Pathways Ep. 15: a PhD and Some Serendipity
Sonder Collins Oct 17, 2017
Eagerness and curiosity are key players in Dr. Patricia Ward’s career. As director of Science Exhibitions and Partnerships at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Dr. Ward leads a team of researchers and content experts in creating informative exhibitions at the museum. Similar to how serendipitous connections landed her current position, Dr. Ward synthesizes a story to engage the public in museum exhibitions through unique correlations between science and everyday life.
“Our job is to make the science relevant,” said Dr. Ward. “To interpret the content so that it’s not too academic or involves jargon that may be too hard to understand; to convince people why they should care.”
In this episode of Pathways, Dr. Ward reflects on how her experience as a PhD student and Postdoc provided her with the necessary traits to fulfill a career as a communicative scientist.
Pathways, an original IU School of Medicine podcast, highlights unique career paths of PhD holders to encourage current graduate students and postdocs toward a variety of opportunities outside academia.
The views expressed in this content represent the perspective and opinions of the author and may or may not represent the position of Indiana University School of Medicine.
Sonder Collins
Communications Coordinator
Having joined IU School of Medicine in 2016, Sonder uses a poetry and theatre background to help bridge the academic world with the creative. A graduate of University of Evansville, he works with faculty and academic staff to formulate unique, marketing ideas that engage the public with innovative research at IU School of Medicine. From writing stories on groundbreaking equipment to orchestrating digital marketing strategies, Sonder collaborates with experts across the school to help departments thrive in their marketing and communication ambitions.