Support for Communication Workshops

University Of Delaware, Newark DE

Investigators

Abstract

Scientists are increasingly called upon to explain their research to the public, to elected officials and to members of the media. Giving presentations to a general audience requires skills that are different from those required to give a scientific presentation. Three workshops will be organized each year at scientific conferences in 2017 and 2018 to provide scientists with the opportunity to learn how to communicate with the public and other general audiences. The following workshops will be organized at the February 2017 Aquatic Sciences Meeting run by the Association for the Science of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) and the February 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting run by ASLO and two other oceanographic societies: 1. Video workshop that provides guidance in making short videos explaining science to lay public audiences. 2. Science communication workshop that provides small-group, hands-on sessions where participants will be given guidance in improved communication skills to use during presentations to the public, elected officials, and members of the media. 3. Interdisciplinary presentation workshop where a few selected oral presentations will be critiqued in front of an audience that includes the presenters. Members of the aquatic sciences community are increasing interested in learning how to improve their communication skills, create effective videos and present their work to the public. This effort will encourage the wider dissemination of information about NSF-supported research to the public and other audiences.