Occupation Author
blogger Name Maggie Koerth-Baker | Role Journalist Education University of Kansas | |
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Notable works Before the Lights Go Out: Conquering the Energy Crisis Before It Conquers Us Books Before the Lights Go Out: Conquering the Energy Crisis Before It Conquers Us, Mental Floss Presents Be Amazing Profiles | ||
Maggie Koerth-Baker (born 1981) is an American science journalist. She is a senior science editor at FiveThirtyEight and was previously a science editor at Boing Boing and a monthly columnist for The New York Times Magazine. Koerth-Baker is the author of the 2012 book Before the Lights Go Out: Conquering the Energy Crisis Before It Conquers Us.
Contents
- Background
- Blogging
- New York Times Column
- Other Publications
- Be Amazing
- Before the Lights Go Out
- Public Speaking
- References
She writes about "the intersection of science and culture, about studies she finds to be especially revealing or provocative, about human behavior and technological innovation and natural phenomena." Carl Zimmer referred to her as "one of the most innovative science writers at work today."
Background
Born in Kansas, Koerth-Baker now lives in Minneapolis with her husband. Koerth-Baker studied journalism and anthropology at the University of Kansas. In June 2014, Koerth-Baker was named one of two Nieman-Berkman Fellows in journalism innovation at Harvard University.
Blogging
At Boing Boing, Koerth-Baker specializes in science blogging and is known for her ability to explain science coherently and understandably while keeping it interesting. Before starting with Boing Boing, Koerth-Baker was an assistant editor at Mental Floss. A piece Koerth-Baker wrote for Boing Boing in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster explaining nuclear power plant operations was featured in the anthology The Best Science Writing Online 2012.
In June 2012, Koerth-Baker suffered a miscarriage. She wrote about her experiences with the social expectations and medical regulation surrounding abortions and miscarriage in a series of blog entries.
New York Times Column
Since August 2012, Koerth-Baker has written a monthly column for The New York Times called "Eureka". She writes about research of interest to the layperson about the intersection of science, technology, and culture.
Other Publications
Koerth-Baker has also contributed to magazines like Discover, Popular Science, and New Scientist, and on websites like Scientific American and National Geographic News.
Be Amazing
Released in 2009, Be Amazing: Glow in the Dark, Control the Weather, Perform Your Own Surgery, Get Out of Jury Duty, Identify a Witch, Colonize a ... Girl, Make a Zombie, Start Your Own Religion is a tongue-in-cheek self-improvement guide written with Will Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudur, the co-founders of Mental Floss.
Before the Lights Go Out
In 2012, Koerth-Baker published Before the Lights Go Out: Conquering the Energy Crisis Before It Conquers Us in which she examines the complexity of energy systems in the United States, the roadblocks to change, and the possibility of doing things differently.
Public Speaking
Maggie Koerth-Baker has given talks on "various topics, including the neurobiology of octopuses, what scientists can learn from science journalists, why the future of energy might be a little boring, and more. She is currently touring the United States talking about the past, present, and future of America’s electric infrastructure."