Jason Zackowski, Science Teacher and Communicator, RDPSD
Jason Zakowski is currently the Science Department head at Lindsay Thurber High School in Alberta, Canada. He is a science communicator on Twitter through the huge account of Bunsen and Beaker - the science dogs! Jason is also the host of The Science Pawdcast, which mixes breaking science news, topical research with pets, and amazing interviews with scientists worldwide. In what spare time he has left, he enjoys hiking in the nearby mountains, paddleboarding in the summer and building replica costumes for Comic Cons.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Twitter. Our brand communicates science through the lens of dogs.
Twitter is the best for this as text-based communication, in bite-sized chunks, keeps up the fun idea that dogs are teaching you science. We find that many scientists are on Twitter and the core demographic that wants to learn science in this way is also on Twitter.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
I teach science and chemistry at a large high school, so science education is my passion. I love my day job and the skills. Being a teacher translated into being able to teach science online. I am the science curriculum head at my school, and I also love being in a leadership role.
Most of my free time is taken up by running the Twitter account for Bunsen and Beaker, cutting together the science podcast and hosting two Twitter spaces a week. It isn't a chore, and I love doing all of it. Currently, I am very excited about social audio, and we are starting to build a great community on Twitter for our two spaces.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
Science is like magic, but real. I love that it both answers some of the questions we have about the universe, is also at a loss to explain many other things in our life. This mystery, but the constant pursuit of the truth with the backing of evidence and logic, appeals to me deeply.
I love explaining this to people, and as my background allows me to break down science at a high level, I teach high school. I put on presentations at conventions to show teachers what they can do in their classroom to increase engagement. Science education is super rewarding and is always changing. I love it.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Do what you love. I am very lucky that I have gotten to this place in my life, but I am excited about every day that I wake up to teach science, communicate science and network with folks who love social audio and science. I love it.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
I am inspired by the breakthroughs of my colleagues in science. I am constantly inspired by the scientists I speak to on my podcast. I am motivated every single day to be the best part of my student's day. To have fun, make them feel good about themselves and learn more about the world around us.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
Currently, the success of Bunsen and Beaker. The dogs are adorable, and pictures of them without a science spin would still do well, but I have tapped into a method of education that mixes that cute content with real learning. The Science Pawdcast has developed a following that I'm really proud of too. All of this has spun into a merchandise store that has adorable stuff. Plus, we developed a stuffie of both of the dogs( with Bunsen stuffie 2.0 coming out this year)!
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
Currently, I love social audio! Voice chatting has been huge for networking.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
Teaching requires three things.
The ability to get information across in engaging ways.
Public Speaking.
Dealing quickly and on the fly with unexpected issues.
All three of these things has allowed me to explain science, do it engagingly, be a good speaker on the podcast/spaces and then also be able to riff and be spontaneous at the moment.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
Do not engage with anti-science trolls or people who are hardcore science deniers. I will never convince them with a dog account of anything. I lost sleep, debated for hours, and felt upset in the early days. Now I block, ignore, and they fade into the ether, never to cross my mind again.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
My fellow Spaces Hosts inspire me. They all bring something different to the table, and I've learned so much. I admire the scientists I have chatted with on my podcast for their passion and knowledge.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
Creativity is important, and I spend the spare time I have making replica costumes for comic cons. This includes 3-D printing, foam work, cutting, glueing, painting, you name it. I love it!
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
Overall it has been neutral. Teaching online has sucked. It sucked to teach online, and it sucked for kids. However, we all learned valuable lessons, and I think some of the things we did will stick around post-pandemic.
Luckily, I kept a job and a paycheck through all the madness. Nevertheless, the amount of anti-science nonsense on social media is very disheartening. People with huge megaphones have taken advantage of this time to sell snake oil and pit public health against "freedom".
This has been really shocking from someone who thought vaccine denial was a tiny fringe of our population, not 10-20% in some places.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
I've had older teachers help me with things. Kim Burley comes to mind. She was the first guest on my podcast and the smartest person I know.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
You have to put in the work. It takes hours to grow a social media account. It is hours to network and grow a podcast from just your family listening to other folks. Spaces hosts with large spaces are putting in the work networking and making a name for themselves. You have to be ready for the hustle and grind. The same goes for teaching. Good teaching is hard. It's easy to show a movie or give kids a worksheet or stand and lecture. It isn't good teaching.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Life. Life is busy. You have this idea to do something, but your life gets in the way. An unexpected pandemic, a car problem, family issues, stress. Some people say that people fail because they don't have the determination or something. IMO that's garbage. My life has been stable in the four years of growing our brand. You have to do the best you can with the time that is given to you.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
Science, Empathy, and Cuteness.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
Science Up First.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
Are you learning?
Are you better today than yesterday?
Are you happy with what you have created?
Not is it perfect, but is it good enough?
Good enough for you is just fine. If you ask yourself - did I do my best? Did I try, given the time and pressures in my life? Never compare yourself to others... unless it is to take inspiration and ideas! Ha!