052  |  Science Communication at SciAm w/ Jen Christiansen

052  |  Science Communication at SciAm w/ Jen Christiansen

Author: Enrico Bertini and Moritz Stefaner April 2, 2015 Duration: 1:02:36
Hey yo, we have Jen Christiansen from Scientific American with us in DS#52. Jen is art director of information graphics at Scientific American magazine where she is been for about then years and she has a background in natural science illustration from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Science communication is one of our favorite topics and we are so happy to have such an amazing expert like Jen on the show. Jen reveals the nitty gritty of scientific visualization and illustration as experienced by one of the top scientific communication magazines in the world. "How does a scientific piece come to life? Where does an idea for a new piece come from? How do they interact with the scientists to make sure everything they report is accurate and yet accessible for a broad audience? And what does need to be done before an illustration gets ready for print?" We discuss this and many other questions with Jen. Enjoy the show! This episode of Data Stories is sponsored by Tableau. You can download a free trial at http://tableau.com/datastories. jen-christiansen LINKS Jen Christiansen’s home page http://jenchristiansen.com Scientific American: http://scientificamerican.com A Look under the Hood of Online Data Visualization (collection of SciAm graphics from the past) Where the Wild Bees Are: Documenting a Loss of Native Bee Species between the 1800s and 2010s (Piece on Bees done with Moritz) (project’s page from Moritz) Jan Willem Tulp’s The Flavor Connection (on food pairings theory) - and original scientific article and graphics from Barabási’s lab (pdf) Pop Culture Pulsar: Origin Story of Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures Album Cover (artists using scientists' images - transcending the context of a visualization)

Enrico Bertini and Moritz Stefaner have a conversation you’re invited to join. Their Data Stories podcast sits at a fascinating crossroads, where the technical craft of data analytics meets the intuitive design of visual representation. Each episode feels like pulling up a chair at a cafe with two experts who are genuinely curious, unpacking not just the "how" but the "why" behind the ways we see and understand information. You’ll hear them explore the latest tools and research, but also grapple with the deeper questions of narrative, aesthetics, and human perception that give data its true meaning and impact. The discussions are grounded in their professional experiences, making complex ideas in technology and design feel accessible and immediately relevant. It’s a space for anyone who creates, studies, or simply wonders about the charts, maps, and diagrams that shape our world. By weaving together perspectives from arts, education, and visual practice, this podcast reveals how data, when thoughtfully handled, can tell stories that are as compelling as they are informative. Tune in for a consistently thoughtful look at the evolving language of numbers and shapes.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 170

Data Stories
Podcast Episodes
80 | Indexical Visualization with Dietmar Offenhuber [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:33
We have Dietmar Offenhuber, Assistant Professor at Northeastern University, on the show again to talk about “Indexical Visualizations”: visualizations that reduce the gap between the recorded phenomenon and its represent…
79 | Information Design with Isabel Meirelles [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:07
We talk with Isabel Meirelles, Professor in the Faculty of Design at OCAD University in Toronto, about her book "Design for Information" and Information Plus, the data visualization conference she organized in June.
77 | Polygraph and The Journalist Engineer Matt Daniels [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:57
We have Matt Daniels on the show, the "journalist engineer" behind Polygraph, a blog featuring beautiful journalistic pieces based on data. If you are not familiar with the site, stop now and take a look. Matt starts wit…
76 | Bocoup and OpenVis Conference [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:37
We talk with the data visualization team from Bocoup about how they work with groups to create open-source data visualization software. We also discuss the OpenVis Conference that they organize each year.
074  |  Data Ethics and Privacy with Eleanor Saitta [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:16
Eleanor is Etsy’s new Security Architect and "a hacker, designer, artist, writer, and barbarian." We talk with Eleanor about how to deal with data ethics and privacy.
073  |  Kim Albrecht on Untangling Tennis and the Cosmic Web [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:10
Kim is a visualization researcher and information designer. He currently works at the Center for Complex Network Research, the lab led by famous network physicist László Barabási. Kim works in a team of scientists to cre…
71 | Tapestry Conference Review with Robert Kosara [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:09
This is a special edition from Tapestry, the conference on Data Storytelling that gathers visualization experts, journalists, designers, NGOs, academics, etc. Enrico sits together with Robert Kosara to talk about the con…