KATE BREDBENNER Science Communicator and Phd Candidate

KATE BREDBENNER Science Communicator and PhD Candidate

EDUCATION Rockefeller PhD Biological Sciences University New York, NY Laboratory of Cellular Biophysics 2013 – present CONTACT University of B.S. Molecular Genetics [email protected] Rochester B.A. Philosophy Rochester, NY 2009 – 2013 Magna Cum Laude New York, NY

@SimpleBiologist SCIENCE COMMUNICATION EXPERIENCE SimpleBiologist Creator, Editor, and Manager of www.SimpleBiologist.com New York, NY YouTube Channel 2016 - present Created and manage a YouTube channel PROFILE which takes new scientific papers and translates them into animated videos. I I’m a graduate student by write, narrate, and animate each video. day and a YouTuber by Duties include: Script writing, visual night. My graduate work design, video and audio editing, SEO, uses microscopy to study how new HIV-1 viruses are website design/maintenance, work on made. social media platforms, and work at science fairs. My youtube channel closes Channel has >1000 subscribers, >35,000 the gap between research views, and is viewed in >18 countries. and nonscientists by translating scientific publications into animated New York Scientist-in-Residence for PS238 videos. Academy of Sciences Worked with 25 ESL fourth graders on a New York, NY semester length research project VOLUNTEER 2016 Jan-May designed by their teacher and myself. ORGANIZATIONS Determined what colors of light plants use to grow using the scientific method. • BioBus • NYCSEF Rockefeller Science Saturday Head Engineer • BraiNY • KnowScience University Jan-May 2015 • Taste of Science Outreach Department Lead a team of six engineers to create a • NY Hall of Science New York, NY Rube Goldberg Device for ~500 children 2014 - 2015 age 9-13. Worked on vision and specific • Rockefeller Outreach design. Interacted with multiple departments including IT, development, PROFESSIONAL and carpentry. MEMBERSHIPS Science Saturday Booth Leader Jan-May 2014 • ASCB • AAAS Designed and headed a booth for ~500 • Phi Beta • NYAS children age 6-18 to do a DNA extraction. Kappa Lab Experience Educator Jan-May 2014 Worked in a lab that introduces New York City High School students to science techniques and allows them to meet working scientists.

University of Head Teaching Assistant - Genetics Fall 2011,2012 Rochester Rochester, NY Taught material, ran review sessions, graded exams, and organized 2010 - 2013 other teaching assistants.

Workshop Leader - Biochemistry Spring 2011,2012 Ran two 2 hour workshops per week, graded exams, and took a class about how to teach workshops for different learning styles. University Tutor 2010-2013 Tutored students one-on-one in chemistry, genetics, and calculus.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE Rockefeller Graduate Fellow Simon Lab University New York, NY Work on maturation of HIV particles using specialized ﬂuorescence 2013 – present microscopy. Focus on HIV protease activation that leads to maturation which is necessary for infection. Key questions include timing and possible effectors of activation.

Max Planck Institute DAAD Rise Fellow Shcherbata Lab for Biophysical Chemistry Worked with the Drosophila hormone ecdysone to determine its effects Göttingen, Germany on proteins responsible for the local environment of germ line stem 2012 June-Aug cells with the goal of understanding stem cell maintenance.

University of Undergraduate Research Assistant Gorbunova Lab Rochester Rochester, NY Worked on the DNA repair protein SIRT6 in human culture cells to 2011 - 2012 determine its upstream connections to the stress response pathway. Determined how oxidative stress connects to increased DNA repair via protein pathways.

PRESENTATIONS

Nepris Guest Science Speaker New York, NY 2016 - ongoing Speaker for the online classroom platform Nepris. Give a variety of different talks that teachers request for their classrooms.

Most recent session: https://nepris.com/sessions/session/detail/48615 Know Science GMOs: Engineering the Genetic of Our World New York, NY 2015 - ongoing Created a presentation on genetically modiﬁed organisms (GMOs) for non-science adults. Focuses on the what, why, and how of GMOs rather than a discussion of their ethics. Rockefeller Imaging HIV-1: One Virus at a Time University New York, NY A short TED-style talk on how I image HIV-1 to study virus assembly. 2015 Talk was given as part of a student series for students of Rockefeller University, Sloan Kettering, and Weill Cornell Medical Center.

2 of 4 BOARD POSITIONS Women in Science President at Rockefeller New York, NY The Women in Science at Rockefeller mission is to promote the 2017 - present institutional equality and success of women scientists at The Rockefeller University by serving as a platform for professional development and community advocacy.

NYCSciComm Institutional Representative New York, NY 2016 - present NYCSciComm aims to guide students to navigate career options in science communication, build strong and supportive professional networks among peers, and bring accessible and digestible scientiﬁc concepts to the public.

Rockefeller Student Representative Committee Member University New York, NY The Student Representative Committee’s goal is to improve both 2013 - 2017 academic and extra-curricular student life at Rockefeller. The committee holds meetings at which ideas for new educational, housing, or leisure programs are originated, discussed, and acted upon.

Rockefeller Career Symposium Planning Committee Member University New York, NY This daylong event provides postdoctoral fellows and graduate 2015 - 2016 students from Rockefeller University, Sloan Kettering, and Weill Cornell Medical School information about a range of career paths available to PhDs in the biomedical sciences. The planning committee organized the structure, invited speakers, and hosted the speakers and the panels. I also organized social media and gave an introductory talk on twitter for scientists. I participated on the planning committee for both the 2015 and 2016 Career Symposiums.

COURSES AND WORKSHOPS AAAS Communicating Science: Fundamentals for Public 2017 Engagement An online course through AAAS that helps scientists identify the key components of communication, recognize the benefits of public communication, refine the goal of your public communication, define your audience, and craft your message.

NYAS Science Alliance Leadership Training 2016 Week long immersive leadership training at the New York Academy of Sciences to learn leadership skills, communication skills, conﬂict resolution, and team dynamics.

NYAS Speaking Science Improv Workshop 2016 Two day workshop run by the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. The workshop focused on knowing your audience, connecting with your audience, and speaking clearly and conversationally about your work and why it matters. 3 of 4 Rockefeller Science Writing Workshop University 2016 Four week course on science writing with science writer Stephen Hall. Learned the styles of short and long form research descriptions, op- eds, and personal narratives. Also learned copy editing.

AWARDS AND HONORS SCHOLARSHIPS • ScienceSeeker Award for 2018 • Women & Science 2013-2014 Best Cell/Molecule Post of Fellowship the Year for “2017 Nobel Prize for Circadian Rhythm” • Nathaniel Wisch 2011-2013 Scholarship • AAAS Data Stories Contest 2017 Student Winner for “Wait… How Many People Died?” • Wilder Trustee 2009-2013 Scholarship

• New York Falling Walls Lab 2017 Winner for “Breaking the • Farber Foundation 2009-2013 Wall of Science Scholarship Communication”

• Science Showcase Eyes on 2017 Science Award Winner for “Tanning Without the Sun”

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