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Physicists Catch a Quantum Butterfly Spreading Its Wings

28 Mar 2025, Scientific American

In a first, physicists have directly seen Hofstadter’s butterfly—a long-sought-after fractal in the quantum realm

In the Quantum Realm, Time’s Arrow Might Fly in Two Directions

27 Feb 2025, Scientific American

Scientists studying a centuries-old mystery of physics suggest two “arrows of time” control the evolution of quantum systems

Penguins Help to Map Antarctica’s Growing Mercury Threat

12 Feb 2025, Scientific American (web/print)

Molted penguin feathers record mercury infiltrating Antarctica’s food web

Nearby Habitable-Zone Exoplanet May Be a World of Fire and Ice

3 Feb 2025, Scientific American

A newly confirmed exoplanet around a nearby sunlike star might be astronomers’ best chance yet to look for life beyond the solar system—but it’s still no place like home

What the world’s 2024 elections mean for chemistry

7 Oct 2024, Chemical & Engineering News

Here’s how elections around the globe could affect chemistry—and all of science—for years to come.

Scientists are on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries of dark matter

20 May 2024, Popular Mechanics

Possibly the most powerful energy source in the universe, confirmation of this elusive form of matter could rewrite the rules of the universe as we know it.

Visual works

▶ Illustration & Animation

▶ Web UX/UI


▶ Artwork



Published clips


2025

Scientific American

This Strange Mutation Explains the Mystifying Color of Orange Cats | May 15

We’ve Only Seen 0.001 Percent of Earth’s Seafloor. Here’s What That Really Means | May 9

Carnivorous ‘Bone Collector’ Caterpillars Wear Corpses as Camouflage | Apr 24

Lion Bite to the Butt May Be First Proof of Human-Animal Gladiatorial Combat | Apr 23

Quantum Randomness Could Create a Spoof-Proof Internet | Apr 21

‘Chaos’ Angle Explains Why Pedestrian Traffic Snarls to a Stop | Apr 17

Language Differences Control Your Brain’s Sentence-Prediction Habits | Apr 15

Physicists Are Closer Than Ever to Solving the Puzzle of the Ghostly Neutrino’s Mass | Apr 14

Crows Are Good at Geometry. Don’t Look So Surprised | Apr 11

JWST Spots Giant Spiral Galaxy Shockingly Early in Cosmic History | Apr 9

This Space Station Miso Tastes Out of This World | Apr 7

Physicists Catch a Quantum Butterfly Spreading Its Wings | Mar 28

After 286 Days in Space, NASA Astronauts Return to Earth with a Splash | Mar 19

What Sniffing Mummies Taught Scientists about Ancient Society | Mar 13

Intuitive Machines’ Athena Lander Reaches the Moon Lopsided—Just Like Its Predecessor | Mar 6

A New Device Lets You Taste Things without Actually Eating Them | Feb 28

In the Quantum Realm, Time’s Arrow Might Fly in Two Directions | Feb 27

Penguins Help to Map Antarctica’s Growing Mercury Threat | Feb 12

Athena, Next U.S. Commercial Moon Lander, Is Set for Spectacular Lunar Science | Feb 11

To Find Life on Mars, Make Microbes Wiggle | Feb 6

Nearby Habitable-Zone Exoplanet May Be a World of Fire and Ice | Feb 3

This Supermassive Black Hole May Harbor a Bizarre Star That Refuses to Die | January 17

Migrating Birds Sing to Team Up with Other Species | January 15

2024

Chemical & Engineering News

2023

2022



CV/Resume

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Education


New York University
MA Journalism, Science, Health & Environmental Reporting Program (Dec 2024)
BA Philosophy, NYU Abu Dhabi (Jun 2023); semesters abroad in NY, DC and Accra, Ghana

Journalism


News Intern, Scientific American
New York (Jan 2025 – Present)
• Pitch, report, and write news stories for web and print
• Help produce Spellements, SciAm's spelling puzzle game

Editorial Intern, Scholastic
New York (May 2024 – Dec 2024)
• Write and edit print and online articles on science and math topics for elementary and middle school students
• Participate in weekly meetings to plan story ideas, teaching materials, and social media for future issues
• Assist in filming, writing, and compiling lesson materials for teachers
• Created archives of vocabulary glossaries, teaching materials, and games from past issues

Graphics Editor, Scienceline
New York (Dec 2023 – Nov 2024)
• Wrote online articles on theoretical physics, chemistry, and applied mathematics
• Designed, illustrated, and animated visual aids for staff articles
• Renovated interface designs for improved user experience to the newsletter and the website
• Provided artistic direction for "NYC Under the Surface," an interactive project awarded Best Single-issue Student Magazine by the Society of Professional Journalists

Science Policy Reporter, Innovation Policy News
Remote (Feb 2022 – Jun 2022)
• Wrote, reported, and edited online news stories on U.S. science, technology, and health policy

Newsroom Intern, Voice of America
Remote (May 2020 – Aug 2020)
• Spearheaded coverage of East Asia for Polygraph.info, VOA’s international politics department
• Provided audio narration for feature about security legislation in Hong Kong

Managing Editor, VO1SS
London, UK and Tokyo, Japan/Remote (Apr 2019 – Dec 2019)
• Managing editor for media startup offering career guidance to 4000+ international students
• Conducted outreach and published weekly articles on 30+ international students and professionals in English, Korean and Japanese
• Hosted Search Engine Optimization sessions for 20 staff writers, increasing pageviews by 15%

Research


Research and Editorial Intern, American Enterprise Institute
Washington, DC (Jan 2020 – May 2020)
• Edited and prepared resident scholar blog posts for the CMS and social media content
• Researched and wrote questions for podcast on technological innovation and economic policy

Research Assistant, New York University
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Department of Social Science
(Nov 2021 – May 2022)
• Assist with research projects regarding topics such as urban studies, race, class, or citizenship.
• Copy edited publication manuscripts authored by university professors
Teaching, Learning and Development Lab
(Feb 2019 – Nov 2019)
• Completed the CITI Program training for ethical research
• Assisted in the creation of coded data and transcriptions of videos studying mother-child behavior

Skills & Programs


Multimedia
Adobe Suite
• Premiere Pro, Audition
• Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator
Graphic Design/Animation
• Clip Studio Paint EX (Illustration, animation)
• Blender (3D modeling, animation)
• Figma, Canva (Design Cloud)
Management
• Search Engine Optimization (WordPress)
• Social media (Twitter/X, Instagram)

Languages


Languages
• Native proficiency: English, Korean
• Fluent: Japanese
• Working proficiency: Python, R

Honors


• Global Leadership Scholar (2020, United Arab Emirates)
• Citizen Ambassador for Fair Trade, Beautiful Coffee (2016, South Korea)
• Foreign Minister’s Award for Excellence in Oration, United Nations (2015, South Korea)

Gayoung Lee is a science writer and illustrator from South Korea. A philosopher by training, her interests lie in uncovering and writing about the unexpected connections between the world and various scientific phenomena, particularly in theoretical quantum mechanics and astrophysics. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, Chemical & Engineering News, Popular Mechanics, and more. CV / Full Portfolio

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