Science on the Street

For more than a year, Winslow has been a reporter, writer, and director for Science on the Street, a YouTube series that uses a comedy format to explore science topics and showcase diverse scientists and scientific fields. Like The Daily Show or Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the show combines serious topics with laughs to reach its audience.

“This technique allows adults to engage with scientific concepts in an approachable way,” says Suffolk Biology Professor Maria Eugenia Leone Gold, a paleontologist, who created the show and launched its first episode in March 2022. “It also increases representation in science, and encourages people from all walks of life to stay curious.”

A naturally engaging host, Gold opens each monthly episode with a fact-filled, funny monologue and then interviews an expert on various hot topics like climate change, earthquakes, toxic spills, sharks, and even squirrels. She also fact-checks pop culture hits like Jurassic Park and The End of Us. In addition to writing her own material with the help of her students and editing each episode, Gold regularly features Suffolk faculty members on the show, including Lauren Nolfo-Clements and Celeste Peterson (biology), Rachel McKinney (philosophy), Lori Mitchener (environmental science & studies), and Kelsey Stocker (chemistry/biochemistry).  

A lively “man on the street” interviewer, Winslow says he loves “being in the middle of the action, learning how to improvise under pressure. Working with Professor Gold has taught me that there are many ways to tackle a problem and come up with a solution.” As a summer intern, he also had the chance to learn Adobe Premier, an editing software system used by most professional studios.

Chaimaa Hossaini, BS ’23, first learned about Science on the Street when she ran into Gold while attending a science event on campus. A biology major now applying to medical school, she soon found herself writing jokes for the show.

“I always made Professor Gold laugh,” says Hossaini, who also served as a researcher on the show. “Working on the script, we each had our own opinions and then worked together to find a middle ground.” 

Work-study students at Suffolk’s Studio 73 play a significant behind-the-scenes role in the show’s success. They are continually learning an array of skills—from running the camera and teleprompter, to maintaining the audio and creating set designs—tools of the trade that will be beneficial moving forward.

“It’s a great hands-on experience for our students that will prepare them for the real world,” says Studio 73 Assistant Manager Patrick Lys. “While students have multiple opportunities to help in the production of various shows and their content, they also get to develop a relationship with faculty outside the classroom environment. They become more confident in what it takes to put a show together.”