Erin Winick - Science Communicator

05/07/2024

The look of the week: rain coat, boots, and camera. 🎥

03/07/2024

Meet one of the newest robotic ocean explorers, MARUM QUEST 5000! The remotely operated vehicle (ROV) will continue the legacy of MARUM QUEST 4000 which has operated on numerous science expeditions for more than 20 years. The new addition to the ROV fleet has a higher payload capacity, more powerful gripper arms and a hydraulic drive, and the ability to dive to 5000 meters, hence its name.

So cool to see this robot at before its first dive! 🌊🤖

01/07/2024

Kicking off a science and rock filled week in Bremen, Germany! I’m attending and documenting the sampling party for Expedition 401, the ocean expedition I sailed on earlier this year.
This week the researchers I sailed with will be taking around 16,000 samples of the rock cores we collected while at sea. These samples will then travel back to all of the scientists home laboratories for analysis for each of their projects. We’re in Bremen because all of the core gathered from ocean expeditions in the Atlantic and Mediterranean is stored here. That means more than 175km of rock core are in this one building!
I’m here to make some longer videos on the sampling party itself and the core repository as a whole. And of course I’ll be filming some social media content while I’m here too.
We’ve got an exciting week ahead!

29/06/2024

What did this month look like working as a full-time science communicator? It’s time for my monthly roundup of what I did this month running STEAM Power Media!

🌴Well first, I took the first week of the month off! I went down to Florida to visit family, and got to see 2 rocket launches while I was there. Confidentially, I posted a simple video my husband took of one of the launches and it now has more than 600K views on TikTok. You never know what content will do well.

🎥I did a lot of work for Mission Unstoppable this month. I’m working on a bunch of science YouTube video scripts with them and can’t wait to see them come out. I also recorded a few social media videos for them as well.

📹Filmed 3 social media videos, and a longer form video with my new camera for Wormhole Pinball. It was really fun to test out my new equipment and make fun pinball content for a place where I’ve developed such a great community.

🌖I continued my work with Astrolab, helping with their social media. I shared some employee profiles and got to learn a bit more about some of their technology for some upcoming content. I’ll be traveling out to their office in Hawthorne, CA next month!

👨‍🚀I was invited to check out The Infinite VR experience in downtown Houston. This was actually my 3rd time there, but it was super cool to see some of the new elements this time like their footage of Artemis 1 and the actual cameras they used to record in space.

🌌I been helping with planning for the upcoming Reinvented Magazine STEM Fashion show! Specifically, I designed the trophies for the student competition, picked out my outfit, and have been coordinating with the competitors for the student competition.

✍️I relaunched my personal newsletter and created a few social media videos for my channels, as well as one for FIRST Robotics. I even passed 40K Instagram followers this month!

⚙️Wrote an article for Engineering.com

🤝On the business side of things. I worked on getting liability and personal property insurance for my company and submitted my estimated taxes for quarter 2. I also did a lot of planning for 3 work trips I’m taking next month!

Next month is going to be an eventful one, so can’t wait to share.

29/06/2024

Time to start the trek to Bremen, Germany to reunite with the JOIDES Resolution Expedition 401 crew!

This week is the sampling party, where the whole science team comes together and takes samples of all the rock cores we took during our expedition, and then brings them back to their home labs. We’ll be taking thousands of samples over the course of the week.

And I’ll be there to document the whole thing! Expect some short and long form videos coming your way soon.

28/06/2024

Shoutout to my friend .lummus who is on the new season of The Mole on , premiering today! I met Melissa a few years ago when I was traveling for work to Nashville and decided to go to a local pinball tournament. Since then Melissa has come down to , tournaments and the ! She’s been an awesome co-commentator. It’s really incredible how the pinball community travels and spans all around the globe.
Can’t wait to watch your Mole adventure, Melissa!

24/06/2024

It may seem far off, but humans are heading back to the Moon and soon! Big space goals are often set far in the future and delayed a number of times, but that phenomenon also makes them really sneak up on you once they are finally ready to actually happen. Keep tabs on Artemis 2 because it might be on the books for 2026 right now, but that incredible crew will be lifting off before you know it. 🌖

Picture taken at .theinfinite this past Friday. Their main focus is their VR exhibit, but it was also really cool to see the footage they shot of the Artemis 1 launch! I definitely need to see that rocket lift off in person. 👀🚀

24/06/2024

Got my high score on Taxi this weekend during a pinball tournament! Over 5.5 million. 🚕

24/06/2024

Happy Women in Engineering Day! ⚙️ You never know where an engineering degree will take you. I got my mechanical engineering degree because I love making things. I just make very different things now! Videos, online articles, 3D printed creations, etc. But my engineering degree has been key to so many of my successes. It’s helped me get a job writing for MIT Tech Review. Get an incredible fellowship opportunity with Jackson Wild. Earn that job offer at NASA. Demonstrate I could operate in a technical environment like a ship at sea. The chance to write for Engineering.com. That credential has gotten me in so many doors and conversations I wouldn’t have been in otherwise.

