Jen Christiansen
@jenchristiansen.com
Graphics editor at Scientific American • Author of Building Science Graphics https://www.buildingsciencegraphics.com/ • Formerly at National Geographic
Pinned
Jen Christiansen
@jenchristiansen.com
· Jun 25
Here’s Your Cheat Sheet for Vaccine Recommendations Backed by Science
These graphics will guide you through science-based vaccine guidelines for children and adults
www.scientificamerican.com
Vaccination schedules on the CDC website have already started changing under RFK Jr. So we published a guide to the evidence-based vaccine recommendations in place *before* all 17 members of the advisory panel were abruptly dismissed by the new admin. www.scientificamerican.com/article/see-... 🧪
Attention visual journalists: I’m always open to pitches for @sciam.bsky.social’s Graphic Science column. The column tells concise stories on topics in science via graphics (dataviz, illustrated diagrams, comic-style explainers, etc). It appears in both print & online. DM me for a pitch guide.
February 7, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Attention visual journalists: I’m always open to pitches for @sciam.bsky.social’s Graphic Science column. The column tells concise stories on topics in science via graphics (dataviz, illustrated diagrams, comic-style explainers, etc). It appears in both print & online. DM me for a pitch guide.
Reposted by Jen Christiansen
Last term I tried an experiment: I walked into my Tech and Design Ethics class, admitted that I had *no idea* what to do about ChatGPT - so I would let them figure it out.
As in: their first project was to decide and write the ChatGPT policy for the class.
Here's what happened:
As in: their first project was to decide and write the ChatGPT policy for the class.
Here's what happened:
January 22, 2026 at 11:36 PM
Last term I tried an experiment: I walked into my Tech and Design Ethics class, admitted that I had *no idea* what to do about ChatGPT - so I would let them figure it out.
As in: their first project was to decide and write the ChatGPT policy for the class.
Here's what happened:
As in: their first project was to decide and write the ChatGPT policy for the class.
Here's what happened:
Kudos to @kimay.bsky.social @maxkozlov.bsky.social @jeff-tollefson.bsky.social and @dangaristo.bsky.social for this illuminating article.
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
January 21, 2026 at 12:01 PM
Kudos to @kimay.bsky.social @maxkozlov.bsky.social @jeff-tollefson.bsky.social and @dangaristo.bsky.social for this illuminating article.
It’s been a wild ride at work. I’ve been stretching my page design & editorial illustration art direction muscles during an interval of expanded duties as acting design chief (in addition to my feature graphics editing responsibilities).
January 20, 2026 at 12:40 PM
It’s been a wild ride at work. I’ve been stretching my page design & editorial illustration art direction muscles during an interval of expanded duties as acting design chief (in addition to my feature graphics editing responsibilities).
Eyes and brain awash with imagery related to math, here at Rigorous Illustrations—Their creation and evaluation for mathematical research (a workshop hosted by the Institut Henri Poincaré). The blackboard in the break room does not disappoint. indico.math.cnrs.fr/event/13124/
January 19, 2026 at 2:13 PM
Eyes and brain awash with imagery related to math, here at Rigorous Illustrations—Their creation and evaluation for mathematical research (a workshop hosted by the Institut Henri Poincaré). The blackboard in the break room does not disappoint. indico.math.cnrs.fr/event/13124/
Overheard while perusing LA ON THE MOVE exhibit by @datavandals.bsky.social at Union Station today: “p22 is on here!” “Our home is on this map.” “Did I tell you about the time a hawk swooped me?” “What? No baby opossums?” Lovely hearing and seeing people engage with data in a public space. 📊 #SciArt
December 31, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Overheard while perusing LA ON THE MOVE exhibit by @datavandals.bsky.social at Union Station today: “p22 is on here!” “Our home is on this map.” “Did I tell you about the time a hawk swooped me?” “What? No baby opossums?” Lovely hearing and seeing people engage with data in a public space. 📊 #SciArt
Rediscovered @unamandita.bsky.social ‘s delightful 2016 article “Everyone’s a Little Bit ‘Shapist’”—featuring a project by Nicky Case—while prepping for a math graphics talk. So good. Great to have an excuse to read it again. www.scientificamerican.com/blog/sa-visu... 📊 #sciart 🧪
Everyone's a Little Bit "Shapist"
On happy little squares, thought experiments and visualizing social systems
www.scientificamerican.com
December 14, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Rediscovered @unamandita.bsky.social ‘s delightful 2016 article “Everyone’s a Little Bit ‘Shapist’”—featuring a project by Nicky Case—while prepping for a math graphics talk. So good. Great to have an excuse to read it again. www.scientificamerican.com/blog/sa-visu... 📊 #sciart 🧪
Reposted by Jen Christiansen
Looking for an *L.A. based* artist who (against all odds) has time for a poster gig before the end of the year.
