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Jennifer Ouellette
I'm an English major turned science writer, through serendipitous accident. It's been a wild ride since I first dipped a toe into physics, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I've written articles about molecular mixology, eggshell physics, black holes, the game theory of poker, pseudoscience,... show more
I'm an English major turned science writer, through serendipitous accident. It's been a wild ride since I first dipped a toe into physics, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I've written articles about molecular mixology, eggshell physics, black holes, the game theory of poker, pseudoscience, fractal patterns in the paintings of Jackson Pollock, the science of yodeling, and the acoustics of Mayan pyramids, among other colorful topics, for places like The Washington Post, Smithsonian, Slate, Mental Floss, New Scientist, Discover, Salon, and Nature. I maintain a science-and-culture blog at Scientific American called Cocktail Party Physics. The latter is my "writers laboratory," where I explore new topics and ways to communicate science. That's also how I met my husband, Caltech cosmologist Sean M. Carroll, author of the fabulous "The Particle at the End of the Universe" and "From Eternity To Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time").I've written four popular science books, aimed at readers like me (non-specialists who appreciate stories with their science). The most recent is "Me, Myself and Why: Searching for the Science of Self," detailing my quest to illuminate everything that goes into shaping the people we become. Other books: "The Calculus Diaries : How Math Can Help You Lose Weight, Win in Vegas, and Survive a Zombie Apocalypse;" "The Physics of the Buffyverse"; and "Black Bodies and Quantum Cats: Tales from the Annals of Physics." I also edited the 2012 anthology "The Best Online Science Writing."From November 2008 through October 2010, I was director of the National Academy of Sciences' program, The Science & Entertainment Exchange, founded to foster creative collaborations between scientists and the entertainment industry: http://www.scienceandentertainmentexchange.org. I like to think I made a difference, but I also got to meet Ridley Scott. So that's a win-win in my book.You can read more about me at my Website: http://www.jenniferouellette-writes.com, and at my blog: http://www.blogs.scientificamerican.com/cocktail-party-physics.
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Community Reviews
Kaethe
Kaethe rated it 9 years ago
Yes, it took me more than two years to finish this. Not because the quality isn't high, just because I got sucked in to something else, and the Kindle organization sucks. No, this is great. Several names I recognize from blogs and books, others that are new, and a good range of the kinds of scienc...
katiewilkins186
katiewilkins186 rated it 11 years ago
Many books claim that the author will be funny but until you start reading, it’s hard to know if that author’s sense of humor will work for you. As soon as I started this, I could tell that Ouellette was an author whose writing style appeals to my sense of humor. Although I’m still working on my abi...
Betsy's Non-Blog
Betsy's Non-Blog rated it 14 years ago
This book is well written and many of her stories are enjoyable, but on the whole it was a disappointment. I loved math as a teenager. I would stay after school with a couple friends to do impromptu math competitions. When I got to college, I initially planned to major in math. But after my thir...
NotYourAverageJenn
NotYourAverageJenn rated it 14 years ago
Well, for a math book it was pretty good! I read it for extra credit in my Survey of Mathematics class. (Yeah, I needed the extra points! LOL)Ouellette uses a humorous approach, relate-able stories, and history to tell about the practical uses of calculus. Did you know that the process of "balancing...
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