TED Talk

Science in service to the public good on TED.com

Columns and Op-Eds

A compiled version of these writings is posted on Because, my newsletter.

Who dares to speak up? An interview with Tuskegee whistleblower Peter Buxtun

American Scientist (with Marc Edwards and Carol Yang), 2021

What can we learn from misinformation on scientific matters in the water space?

International Water Association invited column, 2020

From Sewage Sludge, a New Perspective on the Flint Water Crisis

Undark (with Marc Edwards; syndicated: Mother Jones), 2020

Flint Water Crisis shows the dangers of a scientific dark age

CNN (with Marc Edwards), 2019

Intègres comme des coureurs du Tour de France

Books (with Marc Edwards; in French), 2018

Science is a public good in peril - Here’s how to fix it

Aeon (with Marc Edwards), 2017

Write Consumer Confidence Reports customers can understand

OpFlow (with Katherine Phetxumphou, Brenda Davy, et al.), 2017

The Hand-in-Hand Spread of Mistrust and Misinformation in Flint

American Scientist (feature article), 2017

We helped uncover a public health crisis in Flint, but learned there are costs to doing good science

The Conversation (with William J. Rhoads and Rebekah Martin; syndicated: PBS, Scientific American), 2016


Science Documentaries and Hollywood Movies

PBS® NOVA® ‘Poisoned Water’↗ (winner of the AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award) Netflix↗

Virginia Tech documentary ‘Cicero’↗

FLINT↗ (Hulu; factual inaccurate but entertaining)


As Executive Producer (with Marc Edwards)

The Public-inspired Science Podcast iTunes↗

The US Water Study documentary series (w/ documentarian Erica Corder). YouTube↗

As Research Website Creator/Curator

The US Water Study Team Visit↗

Flint Water Study Visit↗ (1M+ web traffic; Read a paper on my public engagement via Twitter)

As Organizer/Moderator

“Fighting the Coronavirus Pandemic: Evidence based Approaches from Environmental Engineers” Webinar (July 2020) on YouTube↗

“The Science and Politics of Journal Retractions: A Conversation with Ivan Oransky of Retraction Watch” Webinar (May 2022) on YouTube↗

As Documentarian/Videographer

Flint Water Study - A visual ode to environmental engineers Watch↗ (2nd Prize: AEESP National Video Competition 2015-16)

Water sampling in Flint, Mich.↗ and California public schools↗

MacArthur Foundation 100&Change grant proposal video↗


Last updated: July 2022