Matt Klein approximately 275 words
INTD 105-19: Science Writing
Making Science Writing Relevant to the Public
By Matt Klein
When describing scientific research to the public, writers must be careful to maintain their readers’ interests. One way to do this is to choose a topic that seems funny or strange—a sort of “click bait.” In Diana Crow’s list of articles, many stand out as potentially interesting reads. The titles “How Big is Fart?” and “The Birds and the Bombs,” among many others, are certainly bizarre enough to attract public attention. Besides the unusual, science writing can also focus on modern issues, such as in Ben Panko’s “Nuclear Physicists May Have Just Invented a ‘Zero-Knowledge’ Warhead Inspection System.” Many agreements have been made over the years to decrease nuclear arsenals and lessen the chance of a nuclear disaster, but to this day there has been no way to prevent cheating the agreements. If the process described by Panko is developed, inspectors will be able to check for compliance with disarmament treaties without compromising countries’ design secrets. Panko’s article appeals to the public because it offers a solution to the public fear of unstable nations with nuclear capabilities.
To maintain reader interest, writers must also describe their science in simple terms. Panko does this by generalizing the nuclear processes involved in the inspection system. The most scientifically complex process he discusses involves an “encryption foil” used hide the specific details of nuclear warheads during a scan. By simply telling the reader that x-rays used to scan the warhead cause the foil to emit gamma rays that can be detected, he avoids any complicated scientific explanation and allows readers to follow his description without becoming confused.
Source: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/07/nuclear-physicists-may-have-just-invented-zero-knowledge-warhead-inspection-system?utm_source=newsfromscience&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=zeroknowledge-5827
You did a really good job of blending what makes the article appealing with your summary of the article.
I enjoyed the structure of your post. You do not merely summarize but make claims on the techniques the author uses to make their writing stand out and support these with evidence from the article.
Nice job and lol at the clickbait nature of some of these!