So even if I’m not designing in CAD every day or running simulation software, my engineering degree is still so key to what I do.

A shoutout to all of the incredible women around the world who are also putting their engineering degree to good use designing and innovating our future!

Erin with 3D printer image credit
NASA portrait credit to NASA

20/06/2024

After 5 years, my STEAM Power newsletter is back! Get updates on my projects, as well as the latest in STEAM news! 📧Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/cW4ebz

20/06/2024

Congratulations Dr. Norah Patten! You are headed to space!!! 5 years ago, Norah and I met at the Dublin Tech Summit. We instantly bonded over space fashion since we both had worn cosmic dresses. We talked a lot about how much she wanted to go to space and become an astronaut, but that she wasn't exactly sure to do that because no one from Ireland had ever been to space before. But Norah was determined to find a way to make it happen, and it has been incredible to follow her journey since then.

Now she is going to be Ireland's first astronaut! Norah is flying aboard a Virgin Galactic launch! She's headed to space for science alongside and . I'm constantly amazed by the era of space we live in. If you dedicate yourself to the task, you can find a way to space. It isn't easy by any means! All of the women on this flight have worked incredibly hard to realize this dream. But access to space is opening up, and I can't wait to see where it goes from here.

18/06/2024

41 years ago today, Sally Ride lifted off in Space Shuttle Challenger becoming the first American woman in space. That was before I was born, but she still serves as such a strong inspiration to many like me. Sally was an incredibly brave, smart woman who cared deeply about STEM outreach and inspiring the next generation of scientists as well. All of the original 6 women astronauts were truly inspirational, and I highly recommend Loren Grush recent book, The Six, that highlights all of their stories.

Thanks to my Aunt Jenny for passing this signed Sally Ride photo on to me a few years ago to add to my small collection of astronaut headshots I’ve acquired during my time in Houston!

18/06/2024

41 years ago today, Sally Ride lifted off in Space Shuttle Challenger becoming the first woman in space. That was before I was born, but she still serves as such a strong inspiration to many like me. Sally was an incredibly brave, smart woman who cared deeply about STEM outreach and inspiring the next generation of scientists as well. All of the original 6 women astronauts were truly inspirational, and I highly recommend ’s recent book, The Six, that highlights all of their stories.

Thanks to my Aunt Jenny for passing this signed Sally Ride photo on to me a few years ago to add to my small collection of astronaut headshots I’ve acquired during my time in Houston!

17/06/2024

Happy Father's Day to this awesome guy who bought me LEGO and Hotwheels (definitely not because he wanted to play with them too), attempted to launch model rockets with me in the park (it didn't actually lift off but it sure is a great pic of us excited beforehand, right? lol), endured Rudy yelling at him while spending a lot of quarters learning to play the Funhouse pinball machine at Mel's Hot Dogs in Florida, and so much more. I'm lucky to have you in my life.

14/06/2024

Two eras of human space exploration, 13 years apart. I love seeing these photos side-by-side. 🚀🚀

One was taken before my senior year of high school when my mom and I road tripped to the other coast Florida to see "The space shuttle spreads its wings one final time," as NASA commentator Rob Navias said.

The other was taken just last week as my husband got to see his first crewed launch as Boeing's Starliner carried astronauts to the ISS for the first time.

I'm hoping to add the next picture to this series the SLS carries Artemis astronauts to the Moon for the first time! Fingers crossed it's here before we know it.

12/06/2024

One of my favorite parts of starting my own small business is being able to support other local startups! I had a blast traveling to College Station, Texas earlier this year to capture a milestone day for Mobi Waste, a company that has created a suite of portable trash grinders aiming to reduce waste and the environmental impact of trash.

Check out the full video I filmed and created for them here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDQ2EdCDkbM

08/06/2024

I made a great new friend while hiking in Florida this week! 🪶🐦 Say hi to Jay!

05/06/2024

Got to take this guy to his first rocket launch! 🚀 And he actually got to see two launches in 12 hours! No matter how many rocket launches I’ve seen, it is still always an incredible experience. But what makes it even better is sharing it with people seeing their first ever liftoff. So so cool to see Starliner liftoff from Florida today, and we got a bonus SpaceX Starlink launch last night. Thanks Florida for behaving and giving us some great weather.

05/06/2024

I’m in Florida hoping to see Starliner liftoff this morning! 🤞Third time is the charm! 🚀

03/06/2024

If life had gone a different way, my other dream job would’ve been designing rollercoasters.🎢 Growing up in Florida, not only was I surrounded by Space Shuttle launches, I was also surrounded by amusement parks! And the best-of-the-best for coasters (in my biased opinion) was my home town amusement park, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The summer that the rollercoaster SheiKra opened here, I rode it more than 200 times. This park, its rides, and the Florida summer heat just feels like home. Whenever I’m back in Tampa, I have to come and ride all the new rides I’ve missed since I was last here.

