Science Homecoming

Join us for a lunch discussion with Steven Piantadosi, one of the co-founders of Science Homecoming, a grassroots movement that encourages scientists to write opinion pieces for their local newspapers as a way of advocating for science funding… particularly from government agencies like the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National institutes of Health (NIH). They encourage scientists to share personal stories of their upbringing and their science in terms relatable to their hometowns, and they provide them with resources like templates, editor support, and tools to help them demonstrate how science benefits their local communities. The goal is to build support for science research in smaller towns by reaching a broader audience than large urban newspapers can… and with dozens of op-eds published in local outlets across more than 30 states, they are well on their way to reaching a wide cross-section of the population.  Science comes from every town, belongs to everyone, and is critical to our nation’s success… it is worth the investment.  Caltech Y Student Activism Speaker Series (SASS) Lunches are open to any member of the Caltech affiliated community; however, if space becomes an issue, priority will be given to students.   Views expressed are solely those of the speaker(s).  Questions can be directed to caltechy@caltech.edu 

Steven T. Piantadosi has undergraduate degrees in mathematics and linguistics from UNC Chapel Hill. He earned his Ph.D. at MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, working on learning models and psycholinguistics. Following that, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Rochester where he learned infant research methods, before staying on there as faculty. In 2018 he moved to UC Berkeley, where he heads the Computation and Language Lab. His current work including developing and testing learning models for language and mathematics, as well as fieldwork in the Amazon with indigenous populations.