James takes science to the world

Science

A passion for science and communication has led University of Adelaide student James Byrne to be appointed an official blogger for the new online community of the prestigious magazine Scientific American.

James, 24, is currently studying for his PhD in the School of Molecular & Biomedical Science. He's also employed as an Associate Lecturer by the University's Faculty of Sciences to teach undergraduate biology classes, primarily to first-year science and medical students.

James has now joined a network of science writers from across the globe to contribute to Scientific American's blog, sharing news and views on the latest science with the rest of the world. He's the only science writer from Australia - and the only one in the Southern Hemisphere - to become an official writer for the magazine's online community.

James began his science writing just two years ago, starting with columns for the "Can You Believe It?" section in The Advertiser.

He then established a blog with friend and fellow PhD student Thomas Tu (www.diseaseoftheweek.wordpress.com) and then moved on to his own blog with Field of Science (http://diseaseprone.fieldofscience.com), a highly regarded, independent scientific blogging community.

It was from there that he was recruited to the new Scientific American community.

"Science communication is a passion for me," James said.

"Currently I'm able to explore that passion through my teaching and writing, but I'm hoping to one day secure permanent work as a scientific communicator.

"Writing is a very convenient platform for science communication, but I'd be happy to talk about science through any medium," he said.

"Being able to communicate to a classroom or the general public the wonder and importance of science is an absolute joy. I love being able to raise awareness of how science impacts on every aspect of our lives."

For his PhD, James is conducting research in the laboratories of Professor James Paton and Associate Professor Renato Morona. He's studying how the pathogenic bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (a major cause of pneumonia, meningitis and many other health conditions) makes a structure called the capsular polysaccharide.

"The capsular polysaccharide is known to be essential for the full virulence of this dangerous human pathogen, and preventing its construction could lead to novel treatments or therapies," he said.

James graduated from the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Microbiology and Immunology, which he completed in 2007.

The Scientific American blog network can be found at: blogs.scientificamerican.com, and James's blog can be found at: blogs.scientificamerican.com/disease-prone

Story by David Ellis

For more information about studying Science at the University of Adelaide go to: ua.edu.au/programs/2011 or visit Open Day Sunday 21 August. adelaide.edu.au/openday