Episode 6 of the Neural Pathways podcast features Dr. Samantha Yammine, Founder of Science Sam Media. Listen to the full episode on Spotify.
Dr. Samantha Yammine, widely known as Science Sam, says that she wanted to be a scientist from a young age. She is now a neuroscientist and science communicator who uses social media, particularly Instagram, to make science more accessible and inclusive to all. Samantha was inspired to start this account during her PhD, initially to share her research with her friends, find a platform to express the importance of scientific discoveries, and show how multi-dimensional scientists can be. Over time, she realized that she had many interests outside of research and had a passion for distilling scientific information. This led her to found Science Sam Media in 2019, to further the scope of her science communication activities—including producing educational videos, leading interactive workshops, and appearing as a guest expert in various media outlets such as TVO Kids, Netflix, and CBC Radio.
Samantha discovered her interest in neuroscience early on in high school. “I learned the word ‘neuroscience’ and never looked back,” she explains. Later, she went on to complete her PhD at the University of Toronto, studying how stem cells build the brain during development and how they function in adulthood to maintain the various cells in the brain. Early on in her PhD, Samantha decided that she wanted to eventually be a PI and run her own lab. This changed, not because she stopped loving science and research, but because she realized that the lifestyle didn’t suit her. She began to explore other options, including consulting and careers in science policy. Her interest in science policy is what inspired her to begin sharing her research publicly on social media, in order to demonstrate a “return of investment” for the resources allocated to science. “If most of our research is publicly funded, then we really need to be engaging with folks, so they know where that money is going,” Samantha explains.
Samantha believes that she has many people who have guided her in small ways through different aspects of her career. Throughout graduate school, she attended many networking events, where she met people and organically built relationships with mentors. As a first generation in STEM, she says that learning how to build and maintain a network were very important skills that she had to gain. “It’s important to learn that it’s okay in a professional setting to be yourself and then let the business talk come later,” Samantha says. She also points out the value of being able to participate in social events and move past the feelings of awkwardness or discomfort, in order to learn how to build relationships with different types of people.
Science communication is a growing and evolving field, and there are many different ways to become involved with it, such as writing blogs, podcasting, coordinating outreach events, or posting on social media. For those interested in pursuing a science communication-related career, Samantha suggests starting in small ways by simply talking to people about science every day: friends, family, your Uber driver, or someone you met at a bar to find an audience and learn what people like to consume. “Just practice talking and figuring out what people are interested in. See what everyone else likes and see how you can make that into something that you like too.”
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