The Scientist’s 2020 Gift Guide

We all deserve something nice this year.

Written byAmanda Heidt

| 3 min read

holiday gift, roundup, end of year, present, science, products, charity, philanthropy

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Socks for Animals was started by wildlife biologist Wes Larson as a way to educate the public about threatened species such as the pangolin, red panda, and narwhal. A portion of each sale is donated to a charity or scientist working with the species featured on your sock. Recipient Debahutee Roy Kar, for example, is a biologist at the Indian nonprofit Nature’s Foster who studies how habitat fragmentation affects the endangered golden langur monkey. Socks start at $10.

Why not pick out a new book for your loved one to enjoy with their new socks? All We Can Save features poetry and essays by women working towards uplifting solutions to climate change. If someone on your list got really into birding in 2020, try The Bird Way by science writer Jennifer Ackerman. For a compelling story about one naturalist’s journey to organize the world, there’s Why Fish Don’t Exist by ...

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Meet the Author

Amanda Heidt
Go to The Scientist's LinkedIn Page
Amanda first began dabbling in scicom as a master’s student studying marine science at Moss Landing Marine Labs, where she edited the student blog and interned at a local NPR station. She enjoyed that process of demystifying science so much that after receiving her degree in 2019, she went straight into a second master’s program in science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Formerly an intern at The Scientist, Amanda joined the team as a staff reporter and editor in 2021 and oversaw the publication’s internship program, assigned and edited the Foundations, Scientist to Watch, and Short Lit columns, and contributed original reporting across the publication. Amanda’s stories often focus on issues of equity and representation in academia, and she brings this same commitment to DEI to the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains and to the board of the National Association of Science Writers, which she has served on since 2022. She is currently based in the outdoor playground that is Moab, Utah. Read more of her work at www.amandaheidt.com.
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