Writer Profile: Kyla B

It took about two days to familiarize myself with the ship and be able to navigate its many hallways without getting lost, but now I think I know my way around, especially to the library where the internet is, and the galley where the apple pie is (my favorite!).

A bit about myself: I’m a writing student at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) with all of two classes left to take, which I’ll finish at Portland State University. I’ve worked as a newsletter editor for the UCSD Women’s Center, a technical writer for Trauner Consulting Services as well as Air Force Research Labs, a freelance writer for Gurze Books, and a copywriter for Todd Harmon, Inc. What I really want to do is science writing. That’s why I’m so grateful to participate in this research cruise. I’m hoping it will help me to break into the science writing field.

I faced a dilemma growing up: to write, or to be a scientist. I was known to get in trouble for reading and writing past my bed time, flashlight-under-the-covers style, but I was also known to mix together all the chemicals in the house to see if I could make them bubble. In high school my favorite subjects were chemistry and English. I was obsessed with Science Olympiad, particularly the bottle rockets, earth science, and ornithology events. After working in a cognitive science lab on campus, I realized that writing was where my heart was – and continues to be.

Nonfiction is my favorite genre to write. I love reading about science. These observations have made me realize that I can have both science and writing in my life, via science writing. I believe that science writing is an exciting field, important because not enough laypeople know just how cool science can be. As a science writer, I’ll be able to learn about science and put that into terms that anyone can understand and enjoy.

I love the ocean. While I don’t surf, one could say I’m an avid snorkeler and beach-goer, the kind who always forgets sunscreen but never seems to burn. I volunteered in the education department at the Birch Aquarium for a little while, and the one oceanography class I took in college convinced me that the ocean is a really, really cool place.

So, here I am, on the really cool ocean aboard the really cool Kilo Moana surrounded by really cool scientists. Aloha!