Mónica Feliú-Mójer, Ph.D.
Scientist | Science Communicator | Public Speaker | Diversity & Inclusion Advocate
- Science CommunicationHighlights of my science communication efforts, which focus on engaging underserved communities with science, making science more equitable and inclusive, training and creating opportunities for scientists to engaging in science communication, and changing stereotypes about scientists by applying a cultural lens to storytelling.
SCHOLARSHIP AND PRACTICE
PEER-REVIEWED PAPERS & ARTICLES
- Gene editing communication must center marginalized communities (2020) Mónica I. Feliú-Mójer. Environmental Communication, DOI: 10.1080/17524032.2020.1812274.
- Research and Practice Project Planner (2020) CAISE Research and Practice Task Force, informalscience.org.
- Science communication demands a critical approach that centers inclusion, equity and intersectionality (2020) Katherine N. Canfield, Sunshine Menezes, Shayle B. Matsuda, Amelia Moore, Alycia N. Mosley Austin, Bryan M. Dewsbury, Mónica I. Feliú-Mójer, Katharine W. B. McDuffie, Kendall Moore, Christine A. Reich, Hollie M. Smith and Cynthia Taylor. Frontiers in Communication, 5:2, DOI: 10.3389/fcomm.2020.00002.
- The science and power of storytelling (2018) Wendy A. Suzuki, Mónica I. Feliú-Mójer, Uri Hasson, Rachel Yehuda and Jean Mary Zarate. The Journal of Neuroscience, 38(44):9468 –9470.
- Impact of culturally relevant contextualized activities on elementary and middle school students perceptions of science: An exploratory study (2014) Wilson González-Espada, Pablo Llerandi-Román, Yaihara Fortis-Santiago, Giovanna Guerrero-Medina, Nicole Ortiz-Vega, Mónica Feliú-Mójer, and Daniel A. Colón-Ramos. International Journal of Science Education, Part B: Communication and Public Engagement, DOI: 10.1080/21548455.2014.881579.
- Suplementando el currículo de ciencias con contenido contextual y culturalmente relevante: lecciones de la implementación del Proyecto Ciencia Boricua (Supplementing the science curriculum with culturally relevant and contextualized content: Lessons from the implementation of the Ciencia Boricua Project) (2013) Wilson González-Espada, Yaihara Fortis-Santiago, Giovanna Guerrero-Medina, Daniel A. Colón-Ramos, and Mónica Feliú-Mójer. Cuaderno de Investigación en la Educación, 28, 109-127.
BOOKS
¡Ciencia Boricua! Ensayos y anécdotas del científico puertorro (Boricua Science! Essays and anecdotes by Puerto Rican scientists) (2011) Ediciones Callejón, San Juan, PR
I served as co-editor and co-author of ¡Ciencia Boricua!, the first collection of culturally relevant popular essays and stories about science and Puerto Rico, written by Puerto Rican scientists. Besides being sold in bookstores throughout Puerto Rico and on Amazon, the book, in its second edition, has been used in schools to help teachers contextualize science concepts to the culture and reality of Puerto Rican students.
POPULAR SCIENCE ARTICLES & OP-EDS- Rethinking the narrative about diversity in science (May 7, 2018) Scientific American
- Contributing to your community through science communication (July 14, 2015) SACNAS News
- Effective communication, better science (February 24, 2015) Scientific American
MEDIA RELATIONS
Since 2006, I have served as editor-in-chief and lead for CienciaPR’s collaborations with media outlets in Puerto Rico, the U.S. and Spain, including El Nuevo Día (Puerto Rico’s newspaper of record), Scientific American, and Diálogo, among others. Through these collaborations, more than 70 scientists have published more than 400 popular science articles and op-eds (mostly in Spanish) that make science pertinent to the lives, culture, and context of Puerto Rican audiences.
JUEVES DE CIENCIA BORICUA
I co-host "Jueves de Ciencia Boricua" (Puerto Rican Science Thursdays), a collaboration between Ciencia Puerto Rico and prime-time radio show "¡Qué es la que hay! con Luis Herrero" on Radio Isla, where we discuss news about science and Puerto Rico.
