Refractive Index

Refractive Index was a blog edited by students on the MSc in Science Communication at Imperial College from October 2010 to October 2014. Its aim was to critique science communication in the global media and present new approaches to science communication through streamed audio-visual media and original writing. Contributions came mainly from the Science Communication Unit, but were also solicited from across the College and outside.

In October 2014 the editorial board (comprised of faculty staff) decided to discontinue this blog and integrate it with the (currently forthcoming) official department website. However, please do browse through the last four years’ output, listed below in descending order of date.

• Science publishing predators
• The expanding Zooniverse
• The Facebook Emotion Experiment
• Did we tell the wrong story about swine flu?
• The (Second) Life Scientific
• Myth-trusters: why do we believe @uberfacts?
• An Experiment in Dialogue: From Facts to Values
• Pandemonium
• Democratising Scientific Advice
• Under the Floor Above
• Darwin Sound
• The Hidden Art of Sound Design | Part Three
• Life Hacks
• Two chickens
• Breaking the cycle of inequality
• Visualising data
• The Hidden Art of Sound Design | Part Two
• Life After Attenborough
• Is Science Becoming Cool?
• The Hidden Art of Sound Design | Part One
• The Science Behind YouTube | Part One
• The Science Behind YouTube | Part Two
• When being right is wrong
• Science Churnalism
• The Camera Sometimes Lies
• Fringe Thinking
• The Magnificent Science Variety Show
• The Distant Neighbours
• V is for Volunteering
• Science Beat!
• The Brian Cox Effect
• Illustrating Science
• Science and Craft: The Nature of Expertise
• Science, culture and whaling
• Shadow sculpture
• The Philosopher’s Battle
• Creative Communication: 2012/13 Projects
• To patent, or not to patent?
• A lab in a lorry
• Lighting the way towards the future of science funding
• Bad Press
• Bee nice, Monbiot
• The Medicine Child
• Should science education be compulsory?
• Happiness by the Exabyte
• The value in green
• Crazy Soup for the Soul
• Let’s Get Physical
• The Replica Problem
• After Leveson
• Twin Paradox
• Art and Science?
• Using music to communicate science: too good to be true?
• … “it was a very big year, I think, for open access”
• The Monster in the Lift
• Military Metaphors in Medicine: Waging War
• What shall we do with Brian Cox? Selling science in the 21st century
• A Natural Wildlife Documentary?
• Framing climate change: “The Day After Tomorrow” approach
• Bugs, Drugs and Smoke: Stories from Public Health
• Italian Earthquake: A fair trial against bad science communication?
• Scientists and the Web: New territories of science communication
• Science communication or psychological warfare?
• Making a science documentary on a shoestring – Part Two
• The Policy Hangs In The Balance
• Making a science documentary on a shoestring – Part One
• Science – A Trivial Pursuit?
• Chinese Whispers
• That’s the way to do it!
• Chemical interactions: a look at the RSC’s public engagement
• Ros the Rat and the Paratime Shifts
• Communicating science, beautifully.
• Science Journalism: Cheerleaders and critics
• JENGA: Does science make progress?
• Eating Well
• Hoax, Lies and Videotape
• Qfwfq and the ghostwriter
• What do you fancy doing on Friday night? How about a dissection?
• Beautiful Science Exhibition at the Brick Lane Gallery
• Our Positivist Bias
• The room of lost souls
• Maps of Knowledge
• The Junkyard of Scientific Theories
• ‘What’s in the box?’
• The Scientist
• When Science Communication becomes Art
• Remember me fondly
• Documentary as carving
• Musée Des Beaux-Arts
• Speaking different languages
• Positivist Discrimination
• Captain Robert Falcon Scott: hero, explorer and scientist?
• What is the appeal of the Science Museum Lates?
• We do have time to stop and stare
• Filming failure
• Ghostbusters
• A film in twelve hours
• Honest labour
• Of bodies and brains
• The Ashtray Argument
• Filling the Donor Deficit
• The Great Data Debate
• The Contenders for the first IOP Early Physics Communicator Awards are…
• Push Start to Create Hysteria
• Infected with Meaning
• Faster than a speeding neutrino?
• Access all areas?
• Let the Broadcaster Beware: Science, the BBC, and the Burden of Balance
• Internal Reflection – Life (and Death) in a Hospital Mortuary
• Communicating Science to a Captive Audience
• Street Art: A Natural History
• Energy yesterday and today
• The science behind stammering
• Do you know your A.C.G.T?
• Doing is better than listening
• On Sue the TRex Lipbalm
• Playing with the Planet
• Playing Science: Science and Video Games
• Libel Law: Why Science Shouldn’t Be Privileged
• Playing in the Key of Science: An Interview With Jeff Oster
• Should the state fund science?
• Turning the Brass Eye to science
• When science hits the headlines
• Alder Hey’s Dawn Chorus
• More than Words: The Eye of the Storm
• The Science of Risky Travel
• Citizen Science: The OPAL network
• Science Communication: A Risky Business
• Are you tweeting at me?!
• Science in Motion
• Dorks, geeks and nerds at SXSWi
• Sounds of Science: Seeing with Sound
• The problem with press releases
• Science communication in Kenya: Is there too little science to communicate?
• Science communication, up North? Wey aye man!
• The refractive index of science communication
• Frankenstein: Science’s own f-word
• Climate Games
• Art Influencing Science
• Sounds of Science
• Should science communicators promote science?
• Rock Stars of Science