It's for a science + art event.
We can offer $500 for the gig.
Dreadfully sorry about the timeline. Link a portfolio if you're interested, I'll delete this post when we found someone.
It's for a science + art event.
We can offer $500 for the gig.
Dreadfully sorry about the timeline. Link a portfolio if you're interested, I'll delete this post when we found someone.
December 12, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Looking for an *L.A. based* artist who (against all odds) has time for a poster gig before the end of the year.
It's for a science + art event.
We can offer $500 for the gig.
Dreadfully sorry about the timeline. Link a portfolio if you're interested, I'll delete this post when we found someone.
It's for a science + art event.
We can offer $500 for the gig.
Dreadfully sorry about the timeline. Link a portfolio if you're interested, I'll delete this post when we found someone.
What an unexpected treat! I bumped into the one and only @nigelblue.bsky.social in the lobby at Informa in NYC today. We’re both filming videos related to our CRC books on information graphics. Nigel always brings a smile to my face.
December 12, 2025 at 3:19 PM
What an unexpected treat! I bumped into the one and only @nigelblue.bsky.social in the lobby at Informa in NYC today. We’re both filming videos related to our CRC books on information graphics. Nigel always brings a smile to my face.
The moon is gorgeous right now from where I can see it. I recommend looking for it if you have clear skies.
December 4, 2025 at 10:09 PM
The moon is gorgeous right now from where I can see it. I recommend looking for it if you have clear skies.
Such a satisfying museum day today. Lots of art/natural world parallels. Left: Fluorite with sphalerite (Peabody museum); Right: Untitled oil painting by Mark Rothko, 1954 (Yale Art Gallery).
November 21, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Such a satisfying museum day today. Lots of art/natural world parallels. Left: Fluorite with sphalerite (Peabody museum); Right: Untitled oil painting by Mark Rothko, 1954 (Yale Art Gallery).
The @infoplusconf.bsky.social presentation by @laurenfklein.bsky.social and Tanvi Sharma also prompted me to think more deeply about this: How (if at all) do you attempt to humanize with data if the story isn’t yours to tell? 📊
November 16, 2025 at 1:06 PM
The @infoplusconf.bsky.social presentation by @laurenfklein.bsky.social and Tanvi Sharma also prompted me to think more deeply about this: How (if at all) do you attempt to humanize with data if the story isn’t yours to tell? 📊
Appreciate the conversations around the politics of aesthetics prompted by a presentation here at @infoplusconf.bsky.social by @laurenfklein.bsky.social and Tanvi Sharma. Some questions revolved around the idea of a disconnect between striving for a pleasing dataviz about a horrific topic. 📊
November 16, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Appreciate the conversations around the politics of aesthetics prompted by a presentation here at @infoplusconf.bsky.social by @laurenfklein.bsky.social and Tanvi Sharma. Some questions revolved around the idea of a disconnect between striving for a pleasing dataviz about a horrific topic. 📊
Many have written and presented around this sentiment before, but I think this is my new favorite metaphor on the topic, as articulated by Barbara Urrutia-Badilla at @infoplusconf.bsky.social ~ We often think of data as a raw ingredient. She says not so. Data is already cooked. 📊
November 16, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Many have written and presented around this sentiment before, but I think this is my new favorite metaphor on the topic, as articulated by Barbara Urrutia-Badilla at @infoplusconf.bsky.social ~ We often think of data as a raw ingredient. She says not so. Data is already cooked. 📊
Enjoy pondering how info extracted from some people is used by other people to construct stories? Spend a few minutes w/this parable generator. It’s a lovely reminder to be thoughtful about framing. HT B. Robertson @data4change.bsky.social via @infoplusconf.bsky.social www.data4chan.ge/the-parable 📊
The Parable — Data4Change
www.data4chan.ge
November 15, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Enjoy pondering how info extracted from some people is used by other people to construct stories? Spend a few minutes w/this parable generator. It’s a lovely reminder to be thoughtful about framing. HT B. Robertson @data4change.bsky.social via @infoplusconf.bsky.social www.data4chan.ge/the-parable 📊
If you—like me—are struggling with uncertainty these days, and your preferred method of learning/communication is via imagery, I suspect you'll appreciate this newsletter by @ashendruk.com. The first installment just dropped and it sure resonated with me. 📊 #sciart
I'm launching something for us. Not-Ship: a newsletter using data and visuals to navigate our turbulent world.
