Happy Birthday Embryo Project! Celebrating 20 Years of Educating the World about Developmental and Reproductive Biology
By: Matt Tontonoz, Editor-in-Chief, Embryo Project Encyclopedia
On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, the Center for Biology and Society (CBS) at ASU hosted a reunion celebration in honor of the 20th anniversary of the Embryo Project (EP). The main event was a panel discussion with past Embryo Project instructors and editors, moderated by current Bio and Society PhD student and science writer/podcaster Risa Schnebly.
The day was a chance for past EP students to reflect on what the Embryo Project has meant to them and answer questions from current EP students who are contemplating a career in science writing or a related field.
Launched in 2005, the Embryo Project is a group of researchers, led by CBS Director Jane Maienschein, who share an interest in the history and philosophy of the sciences of embryology, reproduction, and development.
Each semester, Embryo Project researchers teach a writing seminar devoted to helping students learn how to craft deeply researched and trustworthy yet accessible articles for the Embryo Project Encyclopedia, an online educational resource that reaches millions of viewers every year.
Several of the panelists spoke about how EP set them on the paths that they are following today, whether that’s law, science writing, academic administration, or teaching.
The panel discussants included:
Alexis Abboud, PhD, JD, associate litigator with Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York
Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, science writer and founder of HealthWords, Ltd
Kelle Dhein, PhD, assistant professor at ASU’s School Complex Adaptive Systems
Anna Guerrero, PhD, artist and postdoctoral fellow at the Santa Fe Institute
Paige Madison, PhD, science writer, author, and fossil lover
Erica O’Neil, PhD, project manager for the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics at ASU
Kaitlyn Helm, a senior molecular biosciences and biotechnology major and current EP student who attended the event, said: “It was cool to see how many different avenues people went down. No one was doing the same thing.”
Pragalbha Ghatigar, a junior neuroscience major and current EP student who also attended the event, said: “I thought it was really interesting that they still use the skills that they learned from the Embryo Project in their jobs years and years later.”
Reflecting on the day, Dr. Maienschein said, “It’s kind of humbling to think that when we started this project so long ago, we wondered whether it would last longer than our initial 3 year NSF grant. And here we are, hundreds of students and many hundreds of articles later!”
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Former EP students and instructors are encouraged to record their experiences with EP in the following linked surveys:
EP Instructors and Editors EP Students
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