Posts by Christine Hoekenga
Christine is a freelance writer, editor, and content strategist, specializing in science and nature. She holds an Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and Media Studies and a Master's of Science Writing. She has been working in science communication and education for nearly a decade as a journalist, an organizer for conservation groups, and a museum educator. Before joining the Visionlearning team, she served as the New Media and Online Community Manager for the Webby award-winning Smithsonian Ocean Portal. Christine is assisting Visionlearning with developing new modules and glossary terms, managing the blog, and outreach through social media.
(60) results in Blog
April 6, 2015
Bugs to Dye for: The Colorful Science and History of Cochineal
What gives that red hue to your strawberry yogurt or the pinkish tint to the vitamin tablet you take every morning? It just might come from an insect. For hundreds of years, a small, parasitic bug...
February 21, 2015
Image of the Week: Picturing—and Preserving—Soundscapes
Shhh. Do you hear that? Last week at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in San Jose, CA, all eyes (and ears) were fixed on a new map from the National...
January 9, 2015
Nicolaus Steno: An Unlikely Geology Genius
Portrait of Nicolaus Steno as a bishop. Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons Nicolaus Steno could not have guessed that he would one day be known as a father of modern geology on the fateful day in October...
October 19, 2014
The Science of Sugar
With Halloween just around the corner, candy is on the brain. So it’s fitting that the American Chemical Society has chosen “The Sweet Side of Chemistry–Candy” as the theme for this year’s celebration of National Chemistry...
September 14, 2014
Meet Dreadnoughtus and Dendrogramma, New Species Great and Small
Last week, scientists announced two incredible discoveries of new species, one an enormous land animal and the other a tiny marine creature. Researcher Kenneth Lacovara with the skeleton of Dreadnoughtus schrani. Image: Kenneth Lacovara Measuring nearly...
August 17, 2014
Pieces of an Atmospheric Puzzle
Take two breaths. One came from the ocean. More specifically, it came from microscopic plant-like organisms known at phytoplankton, which produce half of Earth’s oxygen as they drift around the ocean (and other water bodies). Together...
July 18, 2014
Studying Food and Culture with Chemistry
Earlier this week a team of researchers from the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain published a paper in the journal PLOS ONE with new details about the diets of ancient people who lived in what is...
June 13, 2014
Video of the Week: Clues about our Origins from New Fossils of Prehistoric Fish
Getting a clear picture of our early evolutionary ancestors is challenging, in part because one of the biggest tools in reconstructing the past is fossil evidence. Fossils are very telling when it comes to bones, but...
May 16, 2014
Fixing (the Other) Gender Bias in Scientific Research
You’ve probably heard about research indicating that–despite significant progress–there is still a gender gap in science. Women are underrepresented in many STEM fields. They may face subtle biases from professors and potential mentors. And, on average,...
April 4, 2014
Tragedies in Science: The Terra Nova Expedition
On March 29, 1912, Captain Robert Falcon Scott made the final entry in his journal, which concluded: We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker, of course, and the end cannot...
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