Heather Sparks

Heather Sparks has spent her entire career distilling complex information into concise content and compelling creative for the scientific, tech and arts industries.

Since 2000 she has written about the intersection of science and culture for various outlets including Wired, Popular Science, Vice and Nautilus. In 2012 she launched ScienceSparksArt where she catalogues artistic explorations of science and technology.

Heather has also worked extensively as a copywriter for several content and marketing agencies in New York City and San Francisco. As associate creative director with the marketing firm W2O Group, Heather recently received a 2017 Rx Club Award of Excellence for the brand development of Boston biotech firm, Translate Bio.

Heather counts among her greatest interview experiences DNA discoverer James Watson, Android inventor Andy Rubin, and New York artist Fred Tomaselli and is constantly seeking larger conversation with artists, scientists, and technologists. For that reason, she independently produced her first SXSW Interactive "Art in Tech" meet-up in 2017 and the 2018 panel "Why are Artists Vital to Tech?"

Heather is from Cincinnati, Ohio and holds a B.S. degree in molecular genetics from The Ohio State University and an M.A. in journalism from the Science Health and Environmental Reporting Program from New York University.

[Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]