- 25 de marzo, 2021 (March 25, 2021): Interviewed Drs. Giovanna Guerrero Medina and Carol Irizarry Robles to discuss "conversion therapies" from a scientific perspective. "Conversion therapies" have been in the news in Puerto Rico due to a local Senate project seeking to prohibit them and the debate that has ensued.
- 18 de marzo, 2021 (March 18, 2021): Interviewed Gabriela Algarín Zayas, a journalist turned public health professional and educator with a focused on community-centered engagement.
- 11 de marzo, 2021 (March 11, 2021): Interviewed Dr. Yajaira Sierra Sastre, project manager for NASA's Mars Spring Tires, Sample Retrieval Lander Mission.
- 4 de marzo, 2021 (March 4, 2021): Interviewed Dr. Rocío Cardona Couvertier and Emma Rivera Damacela, a mentor and mentee participating of CienciaPR's Seeds of Success program.
- 25 de febrero, 2021 (February 25, 2021): Interviewed bioethicist Dr. Gabriel Lázaro Muñoz about the ethics of jumping the COVID-19 line.
- 18 de febrero, 2021 (February 18, 2021): Talked about my career and "Aquí Nos Cuidamos", a COVID-19 toolkit created by CienciaPR.
- 11 de febrero, 2021 (February 11, 2021): Interviewed Enrique Vargas, an engineer and podcast producer focused on science communication.
- 4 de febrero, 2021 (February 4, 2021): Interviewed evolutionary virologist Dr. Samuel Díaz Muñoz about coronavirus variants.
- 28 de enero, 2021 (January 28, 2021): Interviewed science diplomacy and policy expert Dr. Frances Colón Hastings about the science priorities of the Biden White House.
- 21 de enero, 2021 (January 21, 2021): Interviewed Dr. Greetchen Díaz Muñoz, Director of Science Education Programs for Ciencia Puerto Rico and advocate for women in STEM.
- 14 de enero, 2021 (January 14, 2021): Interviewed Dr. José Arcadio Rodríguez Martínez, professor of Biochemistry at the University of Puerto Rico Río Piedras who studies the interactions between proteins and DNA.
- 31 de diciembre, 2020 (December 31, 2020): Look at the biggest science news in Puerto Rico for 2020: earthquakes, the collapse of the Arecibo Radiotelescope, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 24 de diciembre, 2020 (December 24, 2020): Shared "Aquí Nos Cuidamos" and "Cuídate, Cuídame", two COVID-19 prevention campaigns and shareable Christmas-themed content from both.
- 17 de diciembre, 2020 (December 17, 2020): Interviewed Dr. Semarhy Quiñones Soto, a microbiologist and artist who illustrates and promotes women in STEM.
- 10 de diciembre, 2020 (December 10, 2020): What's CienciaPR, Joseph Acabá named to NASA's Artemis Lunar Mission, petition to rebuild the Arecibo Observatory, and upcoming events.
YOUTUBE, PODCASTS & MORE
October 31, 2020
A special Halloween episode of "En qué quedó", a follow-up journalism podcast in Puerto Rico, looking into "El Chupacabras". I am featured speaking about science communication and why conspiracy theories spread and persist.
- Los medios y la comunicación efectiva de riesgos en salud pública (Effective risk communication in public health and the media) (December 10, 2020) Ponce Health Sciences University
- La ciencia del béisbol (The science of baseball) (October 4, 2020) Ciencia en tus Manos
VIDEOS PRODUCED BY ME
BACKGROUND TO BREAKTHROUGH
A series of short films expanding the definition of who can become a scientist and shift the narratives of deficit about scientists of color by showcasing how the have succeeded because (and not in spite of) of their backgrounds.
Manu Prakash: Finding sublime in the mundane (September 5 2019) This video explores how endless hours playing outside with animals and making flammable artifacts as a kid led Dr. Manu Prakash to become a world-renowned researcher creating low-cost tools to empower people around the globe.
