10 Ways You Can Help the Public Understand Science

In the previous post I addressed the importance of scientists being ambassadors for their work, actively engaging the public as part of their service to society. But what are some avenues for actually doing so? Here are a few ideas, some of which I’ve drawn from Cornelia Dean’s book Am I Making Myself Clear: a Scientist's Guide to Talking to the Public:

1. Blog about science or maintain your research group’s web page. For inspiration, check out ScienceBlogs (a community housing over 80 science bloggers), The Incubator (a blog started by scientists and postdocs at the Rockefeller University covering science and life as a scientist); and these website finalists in the Scientist’s Labby awards.


2. Participate in, run, or help promote local science cafes. A great example of a student-led initiative is Science in the News (SITN) at Harvard Medical School. Find cafes in your area at ScienceCafes.org; here in NYC, there are a handful of public outreach activities:
   
   • Café Science of Columbia U at PicNic Market & Café
   • SciCafe at the American Museum of Natural History
   • Science & the City at the New York Academy of Sciences
   • Secret Science Club of Brooklyn
   • Serving Science- The CUNY Science Cafe
3. Offer to write an article for your institution’s magazine, newsletter or website. I learned recently that the PR office at New York Medical College permits up to 2 students or postdocs to submit a column per issue of their semi-annual magazine. Why not inquire with your own office of external relations to see if they’re open to a similar arrangement?


4. Create fun and instructional videos to post on YouTube or Vimeo. Watch the video finalists in the Scientist’s annual Labby awards to see how it’s done.


5. Get involved in science policy by offering to meet directly with officials, volunteering for advocacy organizations that engage policymakers, or apply for the various policy fellowships through AAAS and other professional societies (see the Science Policy page on this blog for a list of fellowships).


6. Write a letter to the editor or op-ed piece in response to an article or news item.


7. Respond to journalist’s requests for interviews. Many are turned down for fear of backlash or being misconstrued- the key to a successful interview is preparation.


8. Learn to be a better communicator. Take advantage of existing classes or workshops or request that your program or department provide science communication training. For instance, Stony Brook University’s Center for Communicating Science offers coursework on distilling your message, writing to be understood, speaking to the media, and improvisation.


9. Practice speaking in front of audiences and try to elicit feedback from professors and your peers. In my own graduate program we had a student-only “Data Club” with weekly presentations from PhDs in their second year and above (and, more importantly, free dinner). I gained valuable experience by presenting at Data Club, departmental seminars, and lab meetings, and through poster presentations at conferences. Teaching was a big help, too, as undergrads don’t hesitate to tell you exactly what they think of your communication skills.


10. And finally, there is always the option to pursue a full-time career in science communications, outreach, and policy. For additional resources on this, visit the Communicating Science, Science Policy, and Education pages on this blog.

Increasing scientific literacy among the public is an important but often overlooked responsibility of scientists. Yet, as the above list shows, there are a number of outlets for communicating science that are amenable to a range of schedules and interests. So start by asking yourself how you want to get involved and how much time you have to invest and then get to talking.

So You Wanna Change the World?

A recent entry in AAAS' Science Careers blog featured a former classmate of mine who was trained as a molecular biologist and then became a social entrepreneur. The nonprofit she founded and heads provides recycled lab equipment to researchers in low resource settings and is based on an initiative she started while still in graduate school. This is an interesting example of branching out beyond the lab and doing something that has a very tangible and practical impact on society, particularly in developing world countries.

Embarking on this kind of endeavor didn’t occur to me when I was in graduate school. My research on phospholipid signaling didn’t pertain to global health or sustainability and so it wasn’t immediately clear how I could contribute to solving developing world problems in a way that utilized my training. But as the example above shows, we don’t have to be limited to the subject matter we studied or be tied to the lab bench to make a difference.

If you’re looking for inspiration on ways to get involved, a few things come to mind:

1. Check out Idealist.org - a fabulous resource to search for volunteer and work opportunities here and abroad. It’s also a clearinghouse for nonprofit organizations (e.g. here’s their page on the New York Academy of Sciences, which contains a short description and our latest job ads).
2. Join Scientists Without Borders - an online community dedicated to solving global challenges through science- and technology-based solutions. They are seeking scientists like you to lend your knowledge and problem-solving skills to challenges posted by individuals and organization from around the world. (e.g see these potential solutions for purifying water in response to a poster from Uganda).
3. Consider a postdoc or fellowship in international development. For instance, the D-Lab at MIT occasionally has postdoc, volunteer, and full-time positions and Columbia’s Earth Institute has an official Postdoctoral Fellows Program.

