Lori Dajose is a recent member of "Friends of Joe's Big Idea." After studying planetary science as an undergraduate, she found her calling as a science writer. Lori describes science writing as "the perfect way to combine my love for words and my love for asking questions about the universe."
Interview Highlights
Background
I am a science writer at Caltech (my alma mater!) where I write press releases about cool, new biology research. It's challenging because my background is actually in planetary science, so I'm learning new things every single day! I've written about fast radio bursts and turning back the aging clock.
I have been fascinated by both language and the natural world for as long as I can remember. I decided to go to Caltech for college and study planetary science. Science writing was the perfect way to combine my love for words and my love for asking questions about the universe. I began to reach out to science writers for advice, and I got an internship at Caltech's communications office. After I graduated, I asked if they would hire me — and they did!
While science writing is wonderful, there are some seriously frustrating moments, such as when you're talking to a scientist and you just cannot understand what they're saying. You just have to become OK with asking question after question until you get it.
Commitment to science communication
So far I've written mostly about astronomy, but I'd love to talk more about agriculture — where our food comes from, how its production impacts the planet and how we can be more sustainable consumers. I occasionally write blog posts about whatever science-inspired thoughts are floating around in my head at www.loridajose.com.
Future plans
I'm not entirely sure what my future plans are. No matter what, I know I'll be happy if I'm writing about science.
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