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ATGthePodcast 338 - A Conversation with Phillip Ball, Freelance Science Writer
Today's episode features guest host Michael Upshall (guest editor, Charleston Briefings) who talks with Phillip Ball, Freelance Science Writer.
Phillip spent over 20 years as an editor with the journal Nature and is a celebrated British science writer who has authored over 30 books on diverse topics like quantum physics, systems biology, alchemy, invisibility, and why music has an effect on us. He is also a regular columnist for Chemistry World and BBC Future.
In this conversation, Phillip talks with Michael about his background. He began writing books as a young child in a shed in his garden. However, he didn't initially set out to get a degree in writing, but chose science instead for his PhD, training first as a chemist and then as a physicist. When he found that he was one of the few people who enjoyed writing his thesis, he decided to combine his interest in science and his passion for writing for his career, joining Nature early on.
Phillip also talks about where his interest in science originated, the changes in Nature over the years, research culture, current obstacles in science, and the role of institutions and libraries in the promotion of open science and good research practice.
The video of this interview can be found here: https://youtu.be/Ksv-FiAMTt8
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mupshall/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mupshall/)
Twitter:
Keywords: #NatureJournal #ScienceWriting #ScienceJournalism #SciComm #OpenScience #SystemsBiology #ScienceBooks #ResearchCulture #ResearchCommunity #ScienceInSociety #SciencePhilosophy #HistoryofScience
#InformationProfessionals #AcademicLibraries #AcademicInnovation #FutureOfLibraries #career #scholcomm #ScholarlyCommunication #libraries #librarianship #LibraryNeeds #LibraryLove #ScholarlyPublishing #AcademicPublishing #publishing #LibrariesAndPublishers #podcasts
5 Oct 2026
ATGthePodcast 337 - A Conversation with Jonathan Grunert, Scholarly Publishing Librarian, University at Buffalo
Today's episode features guest host Michael Upshall (guest editor, Charleston Briefings) who talks with Jonathan Grunert, Scholarly Publishing Librarian, University at Buffalo.
Jonathan began his career by teaching high school immediately after college, until he realized that it wasn't the career for him. He decided to seek a higher education degree, and the first degree he landed on was library science. A senior seminar on the history of science sparked his interest and led him to pursue a doctorate at Virginia Tech in Science and Technology Studies, and a master's degree in history as well, writing his dissertation on the history of museum taxidermy in natural history museums in the United States. In his current role at University at Buffalo, Jonathan is responsible for setting up and managing the library publishing program, UB ScholarWorks, that was launched in 2023. He talks with Michael about working to advance the idea of publishing open access with authors and researchers, why institutions set up their own publishing, and how library publishing compares with university presses.
The video of this interview can be found here: https://youtu.be/6z-dXSM9BdI (https://youtu.be/6z-dXSM9BdI)
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-grunert-73696271/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mupshall/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mupshall/)
Twitter:
Keywords: #LibraryPublishing #DigitalScholarship #OpenAccess #OpenScience #InformationScience #HigherEd #InformationProfessionals #AcademicLibraries #AcademicInnovation #FutureOfLibraries #career #scholcomm #ScholarlyCommunication #libraries #librarianship #LibraryNeeds #LibraryLove #ScholarlyPublishing #AcademicPublishing #publishing #PublishingIssues #LibrariesAndPublishers #podcasts
28 Sept 2026
ATGthePodcast 336 - A Conversation with Harry Collins, Professor Emeritus, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University
Description for Show Notes:
Today's episode features guest host Michael Upshall (guest editor, Charleston Briefings) who talks with Harry Collins, Professor Emeritus, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University.
Harry is one of the most distinguished academics involved in the sociology of science and has authored 25 books throughout his career. He earned his master's in sociology from Essex University, went on to earn his PhD in the same field, and spent 45 years studying one group of physicists working to detect gravitational waves. In this conversation, he talks with Michael about the Bath School Approach, to deeply analyze how scientific facts are socially constructed. He also talks about a book he stumbled across by accident, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn, and how it gave science a sociological face and helped people to begin to think of science in a new way. Harry also talks about the shifting attitudes towards science since the 60's and 70's, and about his well-known book from 1993, The Golem: What Everyone Should Know About Science, in which he describes science as social, explains what this means, and tells how this book led to a conversation with the director of gravitational physics at the National Science Foundation about the new field.
The video of this interview can be found here: https://youtu.be/Z69xPv0zEZg (https://youtu.be/Z69xPv0zEZg)
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/harry-collins-9472a6179/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mupshall/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mupshall/)
Keywords: #SociologyOfScience #SocialSciences #SocialConstruction #SciencePhilosophy #ScienceStudies #HistoryOfScience #ScienceAndSociety #InformationScience #HigherEd #InformationProfessionals #AcademicLibraries #AcademicInnovation #FutureOfLibraries #career #scholcomm #ScholarlyCommunication #libraries #librarianship #LibraryNeeds #LibraryLove #ScholarlyPublishing #AcademicPublishing #publishing #PublishingIssues #LibrariesAndPublishers #podcasts
Who has been a guest on Against the Grain - The Podcast
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Stephen Webster
David Worlock
Liam Bullingham
Richard Sever
Richard Jefferson
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Podcast Authority Score: 61 / 100
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Engagement
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Michael Upshall host the show. Published by Annual Reviews.
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