when darcy gentleman was 15, he watched a rerun of carl sagan’s “cosmos,” a series that attempted to explain the origins of life and the universe. he was hooked, and so began a decades-long career in science. 

now, gentleman will join the planet forward team as the education lead, where he will build and maintain strong relationships with our pillar and 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 schools and work to expand planet forward’s reach around the world. 

gentleman, who has a ph.d. in chemistry, brings to planet forward not only his immense experience in the scientific world, but also his work teaching scientists and others how to better communicate their ideas, research and findings with the public.

“we are absolutely thrilled to add darcy, with his expertise as both a communicator and a storyteller, to our team,” said kim ossi, planet forward associate director. “there’s nothing more important to planet forward than our relationships with our schools, and darcy’s going to take that engagement to a new level.”

“science and sustainability need to be as much a part of [societal decision making] as economic policy or urban planning or what type of government you want to have,” gentleman said. “it’s how we learn how to live, to have the life expectancies that we do, to use the technologies that we do. so whether people consider it on a daily basis or not, it is on a daily basis considered and applied in many of the things that touch us.”

gentleman graduated from the university of toronto in 1999 with a bachelor of science in planetary science, a degree program that he helped create, convincing faculty from the astronomy, physics, geology and chemistry departments to work with him on crafting the coursework. he went on to earn his doctorate in analytical chemistry from arizona state university in 2003, where he conducted nasa-funded research using spectroscopy involving fiber optics to measure salt content in water.

after finishing his research at arizona state, gentleman’s career pivoted to telling others about science and the impact that scientific research has on government policy and the public’s daily lives. as a managing editor at the american chemical society, gentleman shepherded editorial content for the journals environmental science & technology, and the journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

he later began offering science communication workshops to students around the country, eventually leading one for george washington university professor chris cahill’s class in 2018. cahill, who is now the chair of gw’s chemistry department, was impressed, and gentleman began teaching science communication as an adjunct professor of chemistry at gw in 2019.

shortly after gentleman started teaching in gw’s chemistry department, he had his first encounter with planet forward.

“through that work … i met, all across the university, as many schools and administrators as i could get a chance with, and that’s how i became exposed to planet forward,” he said. “so in that sense, i’ve been aware of and a fan of planet forward for five or six years.”

“a huge part of planet forward’s mission is to provide both the storytelling outlet and the instruction to students who know a lot and care about our environment, but who don’t necessarily have the skills yet to communicate that knowledge effectively,” said planet forward founding director frank sesno.

as an expert in science communication, gentleman said he is most excited about finding even more ways to bridge the gap between scientists and the public in his new role at planet forward. he explained that scientists aren’t always taught how to communicate their research to the public in a way that is easily digestible.

though he doesn’t agree with the notion that scientists aren’t good communicators, as is often believed by some outside of scientific circles; he contends that scientists are actually communicating all the time. whether it’s writing peer-reviewed research articles or reports to be shared with other scientists, the profession’s communications are often destined for audiences already familiar with core concepts. the disconnect, he explained, comes when scientific jargon is not clearly defined for a broader audience.

“if you’re speaking with a scientist who isn’t used to engaging with non-scientists, or hasn’t prioritized that, then it’s just not that understandable,” he said. “that realization has come into teaching science and engineering more and more, and that’s why the importance of science communications has gone up over the years.”

gentleman is confident that in his role at planet forward, connecting with students, scientists, and institutions across the globe, he can help both journalists and scientists become stronger storytellers about some of the planet’s most pressing issues.

”it’s very possible to tell a story about climate that has very little science in it whatsoever. it’s also very possible to tell a story that is entirely science and has very little human aspect in it,” gentleman said. “the thing that’s so exciting about environmental and climate reporting is that most stories are going to have a mix of both.”

gentleman’s role will include maintaining and growing university relationships and building enhanced curriculum for schools in the planet forward 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 .

“from a training perspective, whether it’s how to talk to a scientist to get useful content out of them … [or] teaching student correspondents how to ask the questions,” gentleman said, “we can help [students and scientists] find planet forward as a platform where conversations, stories and reporting can inform the growing examples of good science and give a voice to those who care so deeply about our environment.”