
Carolyn Wilke
Former 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.

Support Science Journalism
Science News for Students is a nonprofit. Support us by donating now.
All Stories by Carolyn Wilke
- Space
Scientists Say: Quasar
This word describes the bright-shining core of a galaxy in which a supermassive black hole sucks in matter and releases a huge amount of energy.
- Animals
Minecraft’s big bees don’t exist, but giant insects once did
Big bees buzz in Minecraft. In our world, blocky bees might starve and be stuck on the ground. Yet long ago, giant insects did roam our planet.
-
Climb like a slo-mo Spiderman using this super suction robot
A whooshing ring of water keeps the robot’s vacuum from losing grip, even on rough surfaces
- Microbes
Scientists Say: Amoeba
Amoebas are single-celled microbes that move and eat with shape-shifting bulges that extend from their cells. Some are blobs. Others build a shell.
- Materials Science
This ‘living’ concrete slurps up a greenhouse gas
Microbes help harden a mix of sand and gelatin into a living concrete that could interact with people and the environment in great new ways.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Jurassic
During this time from about 200 million to 145 million years ago, dinosaurs reigned and many animals evolved, including birds and some early mammals.
- Animals
Scientists Say: Echolocation
This word describes a method that some animals use to sense their environments by making sounds and listening for their echoes.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Ring of Fire
This horseshoe-shaped path on the fringes of the Pacific Ocean holds most of the world’s active volcanos and earthquake sites.
- Chemistry
Batteries should not burst into flames
Because lithium-ion batteries power modern life, they need to store a lot of energy. Now scientists are focusing on making them safer.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Photon
This word describes light as a particle. A photon is the tiniest possible bit of electromagnetic radiation.
- Space
Before working on spacecraft, this engineer overcame self-doubt
Tiera Fletcher once dreamed of working on spacecraft. Gaining confidence helped her become an engineer who designs vehicles for moon or Mars travel.
- Life
Scientists Say: Enzyme
This word describes a molecule that speeds up chemical reactions in living things. Enzymes work by lowering the energy needed for a reaction to occur.