Communication

In a world where we are globally connected by the internet and social media, it can be hard to tell whether the article you are reading is based on well designed studies or not. This troubles me greatly, and I want to help us become discerning and engaged people. My mission is to simultaneously increase science literacy in the general population and empower scientists to talk about their research to non-expert audiences. These two ideals go hand-in-hand. While in graduate school, I have been participating in a number of initiatives and programs to achieve both goals, including Nerd Nite, RI.

I have taught science communication in a few venues now, and would love to be part of your next science communication initiative, discussion or workshop.

Explaining Research: Effective and Engaging Communication of Science, Brown University

I taught a 9 hour module, “Explaining Research: Effective and Engaging Communication of Science” through the Brown University Initiative to Maximize Student Development. In this course, we discussed strategies for communicating science to the public, to journalists and to elected officials. We also completed an exercise to develop a research summary understandable by everyone. I’m happy to share content – ask for it in my contact form.

The Art of Science Communication, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

I have served as a mentor and instructor for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology online course, “The Art of Science Communication.” In this course, I coach scientists at all career levels to improve their science communication to all audiences, while focusing on lay audiences. By the end of the course, students understand scientific storytelling and framing their research in a salient context for the audience. I also help them develop a 10-20 minute presentation for the general public.

A Practical Guide to Science Communication, Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting

At the 2017 Annual Meeting, I organized and moderated a Professional Development Workshop on science communication. About 200 people attended, and our survey feedback says that almost all of them would recommend the workshop to a colleague and felt that it was time well spent. Both are impressive feats, given the competition for attendees’ time and attention at a conference with 30,000 people in attendance.  We ran the workshop differently than most workshops at this conference. We had short (10 minute) talks to introduce topics in science communication followed by guided discussion in small groups. This allowed each participant the opportunity to try out new ideas and get feedback from peers and experts on their research descriptions.

Image: At my experimental rig.