Everything feels like A LOT lately. It's all so uncertain. And the way I try to make sense of things is with data. So, that's what Not-Ship is all about. Come chart the chaos with me.
Everything feels like A LOT lately. It's all so uncertain. And the way I try to make sense of things is with data. So, that's what Not-Ship is all about. Come chart the chaos with me.
Not-Ship
A newsletter charting the age of uncertainty
www.not-ship.com
October 23, 2025 at 1:15 PM
If you—like me—are struggling with uncertainty these days, and your preferred method of learning/communication is via imagery, I suspect you'll appreciate this newsletter by @ashendruk.com. The first installment just dropped and it sure resonated with me. 📊 #sciart
We used @sciam.bsky.social's 180th anniversary as an excuse to revisit an old favorite. Familiar with the efficiency of locomotion chart from the March 1973 issue? Here it is again, reimagined for 2025 by DTAN Studio, w/text by @parshallison.bsky.social 📊 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...
The Most Efficient Traveler Isn’t a Bird or a Fish—It’s You on a Bike
A famous graphic, now updated, compares locomotion in the animal kingdom
www.scientificamerican.com
October 15, 2025 at 3:54 PM
We used @sciam.bsky.social's 180th anniversary as an excuse to revisit an old favorite. Familiar with the efficiency of locomotion chart from the March 1973 issue? Here it is again, reimagined for 2025 by DTAN Studio, w/text by @parshallison.bsky.social 📊 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...
Reposted by Jen Christiansen
The science is in: COVID boosters are worth it, even if you've been vaccinated and/or infected before. Stay safe out there, friends!: 🧪 🛟 www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-...
Annual COVID Vaccines Save Lives, New Study Shows
A new study shows that receiving an updated COVID vaccine reduced people’s risk of severe disease and death in all age groups, regardless of immunity from prior infection or vaccination
www.scientificamerican.com
October 8, 2025 at 9:22 PM
The science is in: COVID boosters are worth it, even if you've been vaccinated and/or infected before. Stay safe out there, friends!: 🧪 🛟 www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-...
What does it mean to share a Nobel Prize—especially if the laureates aren’t direct collaborators? 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...
How Does Sharing a Nobel Prize Work?
Joint Nobel laureates aren’t necessarily direct scientific collaborators, and the prize money isn’t always split evenly
www.scientificamerican.com
October 7, 2025 at 11:39 AM
What does it mean to share a Nobel Prize—especially if the laureates aren’t direct collaborators? 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...
The moon is gorgeous right now. If you live in the northeast of the U.S., look for it. Large and very close to the horizon. Peeking out from behind pink and lavender clouds from where I can see it.
October 7, 2025 at 10:52 AM
The moon is gorgeous right now. If you live in the northeast of the U.S., look for it. Large and very close to the horizon. Peeking out from behind pink and lavender clouds from where I can see it.
