Maggie Koerth-Baker Biography

Maggie Koerth-Baker (born 1981) is an American science journalist. She is the science editor at Boing Boing and a monthly columnist for The New York Times Magazine. Koerth-Baker is the author of the 2012 book Before the Lights Go Out: Conquering the Energy Crisis Before It Conquers Us.

She writes about "the intersection of science and culture, about studies she finds to be especially revealing or provocative, about human behavior and technological innovation and natural phenomena." Carl Zimmer referred to her as "one of the most innovative science writers at work today."

Background

Born in Kansas, Koerth-Baker now lives in Minneapolis with her husband. Koerth-Baker studied journalism and anthropology at the University of Kansas.

Blogging

At Boing Boing, Koerth-Baker specializes in science blogging and is known for her ability to explain science coherently and understandably while keeping it interesting. Before starting with Boing Boing, Koerth-Baker was an assistant editor at Mental Floss. A piece Koerth-Baker wrote for Boing Boing in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster explaining nuclear power plant operations was featured in the anthology The Best Science Writing Online 2012.

In June 2012, Koerth-Baker suffered a miscarriage. She wrote about her experiences with the social expectations and medical regulation surrounding abortions and miscarriage in a series of blog entries.

Publications

New York Times Column

Since August 2012, Koerth-Baker has written a monthly column for The New York Times called "Eureka". She writes about research of interest to the layperson about the intersection of science, technology, and culture.

Other Publications

Koerth-Baker has also contributed to magazines like Discover, Popular Science, and New Scientist, and on websites like Scientific American and National Geographic News.

Books

Be Amazing

Released in 2009, Be Amazing: Glow in the Dark, Control the Weather, Perform Your Own Surgery, Get Out of Jury Duty, Identify a Witch, Colonize a ... Girl, Make a Zombie, Start Your Own Religion is a tongue-in-cheek self-improvement guide written with Will Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudur, the co-founders of Mental Floss.

Before the Lights Go Out

In 2012, Koerth-Baker published Before the Lights Go Out: Conquering the Energy Crisis Before It Conquers Us in which she examines the complexity of energy systems in the United States, the roadblocks to change, and the possibility of doing things differently.

Public Speaking

Maggie Koerth-Baker has given talks on "various topics, including the neurobiology of octopuses, what scientists can learn from science journalists, why the future of energy might be a little boring, and more. She is currently touring the United States talking about the past, present, and future of America's electric infrastructure."