Science Beach Reading

Despite the weird weather over the winter we’re in full on summer mode here at the Academy which means we’re picking our summer reading material. Whether you have a grand adventure planned or have simply reserved a hammock in the shade, summer is a great opportunity to indulge yourself in a good science read. Here are a few of my favorite books that I hope science nerds, young and old, will love.

If you’re looking for an informative book about the nature of science that will leave you rolling on the floor laughing, pick up anything by Mary Roach. Her “I’ll do anything in the name of science” approach to writing, combined with interviews of great scientists will take you inside some quirky yet scientifically important stories. I’d start with Packing for Mars, in which she explores long- and short-term human habitation in space—there’s a little space science, a lot of biology, and a good dose of human psychology. My favorite is Stiff but since it’s written to answer the question, “What happens when we donate our body to science?” it is pretty gross and spends a lot of time talking about death. That may not be everyone’s idea of a good beach read!

Another favorite is Oliver Sacks’ Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood. Personally, I think Sacks is at his best when he’s not writing about his field of study and Uncle Tungsten is a wonderful example of this, blending life in London during the blitz with an idyllic opportunity to tinker and play with a basement full of dangerous chemicals. It’s an easy read that presents chemisty in its historical context. Other books in this same vein are Sam Kean’s The Disappearing Spoon and Simon Garfield’s Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color that Changed the World.

If you’re looking for an epic beach read, I’d recommend my favorite non-fiction book The Song of the Dodo by David Quamman. Part travelogue and part investigative journalism, Quammen traces the riff between Darwin and Wallace by exploring their own expeditions and the study of island biogeography. Like Mary Roach’s books, Quammen is a main character who spends the book traveling around the world talking to interesting people.

Have a wonderful summer and let me know if there are any books I should bring on my adventures!

Meghan Groome

Meghan Groome is the Executive Director of Education and Public Programs at the New York Academy of Sciences, an organization with the mission to advance scientific research and knowledge, support scientific literacy, and promote the resolution of society’s global challenges through science-based solutions. After graduating from Colorado College in Biology and Theatre, she desperately needed a job and took one as a substitute teacher at a middle school in Ridgewood NJ. She discovered that had a knack for making science interesting and enjoyable, mostly through bringing in gross things, lighting things on fire (but always in a safe manner), and having a large library of the worlds best science writing and science fiction. After teaching in both Ridgewood and Paterson, NJ she completed her PhD at Teachers College Columbia University with a focus on student question asking in the classroom. While at TC, she was a founding member of an international education consulting firm, and worked on projects from Kenya to Jordan with a focus on designing new schools and school systems in the developing world. After graduating, Dr. Groome became a Senior Policy Analyst at the National Governors Association on Governor Janet Napolitano’s Innovation America Initiative. Prior to her work at the Academy, Dr. Groome worked at the American Museum of Natural History and authored the policy roadmap for the Empire State STEM Education Network and taught urban biodiversity in the Education Department. At the Academy, she is responsible for the Afterschool STEM Mentoring program, which places graduate students and postdocs in the City’s afterschool programs and the Science Teacher program where she designs field trips and content talks to the City’s STEM teachers.