Reposted by Jen Christiansen
BIG NEWS! We've updated the website of the Open Visualization Academy, where you can see all its contributors: openvisualizationacademy.org
This is the announcement in our newsletter: openvisualizationacademy.beehiiv.com/p/we-re-back...
#dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVis 📊
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This is the announcement in our newsletter: openvisualizationacademy.beehiiv.com/p/we-re-back...
#dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVis 📊
1/x
September 25, 2025 at 6:05 PM
BIG NEWS! We've updated the website of the Open Visualization Academy, where you can see all its contributors: openvisualizationacademy.org
This is the announcement in our newsletter: openvisualizationacademy.beehiiv.com/p/we-re-back...
#dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVis 📊
1/x
This is the announcement in our newsletter: openvisualizationacademy.beehiiv.com/p/we-re-back...
#dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVis 📊
1/x
Reposted by Jen Christiansen
What @ariellemargot.bsky.social said.
We're hiring a Social Media and Digital Content Creator!
www.climatecentral.org/open-positio...
We're hiring a Social Media and Digital Content Creator!
www.climatecentral.org/open-positio...
September 25, 2025 at 6:20 PM
What @ariellemargot.bsky.social said.
We're hiring a Social Media and Digital Content Creator!
www.climatecentral.org/open-positio...
We're hiring a Social Media and Digital Content Creator!
www.climatecentral.org/open-positio...
Reposted by Jen Christiansen
Here’s What Happened at RFK, Jr.’s Overhauled Vaccine Panel Meeting
www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
Three vaccines were on the agenda for this week’s meeting of ACIP, the CDC’s key advisory panel on immunization
www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
Three vaccines were on the agenda for this week’s meeting of ACIP, the CDC’s key advisory panel on immunization
How a Contentious CDC Vaccine Meeting Will Affect Public Health
Three vaccines were on the agenda for this week’s meeting of ACIP, the CDC’s key advisory panel on immunization: the combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine, the hepatitis B vaccine and...
www.scientificamerican.com
September 19, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Here’s What Happened at RFK, Jr.’s Overhauled Vaccine Panel Meeting
www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
Three vaccines were on the agenda for this week’s meeting of ACIP, the CDC’s key advisory panel on immunization
www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
Three vaccines were on the agenda for this week’s meeting of ACIP, the CDC’s key advisory panel on immunization
The story below immediately brings to mind an epic pre-Instagram & TikTok project from designer Stefanie Posavec. In case there’s a wave of folks that missed it the first time around, behold her classic Writing Without Words series 📊 www.stefanieposavec.com/archive/writ...
TikTok and Instagram readers FTW! Annotating your books is cool and Science™️ agrees! Also, shout out to Copy Dept. for letting me sneak a #GirlmoreGirls reference in here 😉📚
www.scientificamerican.com/article/go-a...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/go-a...
The TikTok Trend of Writing in Margins Is Based on Real Neuroscience
Annotating the margins of books is an important part of deep reading and has a long legacy of merit in both science and literature
www.scientificamerican.com
September 19, 2025 at 6:05 PM
The story below immediately brings to mind an epic pre-Instagram & TikTok project from designer Stefanie Posavec. In case there’s a wave of folks that missed it the first time around, behold her classic Writing Without Words series 📊 www.stefanieposavec.com/archive/writ...
I’m honestly surprised that I don’t hear more people reference it. And now that I’m thinking about it, I think I’ll read it again this weekend. 📊 #informationdesign #infodesign
I gave a science graphics talk yesterday for folks at Curtin U. So many great participant questions. One asked for refs that would also resonate w/folks in the humanities. My top pick hands-down is Graphesis: Visual Forms of Knowledge Production by Johanna Drucker www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978067...
Graphesis — Harvard University Press
In our current screen-saturated culture, we take in more information through visual means than at any point in history. The computers and smart phones that constantly flood us with images do more than...
www.hup.harvard.edu
September 18, 2025 at 2:48 PM
I’m honestly surprised that I don’t hear more people reference it. And now that I’m thinking about it, I think I’ll read it again this weekend. 📊 #informationdesign #infodesign