Bethany Brookshire

Bethany Brookshire was a longtime staff writer at Science News Explores and is the author of the book Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains. She has a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in philosophy from The College of William and Mary, and a Ph.D. in physiology and pharmacology from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. She was a 2019-2020 Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT, the winner of the Society for Neuroscience Next Generation Award and the Three Quarks Daily Science Writing Award, among others.

All Stories by Bethany Brookshire

  1. Kid inventors win big with a sign in the sky

    A team of kids designed a high-flying sign to help disaster victims get critical information during a potential blackout.

  2. Inventors give the White House a Maker-over

    Inventors invaded the White House yesterday for the first ever White House Maker Faire, decorating the lawn with robot giraffes and filling the house with technology and engineering.

  3. ‘Wannabe scientists’ write about real science

    Brexton Pham had trouble finding scientific articles written for teens. He took matters into his own hands and created “Wannabe Scientist.”

  4. Rocket competition a blast for young scientists

    Young rocket scientists competed in Washington, D.C. last month, flying rockets with precious cargo: eggs. The top 10 teams split $60,000 in prizes.

  5. Animals

    Free app tracks fireflies

    Scientists are worried about firefly populations. Now you can use a free app to map firefly flashes, and contribute data to tracking the health of this popular summertime bug.

  6. Tech

    New plane wheels land teen at big research competition

    Landing a plane in high winds can be a risky business. Intel ISEF finalist Emerson Burkard designed a new swiveling plane wheel to make the process safer.

  7. Animals

    Teen studies water strider disappearing act

    As a child, Xidian Zhang loved to play with water striders. Now they’re gone, and pollution may be the reason. This teen’s findings earned him a spot at the 2014 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

  8. Animals

    A science fair project makes bug killing sweet

    Simon Kaschock-Marenda wanted to see how flies responded to different sweeteners. Along the way, he discovered an insecticide that would pose little risk to people. And the 14-year-old is now a published author on a scientific paper.

  9. Plants

    Taking a long look at lichen

    Lichens may not look like much, but they play a vital role in our ecosystems. ISEF finalist Madeline Handley decided learn more about the lichens in her native Alaska.

  10. Young researchers take over the White House

    Yesterday’s White House Science Fair brought students from around the country to the White House to meet the President and to be recognized for their science and engineering projects. Several were veterans of competitions run by Society for Science & the Public.

  11. Animals

    Killing mosquitoes with cashews

    When dengue fever came to his hometown, Gabriel Galdino looked for ways to stop its carrier, the mosquito. His findings got him a spot at the 2014 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

  12. High school student studies slime mold smarts

    Are slime molds “smart,” and what does that mean? Hannah McShea ran experiments to find out more about how slime molds behave and what it means for intelligence.