When: December 10, 2025, 5:30 – 7:00pm ET, with an in-person reception afterwards

Where:

• In-person: AAAS Headquarters in Washington, DC (1200 New York Ave NW)
• Virtual Option: Zoom (link sent once registered)

Registration: Free but registration required, open to the public

Link to event page: https://sciencereligiondialogue.org/events/the-heart-of-science/
                                    or bit.ly/2025DecDialogues

Link to register: https://american-association-for-the-advancement-of-science.ticketbud.com/2025-doser-december-dialogues-the-heart-of-science-scientists-share-their-stories-of-joy-and-connection-84113027-be4df41651fa
or bit.ly/2025DecemberDialoguesReg

Description: Why do people participate in the scientific enterprise? Where do scientists derive joy and meaning from their work? And how can these values be better shared with their greater community?

Join AAAS DoSER and experts in science and storytelling for a unique December Dialogues on December 10, 2025! At this year’s event, “The Heart of Science: Scientists Share Their Stories of Joy and Connection,” speakers will share where they find inspiration in their scientific work and their communities. Afterwards, in-person participants are invited to an extended reception where they can connect with one another, build community, and share their own stories of meaning and joy.

Agenda:

5:00pm: Registration Opens

5:30 – 7:00pm: The Heart of Science: Storytelling and Discussion (Livestreamed)

7:00 – 9:00pm: In-person Reception

Speakers:

• Carlos Martinez, Senior Climate Scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists
• Edwin Lee, AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation
• Reyhaneh (Rey) Maktoufi, (moderator) Science Communicator and Story Craft Project Lead, Science Communication Lab
• Brandon Vaidyanathan, Professor of Sociology, The Catholic University of America
• Maryam Zaringhalam, Senior Director of Policy, Center for Open Science
  

Speaker Information:

Carlos Martinez, Union of Concerned Scientists  

Dr. Carlos Javier Martinez is a senior climate scientist with the Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). In his role, he focuses on community-driven research, earth-system modeling, data analysis, and science-policy integration. Prior to joining UCS, Dr. Martinez served at the National Science Foundation (NSF), where he oversaw a climate resilience research portfolio, working with scientists, policymakers, and community leaders. He was the strategic lead on the NSF Environmental Justice Strategic Plan and NSF’s contributions to the United Nations Ocean Decade on Sustainable Development. He was also involved with the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), supporting the 5th and 6th National Climate Assessments and the National Nature Assessment, and co-authored the U.S. Climate Literacy Guide. Dr. Martinez earned a PhD in earth and environmental sciences from Columbia University, and a BS in meteorology from Texas A&M University. He leads the American Meteorological Society’s Committee on Spirituality, Multifaith Outreach, and Science (COSMOS), and is a council member for the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

Edwin Lee, AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation

Dr. Edwin W. Lee II is a son, brother, friend, mentor, and educator whose work focuses on empowering students with learning instruction, problem-solving skills, and career engagement opportunities that enhance their educational experience by improving their self-efficacy and sense of belonging. After completing his undergraduate work at Louisiana State University, he went on to earn a PhD in electrical engineering at The Ohio State University. He then spent 8 years as a higher education administrator and is now completing the second year of the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship in the STEM Education Directorate at the National Science Foundation. Edwin has completed a TEDx Talk, "Embracing Failure as a Part of the Learning Process," a TEDx Conversation, "Communal Change from the Inside Out," and is the co-host of the Black Men Unlearning podcast.

Reyhaneh (Rey) Maktoufi, (moderator), Science Communication Lab

Dr. Reyhaneh (Rey) Maktoufi is a DC-based, Iranian researcher and science communicator. She is the co-producer, host and illustrator of PBS|NOVA’s digital series Sciencing Out, a mini-series on women in history who have used different strategies to communicate their science. Rey received her Ph.D. in Media, Technology, and Society at Northwestern University. She is an HHMI, Tangled Bank Studio Fellow in Science Communication. Previously, Rey was a Rita Allen Foundation Civic Science Fellow in Misinformation at GBH|NOVA. As a researcher, media strategist/consultant, and producer, her main fields of interest are science communication, misinformation, curiosity, public engagement with scientists, and science communication in media. She was a visiting researcher at the Adler Planetarium, where she studied science communication and facilitated workshops on communication skills and she’s also a producer at The Story Collider podcast. Before starting a Ph.D., Rey worked as a health communication facilitator and cancer preventive/palliative care campaign manager in Tehran, Iran. Rey currently enjoys working with different nonprofits such as the Communicating Science Conference (ComSciCon). She also engages in science outreach through writing blog-posts and making science comics and has been interviewed on outlets such as the Smithsonian Magazine and the SETI Institute’s podcast Big Picture Science.

Brandon Vaidyanathan, The Catholic University of America

Dr. Brandon Vaidyanathan is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Institutional Flourishing Lab at The Catholic University of America. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Business Administration from St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia and HEC Montreal respectively, and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Vaidyanathan's research examines the cultural dimensions of religious, commercial, and scientific institutions. He is author of Mercenaries and Missionaries: Capitalism and Catholicism in the Global South (Cornell University Press, 2019), co-author of Secularity and Science: What Scientists Around the World Really Think About Religion (Oxford University Press, 2019), and co-editor of Rebuilding Trust: Clergy Morale in the Wake of the Abuse Crisis (CUA Press, 2025). He is also Founder of Beauty at Work, a media platform which includes a podcast and YouTube channel that aims to expand our understanding of beauty: what it is, how it works, and why it matters for the work we do.

Maryam Zaringhalam, Center for Open Science