Stavana Strutz, PhD

Dr. Strutz started in scicomm as a student by participating in multiple science outreach events and organizations ranging from organizing and speaking at Science Under the Stars, presenting at Nerd Nite, blogging for Parasaturdays, co-hosting the 91.7 KVRX radio show They Blinded Me with Science, and chatting with the public at Two Scientists Walk into a Bar and other Thinkery events. She has hosted informational booths about viral evolution for Darwin Day at the Texas Memorial Museum and booths about resource conservation and 3D printing for Hot Science, Cool Talks. She also volunteered as a gallery curator at Art.Science.Gallery. assisting in workshops, opening events, and publicity.

As her passion grew, she started communicating key aspects of the technology and research of carbon capture and storage (CCS) through the Gulf Coast Carbon Center (GCCC) at The University of Texas at Austin. This particular mitigation technology is integral to fighting climate change. She is an experienced science communication coordinator with extensive experience in the higher education industry.

She observed a need for community and professional development among science communicators and went on to co-found a science writing nonprofit, Austin Texas Science Writers, in Central Texas. The purpose of the nonprofit is to promote accurate, accessible, and ethical science writing in Central Texas by advancing the skills of area science writers. 

Public Presentations & Invited Talks

Cataclysmic Climate Contagions (public presentation), Nerd Nite, Austin, Texas, September 2023

Fewer Freezes, More Diseases (corporate presentation), One Medical Hackathon, San Francisco, California, May 2023

Panelist, ComSciCon, Houston, Texas, March 2019

Climate change and infectious disease distributions, Art.Science.Gallery., Austin, Texas, July 2015

Sand Flies in the southern United States: vectors of cutaneous leishmaniasis, Austin Butterfly Forum, Austin, Texas, June 2015

Panelist, UT Association for Women in Sciences, Austin, Texas, August 2014

Wild, Wild West: West Nile and other vector-borne diseases in Texas, Science Under the Stars, Austin, Texas, August 2012

Hot, wet, and infectious: tropical diseases in the United States, Nerd Nite, Austin, Texas, April 2012

Popular/Outreach Publications

Parmesan, C and S Strutz (2022).Frequently Asked Question FAQ 2.1: Will species become extinct with climate change and is there anything we can do to prevent this? pg 221-222 IN: Parmesan et al. [Chapter 2], in Pörtner, H.-O., Roberts, et al. (eds.). Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC)

Strutz, S and C Parmesan (2022). Frequently Asked Question FAQ 2.2: How does climate change increases the risk of diseases? pg 233-234 IN: Parmesan et al. [Chapter 2], in Pörtner, H.-O., Roberts, et al. (eds.). Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC)

Harris, R, G Barragan-Jason, S Strutz and C Parmesan (2022). How does nature benefit human health and well-being and how does climate change affect this? pg 282-283 IN: Parmesan et al. [Chapter 2], in Pörtner, H.-O., Roberts, et al. (eds.). Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC)

Stevens, N, S Strutz and C Parmesan (2022). Frequently Asked Question FAQ 2.6: Can tree planting tackle climate change. pg 315-316 IN: Parmesan et al. [Chapter 2], in Pörtner, H.-O., Roberts, et al. (eds.). Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC)