Decoding Dr. Kristel Tjandra’s journey to the UC Santa Cruz Science Communication Master’s Program

Fanuel Muindi interviews Dr. Kristel Tjandra, a scientist-journalist and member of the UC Santa Cruz Science Communication Master’s Program. Dr. Tjandra shares her journey from bench research to science communication including her late introduction to the field during her postdoc at Stanford University, the impact of the pandemic on her career shift, and the diverse training landscape in the US that she has observed. She highlights her passion for writing and the importance of mentorship and experiential learning in helping her navigate the landscape of opportunities.

Learn more about the master’s program here: https://scicom.ucsc.edu/index.html

— This conversation is part of an ongoing effort to visualize the landscape of training initiatives for scientists in public engagement supported by the Lasker Foundation and Research!America. Access the dashboard and read the full report here: https://www.researchamerica.org/reports/

— Search for more insights on the CivicSciTV Network Terminal featuring our reporting across video, audio and print journalism. https://civicscitv.org #CivicSciTV #civicscience

CS Media Lab

Affiliated with Northeastern University, the Civic Science Media Lab (CS Media Lab) journalistically maps the civic nature of science, which pertains to the interactions between the scientific enterprise and local communities in solving real-world problems and fostering informed decision-making.

• CS Media Lab

  https://civicsciencemedia.org/author/mlab/

  Coming Home: The Journey of a Puerto Rican Scientist
• CS Media Lab

  https://civicsciencemedia.org/author/mlab/

  Jeremy Pesner: How to Make Science Research More Socially Impactful
• CS Media Lab

  https://civicsciencemedia.org/author/mlab/

  Expanding Pathways into the Science Policy Workforce - A Panel Discussion
• CS Media Lab

  https://civicsciencemedia.org/author/mlab/

  Beyond Self Report: Decoding an upcoming science communication skills evaluation tool from Western Michigan University