By Cameryn Cass
The first time I left America, I didn’t get very far: I went to Toronto for a mini-holiday. Though only four and a half hours from my hometown, it felt much farther than that. It was exciting and new and – dare I say – foreign. Unlike my 19-year-old peers, I was drawn to the city for something other than legal drinking: I went in search of adventure.
You see, I enjoy living outside my comfort zone. I figure the more I do, the larger that zone will become.
Former Great Lakes Echo writer Cameryn Cass on the scene in Australia
So for my final semester at Michigan State, I decided to pack my bags and live 9,370 miles (15,080 kilometers) from home in Sydney, Australia. Instead of studying abroad, I interned at a lovely nonprofit called the Ethics Centre in the heart of the city.
I had the opportunity to write and edit stories and meet philosophers and experience imposter syndrome daily. I got used to spelling color with a “u” and writing the date with the number first, followed by the month. Did you know writing the date with the number sandwiched between the month and year is almost exclusively American? I think we ought to reconsider how we write that. And also adopt the metric system.
But, back to Australia. My internship went from February to mid-April, but I stayed until July 24 (24 July). I saw Brisbane and sat beside kangaroos all afternoon at Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo. I hiked at Cradle Mountain and easily fell in love with Hobart, Tasmania.
I visited New Zealand and its Hobbiton, having never seen the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings films and left a piece of my heart in Queenstown.
And I got lost in the equatorial heat and traffic lightless roads of Bali, visiting my cousin there for 15 days. Continue reading
Michigan State University has become the hub of an exciting initiative as the SciComm Identities Project (SCIP) workshop on science communication begins today and runs until the end of the week. A group of 10 SCIP fellows have embarked on a transformative journey, aiming to deepen their understanding of podcasting, gain expertise in media relations, and apply this knowledge to their academic endeavors
The participants of the workshop spent the day engrossed in a variety of activities designed to enhance their skills. They delved into the realm of storytelling tools, refining their creative writing abilities and engaging in stimulating discussions on applying effective media strategies to effectively communicate their research.
With the SCIP workshop now underway, the fellows are set to acquire invaluable skills and knowledge that will empower them to effectively communicate scientific concepts and research findings to a wider audience. This initiative is a testament to the commitment of Michigan State University and its partner institutions in fostering a more inclusive and diverse science communication landscape.