Encouraging Science Communication in the Wabash College Chemistry Department

Wabash College, Crawfordsville IN

Investigators

Abstract

Providing undergraduate chemistry students with opportunities to acquire effective science communication skills is an important component of science education for the twenty-first century. Scientists encounter a variety of audiences with which they must communicate, including peer disciplinary experts, scientists from disciplines other than their own and the general public audience. Current research in the field of science communication identifies several types of methods by which the interchange of information occurs and suggests that broadening the exchange of ideas between experts and the public is a valuable pursuit. Yet undergraduate science programs rarely include meaningful opportunities for students to learn how to communicate highly technical information to others, especially to non-scientific members of the public. This project will provide robust education in science communication by incorporating innovative activities throughout the undergraduate chemistry curriculum at Wabash College. For students majoring in chemistry, the activities will include communicating laboratory results in a clear and effectual manner, translating scientific data for a general audience and encouraging broad discussion of science-related news items, innovations and public policy issues. For non-major chemistry students, activities will be designed to demonstrate how to incorporate scientific evidence into public decision-making about issues such as energy policy and the use of genetically modified organisms. Integrating effective communication skills into the science curriculum has the potential to impact how educators think about science education, preparing students for the challenges they will face after graduation. As they enter the workforce, regardless of their career path, science graduates will be required to communicate scientific principles, concepts and results to clients, patients, members of teams of collaborators, investors and many more audiences. In the public sphere, they will be faced with countless conversations with non-scientists about policies related to science and technology, issues of health and safety and actions that affect society as a whole. This interdisciplinary science communication approach of this project spans the entire chemistry curriculum and will develop valuable skills in students to create well-rounded citizen-scientists who can competently serve as leaders for their communities and their governments in the future. The overarching focus of the project is to build capacity in students and their professors to create learning environments that will ultimately empower students to understand, interpret and explain complex scientific matters competently, which will ultimately facilitate effective communication with both scientific peers and the general public. The primary goals of this project are: (1) to develop innovative curriculum-based modules that cultivate science communication skills in Wabash College Chemistry majors and minors; (2) to increase the abilities of non-science majors to understand the importance of scientific research and evidence in personal and public decision making; and (3) to encourage faculty development in science communication education. Project activities will include providing students early in the curriculum with exposure to the language of chemical research. More advanced undergraduates will engage in translational science communication activities, public presentations of scientific news items and will receive guidance via evaluation of oral communication through senior comprehensive examinations. Faculty professional development will be achieved through a series of summer workshops for Wabash College Chemistry faculty and chemistry faculty members from a diverse group of other institutions, including two-year colleges. Additionally, materials and outcomes generated by the project will be disseminated through conferences and workshops to encourage and equip other faculty to integrate science communication into their curricula. To evaluate the activities, the project will use pre- and post-surveys that incorporate quantitative and qualitative measures to assess items such as self-reported learning gains and the ways students and/or faculty conceptualize science communication.