Science Communication
Alt. Extension: Science Communication Tools for the Modern Era
Throughout my career, I have been inherently drawn to positions that involve Science Communication because everyone should have an appreciation for the natural world and curiosity for science. During my PhD, I have developed a passion to make science more accessible and to encourage researchers and academics to make SciComm a career priority. As part of this passion, my colleagues Alex McInturf, Alexandra Colón Rodríguez, and I designed a graduate-level seminar, Alt. Extension: Science Communication Tools for the Modern Era at UC Davis, to highlight diverse tools and platforms for researchers to communicate their science with a variety of audiences!
Class Overview
Science communication is not considered a formal component of a graduate degree; however, the ability to translate scientific work into multiple accessible formats is critical as we interact outside of the academic realm, with everyone from policy-makers to the next generation of researchers. The purpose of this series is to provide scientists of all levels of experience with hands-on practice to improve science communication and outreach skills. The goal is for students to emerge with a “toolkit” for sharing their research, and resources to guide further use of these methods in the future.
Class Objectives
Explain why science communication is important to academia and to society.
Identify tools to translate and communicate science to various audiences.
Execute science communication skills in different contexts.
Distinguish between the different science communication methods and platforms.
Weekly Topics
The class format was equally split between seminar & workshop time, allowing students to learn a new tool, and then gain hands-on experience developing skills:
Researching Your Audience
Targeting Your Audience
Science Education
Effective Presentations
Social Media
Popular Science Writing
Effective Interviewing
Interacting with Policy-Makers
SciComm Tips & Tricks
