Research Guides: Earth & Environmental Sciences (Virtual Geosciences Library): Civic Engagement & Communicating Science

Outreach Tools

Communication 101: Communication Basics for Scientists and Engineers (AAAS)
This Communication Toolkit provides guidance for scientists to build skills to more effectively communicate and engage with public audiences, including ways to apply the fundamentals of communication to scientific topics. Following this overview, sections focus on various channels or modes of communication, including online and face-to-face communication. A section about engaging with journalists provides tips and strategies for communicating with that audience.
Portal to the Public
The Portal to the Public (PoP) approach helps organizations connect public audiences with current science in their own communities through conversations with local scientists.
RELATE: Making Science Communication A Conversation
RELATE is a communications training and community engagement program designed to improve the dialogue between researchers and different public audiences. Our program is built on the belief that science communication should be a conversation, and not scientists lecturing audiences about their work. Our goal is to support researchers in engaging in this conversation.
Thriving Earth Exchange (AGU)
Helps volunteer scientists and community leaders work together to use science, especially Earth and space science, to tackle community issues and advance local priorities related to natural hazards, natural resources, and climate change. Through the TEX, local leaders and Earth and space scientists will create resilient communities that enrich the Earth. Working together, we will create solutions for the planet, one community at a time.
U-M Museum of Natural History Research Support
If you're searching for a way to shine a spotlight on your research, look no further than the U-M Museum of Natural History. Whether you need to fulfill NSF Broader Impacts requirements or just want to share what you do with the public, we can provide you with the expertise, support and audience to achieve your science outreach goals.

Earth Sciences Outreach Examples

AGU Blogosphere
Calling: Earth
Hosted by USF Libraries’ faculty librarian Matt Torrence, these hour-long conversations with USF Geosciences experts take the often deeply academic world of wildlife ecology, coastal geology, geochemistry, and paleobiology to an educational level suited to any population.

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Calling: Earth is part of the USF Libraries Research Platform Team (RPT) initiative. The RPTs partner with USF faculty and graduate students by providing high-level research assistance.
Earthly Musings - Wayne Ranney's Geology Blog
Geology in Motion
Geology Rocks
Iceland Geology
Telling your Geoscience Story with Story Maps (AGI webinar)
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Communicating results of geoscience investigations to a diverse set of audiences will grow in importance in our 21st century world. Story maps are web mapping applications that provide geoscientists with the ability to combine 2D and 3D maps, audio, video, photographs, and narrative that can be shared with research colleagues, or the general public, and embedded in web pages and online presentation tools. This webinar will quickly give you the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make your own maps for telling your own story.

This webinar is great for any geoscientist who needs to communicate about their own research results, or hypothesis, or issue to their own organization, to a specific group, or to the general public; or is examining the "where" question and therefore has a need to show at least some of their research and data on maps.

Please send an email to ltz @umich.edu if you would like me to link to your favorite Earth Sciences Blog here.