Kiki Sanford - Science Communication

Science Communication

Sanford, known as "Dr. Kiki," produces and appears in a number of science education programs. Sanford says of her work, "My shtick is Dr. Kiki reaches out to people who don’t necessarily like science to get them to see it as something enjoyable. My goal is to get people who maybe flunked chemistry or didn’t do well on their science fair project to say, ‘This is really interesting.’"

Sanford is the host of the This Week in Science radio show/podcast, which she founded in 1999. This Week in Science is a weekly program formerly streamed live from the This Week in Tech Network (TWiT), and then rebroadcast from U.C. Davis' KDVS, 90.3 FM. Although TWiT no longer carries This Week in Science (as well as all third-party shows,) Sanford states that she is considering continuing the program on her own.

Starting in late 2007, Sanford expanded her work, starring in On Network's successful series Food Science. The program explores the science of cooking as well as at-home experiments involving food. In 2008, she began co-hosting Revision3's variety show PopSiren. PopSiren describes itself as offering a "feminine perspective" on pop culture and technology.

On April 30, 2009, Dr. Kiki's Science Hour kicked off on TWiT.tv. The show, recorded live on TWiT, became a podcast with episode 24. Past guests included scientists, skeptics, and science communicators such as astronomer Phil Plait and neurologist Steven Novella. The program, like This Week in Science, is no longer carried by TWiT. On Sanford's website, she states that, "Regardless of these actions by TWiT, I will continue to endeavor to communicate science." She then states that her other program, This Week in Science, "will continue; exactly how is uncertain, but I will not let it disappear."

Sanford has produced and hosted various segments for The Science Channel's science program Brink.