Rebecca Calisi Rodríguez: Charting an original path (March 26, 2019) This video explores how Dr. Rebecca Calisi Rodríguez's experiences as a Mexican-Italian-American woman, professor, artist and mother have provided her with fascinating and unusual perspectives to study the biology of parental behavior..
Esteban González Burchard: Who’s included? (May 7, 2018) This video explores the consequences and implication of underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities in clinical and biomedical research.
Esteban González Burchard: Which box do I check? (May 7, 2018) Racial information is used by doctors to make critical decisions about health. But, what happens if you don’t fit neatly in one box?
Esteban González Burchard: An inclusive future (May 7, 2018) A lack of diversity and inclusion in science and medicine not only limits new forms of understanding, but who benefits from them.
COURSES
Share your research: How to give a good talk (2020) A free online course focused on how-to strategies and skills to create and deliver a good research talk. The course was built by scientists and communication experts, using documentary-style videos, case-studies, concrete advice, and focused assessments to guide learners through the process of building and confidently presenting a scientific talk. I was one of 4 course directors and content experts.
- SCOPE (Science Communication Online Programme) (2019) A NSF-funded free online course that introduces STEM graduate students to effective science communication. I was one of 10 curriculum developers, and created the Speaking and Writing Without Jargon module.
RECENT WORKSHOPS
Comunicación científica para audiencias no académicas (Science communication for non-academic audiences) (2019) University of Puerto Rico, Humacao and Cayey, PR
Storytelling for inclusion and equity (2019) Jackson Wild Media Lab, Jackson Wild Film Festival, Jackson, WY
Quiero ser científica (I want to be a scientist) (2019) 4-Day Bootcamp (in collaboration with the Uruguay Chapter of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World, the U.S. Embassy in Montevideo, and Plan Ceibal), Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
Storytelling: Crafting narratives to share your science (2018) 12th Annual Horizons Molecular Biology Career Fair, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
RECENT TALKS & PANELS
Catalyzing Empowered Communities and Public Engagement in Science (2021) Journal of Science Policy and Governance
Juntas Podemos: Conoce a Mónica Feliú-Mójer (Together, we can: Meet Mónica Feliú-Mójer) (2020) EcoExploratorio
A framework to make science communication more inclusive (2020) Colloquium, Department of Life Sciences Communication
Serving diverse audiences with science writing (2020) DC Science Writers Association
CRISPR, sickle cell disease, and society: A VR explainer and ethics discussion (2020) Bay Area Science Festival
Human Nature: A special pre-release conversation (2020) Science Entertainment Exchange of The National Academy of Sciences
Science communication to make science more equitable and inclusive (2020) Opening Keynote, Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) Annual Conference (Virtual)
Research and evidence-based practices for effective science communication (2019) Panel, Society for the Advancement of Chicano and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) National Conference, Honolulu, Hawai'i
Building public trust in the fake news era (2019) Panel, Science Talk, Portland, OR
Telling stories to change misconceptions about scientists (2019) Arthur M. Sackler Colloquia of the National Academy of Sciences, Irvine, CA
Presente y futuro de la comunicación científica en Puerto Rico (Present and future of science communication in Puerto Rico) (2019) Fireside Chat, 1st Puerto Rico Science Communication Meetup, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, San Juan, PR (video)
LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE
- Inclusive science communication in theory and practice: Special issue, Frontiers in Communication (2019 – 2020) Topic Editor
- Genetics Society of America, Public Communication & Engagement committee (2018) Member
- CAISE Research & Practice Task Force (2018 – 2020) Member
- #InclusiveSciComm Planning Committee (2018 – 2020) Member
- Support Systems for Scientists' Communication & Engagement Workshops (2017 – 2019) Participant
- Historias de #CienciaBoricua (2017) Co-organizer and Speaker
- Voices, Scientific American Blogs Network (2014) Founding Member
