My public engagement includes online writing, Twitter engagement, and talks, interviews, and hands-on activities with a variety of audiences. I completed the newly developed Science Communication Certificate at University of Illinois in 2017, and mentored graduate students and postdocs in completing the certificate from 2017-2020.
You can read my Philosophy of Science Communication, experiences with observing Twitter outreach via #2017MMM, and my experience Tweeting Science with Biotweeps.
I recently did a TEDxMarquetteU talk, Who Gets to Be Our Conservation Heroes?
You can find me on Twitter @MARspidermonkey. With a group of primatologists across the globe, I also help moderate @Primatweeps, a Twitter account devoted to sharing primatology facts through games. Make sure you follow to catch our Tuesday’s #PrimatePlaytime, where we share primate facts through #GuessThe Primate, #GuessTheInfant, and #PrimateTrivia games!
Webinars and Talks
Why narratives matter for decolonizing primatology. IUCN Section on Human-Primate Interactions “Decolonising Primate Conservation” webinar. August 10, 2020.
Frameshifting in primatology: Toward a decolonial approach. American Association of Physical Anthropologists “Shifting Gears due to COVID-19” webinar. July 6, 2020.
Stressors, Social Coping, and Creating Supportive Environments for Women of Color in Science. Evolutionary Anthropology seminar series, University College, London. November 17, 2020 (via Zoom).
Podcasts, Interviews, and Media Coverage
179: Spider monkeys with Dr. Michelle Rodrigues. Just the Zoo of Us Podcast. February 1, 2023.
The health benefits of social connection. Texarkana Gazette, July 29, 2021.
Keeping friends close decreases stress in women, study says. She The People, July 1, 2021.
What are friends for? To lower your stress levels. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 1, 2021.
Press release on recent paper in Journal of Women and aging on female friendship, communication, and cortisol in young and older adults. Beckman Institute, June 29, 2021.
Friendships in the Academy, Part 3: Michelle Rodrigues and Kate Clancy on Social Support for Academic Women of Color. Acadames Podcast, April 22, 2021.
Podcast interview with Alison, Grady, Clara, and Theo Wilkinson for Cool Facts About Animals: A Podcast for and by Kids. July 30, 2020. https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/15414398
Skype a Scientist LIVE: Primate Biology with Michelle Rodrigues. March 25, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W33owhefyvA&t=2s
Video interview with Gabi Fleury for Breaking Bio webseries. October 27, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOeZnLuDVpY&feature=youtu.be
Press release on recent paper in American Journal of Primatology on parental relationships, female friendship, and depressive symptoms, Beckman Institute, October 4, 2019.
Podcast interview on studying female primate relationships with Dr. Michael Rivera for the Arch and Anth Podcast, September 18, 2019.
Radio/Podcast interview with Amisha Abeyawardene on mental health in women of color scientists for Melanin Memos podcast and the University of Edinburgh Student Radio Channel. Edinburgh, UK, April 11, 2019.
Radio interview with the 21st Show, Illinois Public Media: STEM Summer camp for girls. Urbana, IL, July 10, 2018.
News-Gazette article on #MeToo and Academia Panel, February 14, 2019.
I-STEM article on the #TweetYourScience workshop and panel discussion I co-organized, November 20, 2018.
Jay Schwartz discusses some of my research on chimps and bonobos in “Is Gender Identity Unique to Humans?” for Sapiens, November 29, 2018.
#WCWinSTEM interview with Vanguard STEM, August 2, 2017.
Coverage of spider monkey tool use in NBC News, July 31, 2009.
Coverage of great ape reintroduction guidelines in the Des Moiner Register, January 7, 2007.
School and Community Outreach
I periodically do school, museum, and community outreach, virtually and in-person. Please contact me if you’re a teacher or museum education coordinator who wants to set something up! Here are some examples of previous outreach I have done:
#Poopscience: What monkey poo can tell us about the evolution of friendship. Chambana Science Café, November 7, 2018.
“Monkey Business.” Story Collider show, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. October 19, 2017.
Girls Adventures in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering (week-long camp for high school girls at University of Illinois, June 2016, July 2017, June 2018). You can read about our activities with Bioengineering Ethnographies with Aspiring Girl Scientists from 2016!
Social Networks and Learning (Activities and games!). Habitat Montessori School. Champaign, IL. May 26, 2017.
Bones and Game Theory (Evolution games!). Leal School Science Night. Urbana, IL. April 29, 2017.
Making a Monster (Halloween osteology activity, AKA fun with bones!). Orpheum Children’s Science Museum. Champaign, IL. October 29, 2017.
“Central American Ecoystems”(E-mail interviews for project mentoring and Skype talk with Patrick Goff’s 8th’ grade class) Beaumont Middle School. Lexington, KY March 11-April 22, 2016).
“A Little Help from my Friends: How Female Primates Cope with Stress.” Public lecture at Wake Forest University Museum of Anthropology. Winston-Salem, NC. March 27, 2014.
“Costa Rica”. Presented to Metro High School Spanish students. Columbus, OH. May 2008.
Volunteer Judge for Ohio State Science Day, Columbus OH, May 2008 and May 2013.
Online Magazine Articles
Three Surprising Reasons Human Actions Threaten Endangered Primates. Co-authored with Tracie McKinney and Sian Waters. The Conversation, February 6, 2023.
Monkeying Around. Anthropology News. September/October 2022, Volume 63, issue 5, 22-23.
Same-Sex Sexual Behavior in Chimpanzees Challenge Our Gendered Biases About Evolution. This View of Life. September 15, 2021.
The Absurd Pregnancy Math behind the ‘Six-Week’ Abortion Ban. Scientific American Op-Ed. September 4, 2021
Haunted by my Teaching Skeleton. SAPIENS, Aug 17, 2021.
Evolution Promotes Mothers Who Tend, So Daughters Can Befriend. This View of Life, October 2, 2019.
It’s Time to Stop Lionizing Dian Fossey as a Conservation Hero. Lady Science. September 20, 2019.
Is Science Failing the World’s Primates? The Revelator. August 21, 2019.
The Obstetrical Dilemma, Dismantled: Human Childbirth is not a Dilemma. This View of Life, September 27, 2018.
Sex Roles are Flexible in Chimpanzees and Bonobos. What Does That Say About Human Evolution? This View of Life. July 9, 2018.
Can Monkeys be Gay? What Homosexual Behavior in Primates Can Tell Us About the Evolution of Human Sexuality. This View of Life. June 12, 2018.
Quantum Chimpanzees: Do Watched Primates Change Their Behavior? This View of Life. May 17, 2018. This was nominated as a Top Pick for Best Science Short-form Writing, April-June 2018!
The Science of Sex Differences Is Complicated (And Biased). This View of Life. August 15, 2017.
Endangered Monkeys Can Thrive in a Disturbed Habitat. The Revelator. August 4, 2017.
Blogging
Neocolonial Narratives of Primate Conservation. IUCN Primate Specialist Group Section for Human Primate Interactions blog. May 25, 2020.
Make sure you check out my blogposts on SpiderMonkeyTales! Some popular highlights include:
#DecolonizePrimatology: A Reading List
Dr. Michelle A. Rodrigues 