Science author, blogger in residence Oct. 4-8

Author and blogger Jennifer Ouellette will visit the University of Wisconsin–Madison from Oct. 4-8 as Science Writer in Residence.

During her time on campus, Ouellette will visit classes and be available to meet with students, faculty, and staff to share her expertise in communicating science to the public. She will give a public lecture at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 5, in 4151 Grainger Hall, titled “Dangerous Curves: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Calculus.”

A former English major and converted mathophobe, Ouellette frequently writes about math and physics on the general science and culture blog Cocktail Party Physics and the Twisted Physics blog at Discovery News. She has also authored three popular science books: “Black Bodies and Quantum Cats: Tales from the Annals of Physics,” “The Physics of the Buffyverse” and most recently “The Calculus Diaries: How Math Can Help You Lose Weight, Win in Vegas, and Survive a Zombie Apocalypse.”

Ouellette has a special interest in the intersection of science and popular culture and is wrapping up a two-year stint as director of the Science & Entertainment Exchange, a National Academy of Sciences initiative intended to facilitate creative collaborations between scientists and entertainment industry professionals. She is active in science outreach and education efforts and has been known to draw upon her skill as a black belt in jujitsu to demonstrate the fundamentals of Newtonian physics.

The UW–Madison Science Writer in Residence Program was established in 1986 with the help of the Brittingham Trust and continues with support from the UW Foundation. Sponsored by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and University Communications, the program brings a leading science writer to campus each semester.