Astronomy Graduate Student Wins National FameLab Astrobiology Competition

Brendan Mullan, a fifth-year graduate student in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, recently won NASA's National FameLab Astrobiology competition.

The event, dubbed a national science communication extravaganza, welcomed young scientists from across the country to compete to be named the best science communicator.

Sponsored by NASA's Astrobiology Program, the event is intended to encourage early career scientists to hone their skills in communicating complex scientific concepts to general audiences. Its main goal is to develop a network of like-minded science communicators in the United States that can collaborate, share experiences, and learn from each other as they all struggle to impress upon the public the fundamental importance of science in our modern world. Beginning in January, 70 early-career astrobiologists competed in FameLab preliminary competitions in Houston, Denver, Washington, D.C., and via YouTube. FameLab Astrobiology is an offshoot of International FameLab.

Contenders across the country had two, three-minute opportunities to explain a science topic of their choice to a public audience, using only props they could carry onstage – no PowerPoint slides or charts allowed. A panel of science and science communication experts were called on to judge the competitions. Mullan participated in the Washington, D.C., preliminary competition, where he presented two science-related concepts. “I talked about how the star Betelgeuse will explode as a supernova in the future and why it won't matter to us. I also presented a frat-tastic description of a mass extinction event that happened about 450 million years ago. In general I try to incorporate a lot of pop culture and (cheap) humor in my talks,” Mullan explained.

Eleven contestants, including Mullan, were chosen from the preliminaries to move on to the final round held in Atlanta, Georgia, at the annual Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) in mid-April.

“The eleven of us met the weekend before the finals in a two-day master class in science communication,” Mullan said. “We bonded almost immediately, and despite the looming competition, everyone was always friendly and supportive.”

Before the final competition, Mullan and the other finalists had an opportunity to meet Nichelle Nichols, renowned actress of Star Trek, who moderated the events. “Meeting her is definitely a highlight of my life,” Mullan said.

During the final round, the eleven contenders had only one, three-minute window to prove to be the best science communicator. “I pretended I was a real estate agent trying to sell the Earth to any interested aliens, and I was upset that no potential buyers had approached me yet. I used this angle as a gimmick to address the Fermi paradox — the unsettling reality that aliens have had more than enough time to communicate with or travel to our world, but we have no real evidence that anyone has tried,” Mullan said.

The judges were sold, and selected Mullan as the winner of the national competition. He will continue to the international Famelab Final at the Times Cheltenham Science Festival in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2012.

Despite being named best science communicator, Mullan is looking beyond the competition to other ways these scientists can give back to society.

“Regardless of who won, I think the real winner was science. What I'm excited about the most is this new group of like-minded science communicators we have. We're starting to exchange ideas for outreach activities, teaching strategies, and writing opportunities. Getting to meet all these tremendously talented writers, scientists, and communicators, and having the opportunity to continue learning from everyone's experiences in the future is easily the best victory of all.”

Mullan earned his bachelor of arts degree in physics and astronomy at Colgate University in 2007, and his masters of science in astronomy from Penn State in 2010. Currently pursuing his Ph.D., Mullan is studying how dense clusters of stars are born and survives in the wreckage of galaxy collisions many millions of light-years away.

Research isn’t Mullan’s career goal; his passion is science communication, which is why he chose to enter the FameLab competition. He has worked as a science journalist for Penn State Research Communications and as a freelance writer, covering developments in astronomy, biology, neuroscience, and materials science. He has also contributed to a number of encyclopedias, websites, news outlets, and magazines with topics ranging from the inner workings of the mind, to the far future of the universe, to cutting-edge innovations in Nordic skiing equipment.

In the classroom, Mullan has designed and taught several lab and lecture courses for undergraduate non-majors. He is also a frequent contributor to the astronomy department's outreach efforts, continually developing, coordinating, and performing new activities, demonstrations, and virtual tours for audiences of all ages.

For more information on the International FameLab competition, visit http://famelab.org/