Matt Shipman is a science writer and public information officer at North Carolina State University. Shipman writes the Communication Breakdown blog for Scilogs.com, hosted by Spektrum and Nature Publishing Group, and has been an invited speaker and moderator on science communication issues at national and regional conferences, including meetings of the National Association of Science Writers and ScienceOnline Together (formerly ScienceOnline). He is currently writing a handbook for PIOs at research institutions, which will be published by University of Chicago Press. Prior to becoming a PIO, Shipman worked as a reporter in Washington, D.C., covering issues related to environment policy and public health.