AAAS — Science Journal Communications

AAAS / Science Journal: Science Communications and Media Relations

Senior Communications Officer for one of the world's most respected scientific institutions. More than 100 press conferences coordinated globally—from Washington to Tokyo, Paris to Oviedo. Co-hosted the first Science/AAAS podcast. Bilingual English-Spanish spokesperson at the Prince of Asturias Award ceremony, the ssame year Bob Dylan and Al Gore received honors in other categories. Research communications generating coverage in five languages across NBC News, Der Spiegel, New Scientist, and international outlets.

Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI—Carina Nebula, James Webb Space Telescope

100+

Press conferences coordinated

9

Countries with onsite pressers

5+

Languages of coverage

10+

Years at AAAS

1st

Science/AAAS podcast

Client: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) / Science journal

Role: Senior Communications Officer

Scope: Media relations; press release development; research communications; public engagement; Congressional outreach; international press conference coordination; strategic communications partnerships

Audiences: National and international press; policy makers; scientific community; general public

Coverage Generated: NBC News, New York Times, Der Spiegel, New Scientist, SciTechDaily, NeuroscienceNews, Phys.org, Seattle Times, Austin Statesman, and international outlets

Languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch

Onsite Pressers: Belgium, Switzerland, England (Birmingham and London), Canada (Ottawa and Montreal), Sweden, France, Germany, Japan, Spain—nine countries across four continents

Representative Work

Co-hosted the first Science/AAAS podcast with Stewart Wills— featured in The Scientist, June 2006, Vol. 20 No. 6, marking the launch of one of the world's premier scientific journals into audio media.

International press conference coordination and media outreach across France, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Spain, Japan, and the UK on behalf of Science/AAAS—representing the journal at the highest levels of global scientific communication.

Spanish-language spokesperson; pre-recorded video statement at Prince of Asturias Award ceremony, Oviedo, Spain (2007); hosted bilingual press conference in Spanish and English.

Produced first Science/AAAS press conference in Japan (Tokyo, Ministry of Education, 2012); co-authored press release with Kathy Wren; approximately 40 journalists from Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, NHK TV.

Co-managed the AAAS Annual Meeting Newsroom—coordinating the continuous stream of press conferences, award briefings, and live radio, television, and podcast interviews from the exhibition floor at the world's largest general scientific gathering.

Managed communications for the Science Newcomb-Cleveland Prize, generating national press coverage annually.

Managed communications for the annual AAAS International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge, co-sponsored with the National Science Foundation.

Conducted audio podcast interviews for Science prize winners for EurekAlert distribution, including Michael Yartsev (2013 Eppendorf and Science Prize for Neurobiology) and Eiman Azim (2014 Eppendorf and Science Prize for Neurobiology).

Research communications generating coverage in 5+ languages across NBC News, Der Spiegel, New Scientist, Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, and international outlets.

Selected Press Coverage Generated

AAAS.org: Science: Reduced Brain Connectivity May Be at Heart of Dyslexia (aaas.org/news/science-reduced-brain-connectivity-may-be-heart-dyslexia)

AAAS.org: Prize Winner Studies Bats to Find Ways to Control Disease Spread (aaas.org/news/prize-winner-studies-bats-find-ways-control-disease-spread)

AAAS.org: Science and JoVE Announce Scientific Video Partnership (aaas.org/news/science-and-jove-announce-scientific-video-partnership)

AAAS.org: Paper on Sleep's Restorative Effects Wins 2014 AAAS Newcomb-Cleveland Prize (aaas.org/news/paper-sleeps-restorative-effects-wins-2014-aaas-newcomb-cleveland-prize)

NBC News: How an Origami Robot Takes Shape (nbcnews.com/video/how-an-origami-robot-takes-shape-316008515856)

Der Spiegel (Germany): Fachmagazine -- Monopoly des Wissens (spiegel.de/wissenschaft/mensch/fachmagazine-monopoly-des-wissens-a-576313.html)

New Scientist (Netherlands): Oplossingen voor Open Access (newscientist.nl/nieuws/oplossingen-voor-open-access)

NeuroscienceNews: Memory Formation and Gene Suppression (neurosciencenews.com/memory-formation-gene-suppression-2799)

The Scientist Magazine: Featured—Science Podcast with hosts Stewart Wills and Natasha Pinol, June 2006, Vol. 20, No. 6 (the-scientist.com)

AAAS.org: NSF/AAAS 2009 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge Winners (aaas.org/news/nsf-aaas-announced-2009-international-science-and-engineering-visualization-challenge-winners)

EurekAlert (audio): Natasha Pinol Interviews Dr. Shigeki Watanabe, Eppendorf and Science Prize Winner (eurekalert.org/multimedia/737475)

EurekAlert (audio): Natasha Pinol Interviews Dr. Liron Bar-Peled, Science and SciLifeLab Prize Winner (eurekalert.org/multimedia/560865)

Muck Rack: Natasha Pinol journalist profile -- bylines at AAAS, NASA Blogs, SciTechDaily, Aerotech News (muckrack.com/natasha-pinol/articles)

What Colleagues Say

"It gives me great pleasure to unreservedly recommend Natasha. I have known and worked with her for the past 9+ years at AAAS and hold her, personally, as well as her work, in the highest regard. Natasha consistently shows unwavering dedication to her work, which she carries out with consummate professionalism, diplomacy, and decorum, important traits as she is often the face and voice of the organization for scientists, the press, and the general public."

-- Sean Sanders, Consultant, Science Communication | Formerly AAAS | March 2016

"I worked with Natasha frequently during my time as the online editor for the journal Science and always found her a fantastic source of ideas and information. Natasha helped us launch a half-hour show for Science focused on interviews, news and important research. The Science Podcast remains successful many years later under a different team—but Natasha helped get it off to a fine start."

-- Stewart Wills, Science Editor and Writer | Former Online Editor, journal Science | December 2023

"Natasha is a resourceful and experienced representative for the journal Science and AAAS. She has helped journalists from around the world, fielding queries about the latest research papers in the journal. Natasha works with grace under deadline pressure and is attentive to detail."

-- Earl Lane, Director Emeritus, AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards | March 2016