom4I Ryan Gosling says Project Hail Mary is ‘a reminder of what we’re capable of’ https://www.scientificamerican.com/video/ryan-gosling-talks-project-hail-mary-hopeful-science-fiction-and-the/ Ryan Gosling chats to an astrophysicist | Project Hail Mary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj_AbV1Ph90 “Science and Entertainment: How Astronomers Use Pop Culture References for Science Communication” Rey’s very old presentation that she hates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJUxolp4A1A&t=411s SciComm Updates  SciComm Bite Article “Can AI Make Science More Trustworthy?” https://substack.com/redirect/81eb98b4-cff9-4042-a22d-1f55baa2a869?j=eyJ1IjoiZWlwcm4ifQ.ocBOZMBfbkVwCTZAfvzZWNFqjwf-Z2HcvKglGYcEmF4 The Science of SciComm e-summit, May 3, 8-4 ET https://www.theecowell.com/science-in-science-communication-esummit Artistic Expression of Original Research: Art based science communication improves the public's relationship to science and scientists https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/communication/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2026.1794106/abstract?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Examining science and art collaborations through a social psychology lens reveals the need for Third Spaces https://jcom.sissa.it/article/pubid/JCOM_2405_2025_Y01/

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Ratings & Reviews

4
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Best friends and SciComm researchers, Reyhaneh Maktoufi and Stephanie Castillo, gossip about all the cringeworthy and exciting ways science is communicated in real life.

Information

  • Creator
    Reyhaneh Maktoufi and Stephanie Castillo
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Reyhaneh Maktoufi and Stephanie Castillo
  • Show Website
    SciComm Hotline

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