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Carolyn Wilke

Staff Writer, Science News for Students

Carolyn Wilke recently earned her Ph.D. in environmental engineering at Northwestern University, where her research drew on the fields of environmental chemistry, materials science and toxicology. She got her start in science writing by blogging for HELIX, Northwestern’s science magazine and wrote as a AAAS Mass Media Fellow at The Sacramento Bee. Prior to working at Science News for Students, Carolyn interned at Science News and The Scientist. When not delving into a new scientific discovery, you might find Carolyn behind her sewing machine or trying to amuse her cat. 

All Stories by Carolyn Wilke

  1. Brain

    Curiosity drives this neuroscientist and artist

    Christine Liu studies the brain on nicotine — and used Instagram to bring together women doing incredible science.

  2. Earth

    Scientists Say: Glacier

    Glaciers are massive ‘rivers of ice’ that move slowly over land. But climate change is shrinking them.

  3. Health & Medicine

    Scientists Say: Outbreak, Epidemic and Pandemic

    These terms can describe what is happening as a disease spreads across communities, countries and the world.

  4. Physics

    Scientists Say: Decibel

    A decibel is a unit of measurement that describes a sound’s volume. It’s used for sounds that are in the range of human hearing.

  5. Ecosystems

    Scientists Say: Estuary

    This is where a freshwater river meets a salty sea. This environment has brackish water, a mix of saltwater and freshwater.

  6. Physics

    Scientists Say: Quark

    These subatomic particles are the building blocks of bigger particles, including the protons and neutrons found in an atom’s nucleus.

  7. Microbes

    Globetrotting microbes in airplane sewage may spread antibiotic resistance

    Along with harder-to-kill microbes, airplane sewage contains a diverse set of the genes that let bacteria evade antibiotics.

  8. Animals

    Scientists Say: Herbivore

    Herbivores are animals that can live on a diet of mostly plants.

  9. Earth

    Scientists Say: Firewhirl and Firenado

    Firewhirls are smallish vortices of ash and flame; firenadoes are true twisters set off by the conditions that come with a wildfire.

  10. Animals

    Whales echolocate with big clicks and tiny amounts of air

    Toothed whales may echolocate using bits of air that they recycle inside their heads to conserve both air and energy.