Riding Iron Gwazi, Cobra’s Curse, and the Serengeti Flyer were an absolute blast today. Of course while fitting in some classics as well. I just missed their newest coaster, Phoenix Rising, which should be opening soon, but that just means I need to plan another trip back. Until next time, Busch Gardens! And thanks to all the engineers and roller coaster designers who did go down that career path and that make these incredible creations a reality.

03/06/2024

The Apple Vision Pro is often looked at in the context of consumers and how many individuals will purchase these headsets for personal use. But how might they make an impact on engineering? In my latest article for engineering.com I dove in to see:

It’s early days, but the new spatial computing headset is already making headway into engineering workflows.

31/05/2024

Middle and high school students! Looking for a fun weekend maker project? How about making a wearable tech or STEM inspired accessory for submission to the Reinvented Magazine Tech Runway Student Competition! Grab your library's 3D printer or some LED lights and create something magical.

Deadline is Monday, June 3, so you've got just enough time left to create your design.

Winners get tickets to the Reinvented Magazine fashion show, a trophy, swag bag, and more! Learn more about the competition here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdbaJ_0KA0ZSlcIJlItylefvCSG6jVkTzONy3POwrNXnRntiw/viewform

Learn more about the fashion show here: https://www.reinventedmagazine.com/stem-fashion-show

30/05/2024

What does a science communicator do on a monthly basis? It’s time for a wrap up of what I worked on in May leading STEAM Power Media!

🎥I invested in a bunch of new camera equipment! I’ve been wanting to up my production quality for a number of projects, so I purchased a Pocket 4K Cinema Camera, corresponding lens, tripod, batteries, memory cards, etc. I can’t wait to put it to use on some upcoming projects.

📸On the other side of the camera tech spectrum, I grabbed a disposable camera to take pics of the Space Camp pinball tournament for ! Can’t wait to see these when they get developed.

🌖I continued my work with .space, supporting their social media a few hours a week. I made some videos and gave a presentation on first month social media analytics.

🍎I made 4 more TikTok videos for Chegg Physics.

⚙️I wrote an article for Engineering.com on the current uses of the Apple Vision Pro headset for engineers. The article just published today!

🕹️Helped run their Facebook live behind the scenes factory tour. I think this went really well!

📹I recorded a couple videos for CBS Mission Unstoppable’s social media channels, and kicked off supporting them on a new project I’m super excited about.

🏆I was nominated for a Women in Space Award! Sadly I didn’t make the finals, but thanks to all of you who voted.

🎉I hit 30K followers on Instagram and continued making a bunch of content for myself! There was a lot of pinball content this month since I went to so many tournaments. More space and science content coming next month. 🙂

💰Honestly, I spent a bunch of time following up with clients that were overdue on paying invoices this month. The reality of not having a standard paycheck! I also had a number of conversations with future clients I’m pumped for.

And now I’m taking a week off next week! So I’m getting a few things scheduled while I go visit family. Here’s to another awesome month of scicomm and pinball work in June!

Do you all like these recaps? Let me know if you want to hear more or less about any of this.

26/05/2024

After 3 days, 4 pinball tournaments, and 2 intense finals at Space Camp, I took home 2nd place in the Best Game tournament and 3rd place in the Main tournament! An absolutely incredible and exhausting pinball filled weekend at .

The women in all of the tournaments played PHENOMENAL. It was an absolute battle to the end. I’m constantly so impressed watching them play. High scores were going on machines all over the place and that is a tough task at Wormhole. Congrats to Alice for taking first in both the best game and main tournament!!!

A huge thanks to for organizing the event, Wormhole for hosting, and and a crew of commentators for streaming when I couldn’t hop on while playing!

Oh, and the Pinball Girl shirt has officially made its debut! Thanks so much to .b for surprising me with it on Friday! I love it.

📸

25/05/2024

Time for my favorite pinball weekend of the year: Space Camp! The pinball tournament series where my 2 loves come together. 1 tournament complete, 2 in progress, 1 more tonight, and streaming finals tomorrow!

20/05/2024

Happy National Women in Aerospace Day! A shoutout to so many incredible women I’ve gotten to work with in the space industry. I’m thankful for these friends, coworkers, and role models that inspire me everyday.

I feel so privileged to have gotten to meet some incredible women leading aerospace ranging from the head of , Vanessa Wyche, and some of our awesome astronaut corps. I can’t wait to see which will be the first woman to step foot on the Moon. 🚀🌖

20/05/2024

Happy Monday! What are you all making this week? Got any fun projects in the works? I’m planning on finishing this set today!

15/05/2024

I won a pinball tournament last night! 🥇I won in the finals with an epic battle of Erin vs Aaron. Aaron played great all tournament and put up quite a last ball on Beat Time, but I just squeaked it out!

I love playing with this whole crew. The tournaments are smaller at this location (14 people last night as compared to many other tournaments I go to around here with 40+ people), but that’s kind of what is great about them. A relaxed, fun group that loves hanging out with some friendly competition each week. Thanks to them all for always cheering me on in my wins!

13/05/2024

I’m a nominee for the Women’s Space Awards for my Education and Outreach! I’d be honored if you would consider voting for me here: https://www.womensaerospace.com/awards