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Science Outreach, Community Engagement, and Communication

Information about science public outreach, community and governmental engagement, policy and advocacy, informal education, events, exhibits, and communication.

What is Science Communication?

Science Communication, or SciComm, is the act, and art, of sharing the stories and knowledge of science to the general public. This is a purposefully broad definition and it covers everything from a journalist reporting on new ground breaking biological research to an undergraduate mathematician tweeting a proof to a documentary about shrinking ecosystems in the Arctic to a blog written by a physics professor to a PhD candidate in chemistry who animates reactions and posts them to YouTube.

Where to Start

There are three main things to take into account when you start communicating science: your message, your audience, and your goals.

Your message, or the story you want to tell, seems like the most straightforward of these, but it is worth spending some time really thinking about it before plowing headlong into production. One great tool for polishing your story is The Message Box Workbook from COMPASS which can really help focus your message. Another approach is Jen Briselli's design strategy for science communication which provides an empathy based process for crafting your story.

Determining your audience will have a huge impact on your final product, after all if you want to reach the general population writing a post on a blog aimed at subject experts would not be your best choice. There has been research which has identified four types of science communication audiences and that research also suggest which types of communication are best suited for targeting those difference audiences. It is also worth thinking about how you can vary your communication style to best reach your target audience.

Finally, setting your science communication goals will allow you to determine what exactly you are hoping to achieve and help you focus on where to put your effort. The University of Washington suggests asking questions like "What does success look like?" and "What do you want your audience to do?" and the AAAS provides an example map of many short, medium, and long term goals to which science communication could contribute.

SciComm Orgs & Opportunities

SciComm at the University of Michigan
  • RELATE
    A communications training and community engagement program designed to improve the dialogue between researchers and different public audiences.
  • MiSciWriters
    A graduate student organization who’s goal is to train fellow graduate students & post-doctoral fellows in science writing and editing.
  • UMNHM Science Communications Fellows
    Program through the U-M Museum of Natural History for faculty, post-docs, and graduate students interested in sharing their research with the general public which includes communication training and presentation opportunities. 

SciComm Conferences and Trainings

National Science Communication Organizations

   

Last Updated: Nov 19, 2024 1:43 PM
Subjects: Science