Recapping the 25th term [Free Report]by Theodore Bechlivanis | 01-03-2021 06:29 |
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As the last day of the 25th term comes to an end, we all go through the mental process of sorting out and processing our experiences as Ambassadors for the Environmental Networking Platform for Children and Youth. I had the opportunity to write articles for this platform for two terms, over the course of which I honed both my journalistic and scientific skills, and found myself researching topics that were both deeply within the scope of my discipline and decisively outside of my comfort zone as a Chemical Engineer. Before I end my term as an Ambassador, I would like to mention some of my favorite resources that I used during the 24th and 25th terms, in hopes that they inspire old and new members of the platform, help with their research, or provide new ways of approaching challenging environmental issues. 1. Existing Articles and Reports from Credible Organizations The first step in writing about any given issue is looking up what other people have to say about it on the internet, in magazines, or any other available media. Fortunately, environmental themes such as pollution, biodiversity, and climate change are incredibly popular with journalists. Unfortunately, this means that a lot of the articles found online are written by journalists with no background in science and are prone to inaccuracies and misunderstandings. A lack of training in science communication usually results in articles that are fraught with buzzwords. In order to avoid transferring those inaccuracies to my own work, I generally avoid citing news sites (yes, even pop science news sites). Instead, I note down any useful information they contain and try to cross-reference it with news articles from credible organizations, governmental or international institutions, and scientific associations. By rule of thumb, the reports these organizations produce are checked for scientific integrity. Additionally, many scientific institutions draw conclusions by processing their own data, which often serves as a guarantee that the person writing the article has a good grounding in the subject matter. 2. Online databases, indexes, and Data Visualization These terms might all seem intimidating, but they are actually proof that scientific discovery is becoming increasingly accessible to the public. You can find information on a plethora of interesting issues (say, water pollution statistics, or the correlation between air quality and a community's median income) by browsing freely available databases online. These are often accompanied by reports explaining the core points of the data presented. A good example of that is Eurostat, the European Union's statistics portal. You can also access a lot of climate, biodiversity, and pollution data through interactive maps or other visual methods. A few months ago, I wrote an article on the link between COVID-19 and eutrophication using data I acquired from the Interactive Map of Eutrophication and Hypoxia, which you can access for free online. Data visualization enhances your writing by making the information you are trying to convey more immediately accessible to the reader! 3. Books and Scientific Articles Unfortunately, most scientific publications are largely inaccessible depending on your academic background, fluency in English, and a few other limiting factors. They are usually costly and make the immediacy of googling information even more enticing. However, environmental issues are vast, complex, and interconnected; often to a degree that can only be captured in lengthy tomes. I can tell you from personal experience that they are worth every page. Even the most concise articles fail to provide the intricate, intimate detail that a book does. I hope everyone had a fruitful 25th term. I enjoyed writing alongside my fellow Ambassadors and receiving our mentors' feedback and suggestions (which I'm sure will lead to some interesting articles in the future). Stay safe!
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