To help explore these various avenues Science Alliance is collaborating with Scientists Without Borders to co-sponsor Innovating on a Shoestring: Medical Technologies for the Developing World being held June 30 at the Academy and broadcast live via the web. If you can’t make the event, it will also be archived on the Science Alliance page as an eBriefing. This workshop will provide a case study of developing world innovations being carried out at MIT’s D-Lab as well as practical resources to help you get started in initiatives outside of the lab. What’s more, the presenter will speak about transitioning from a PhD into this field and starting her own nonprofit.

It’s nice to know that it’s never too late to try and change the world.

Target Practice for Scientists

When venturing into the non-academic world for the first time, it’s easy to be in the dark about how to 1) find the perfect career and 2) actually land a job in your field of choice.

One specific challenge is sifting through the seemingly endless possibilities for science PhDs seeking to work in business, government, and non-profit sectors. Reading job descriptions is a good place to start, but won’t give a complete picture on whether or not a particular career path is a good fit. The best thing is to talk to people in these fields by conducting “informational interviews.” These conversations will provide a better sense of whether the job meets your skills, values, and interests and is one you indeed want to pursue.

Before landing your desired job, though, it’s critical to master one of the basics for getting your foot in the door: crafting your CV and/or resume. Most of you are familiar with the traditional academic CV; however, for non-academic jobs 1-2 page resumes or CV-resume hybrids are preferred. You don’t want to be overlooked for a position because relevant skills and experiences aren’t effectively communicated or because the document wasn’t in the appropriate format. You need to know which one to use and how to tailor it to the job to which you’re applying.

To illuminate these initial steps for scientific job seekers, Dr. Laura Stark Malisheski, a neuroscientist-turned-career counselor for graduate students at Harvard University, will present the in-depth workshop The Non-academic Search: Target the Job, Tailor the Approach. She will cover how to craft your best CV or resume and network your way into a job through informational interviewing. The event will take place Thursday, May 12 at the Academy and will also be accessible by webinar.

The tools you pick up from this workshop can be applied to the subsequent event on Saturday, May 21 Careers in Bioinformatics: From the Lab to the Clinic and Beyond at the NYU-Poly Bern Dibner Library of Science and Technology in Brooklyn. You will be armed with the right kinds of questions to ask the panelists and approaches to make your application competitive for a career in this field.

Until next time, happy (job) target practice!

Making the Most of 10,000 Hours

Some scholars believe it takes 10,000 hours or 10 years to become an expert at anything. Indeed, the path to being a scientist, and eventual expert in a given field, involves years of work to gain a deep conceptual knowledge of a specific discipline and hone research skills. What tends to be missing in this arduous pursuit is an attention to attaining competency in other core areas that extend beyond the lab.

To address this omission, the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) has compiled a list of core competencies across six areas that postdocs, and other scientists, should strive to obtain throughout their training. Three areas are specific to science but the remaining three involve acquiring general “transferable skills” that can be applied to careers outside research: communication skills, professionalism, and leadership and management.

How can you cultivate these skills as a graduate student or postdoc?

Take advantage of career and professional development programming offered by your institution and professional scientific associations. As an example of the latter, Science Alliance, a program of the New York Academy of Sciences, provides courses, workshops, and seminars covering a wide range of skill sets, like the art of networking and art of speaking science, negotiation strategies and leadership and personal success through self-awareness and emotional intelligence. Similar types of resources are available on your campus through career service centers and postdoctoral affairs offices with many providing one-on-one advising, as well.

In addition to formal training approaches, another way to develop the recommended core competencies, or any other skill you feel you are lacking, is to learn by doing. Need to improve your public speaking skills? Teach, volunteer to give extra departmental seminars, or join your local Toastmasters. Don’t have any leadership or management experience? Become the lab’s radiation safety officer, supervise a junior student, or head up a project for a school or community group. These are just a few examples- the main point is to be proactive and seek out opportunities that will expand your repertoire of functional skills.

No matter how rigorous the program, the journey towards becoming a scientist will not equip you with all the skills needed for future career success. Therefore, be sure to carve out time to develop your personal and professional self outside the lab. Not only will it make you a well-rounded individual prepared for a multitude of careers, these positive “distractions” may even help the 10,000 hours of pipetting and PubMeding go by faster.

The PI’s Perspective of the Postdoctoral Experience

How do PI’s approach hiring and training postdocs? In the February HHMI bulletin, a handful of successful scientists were interviewed to learn their techniques. If you’re a PhD seeking a postdoctoral appointment, here’s the inside scoop on what your prospective PIs are thinking.

How postdocs are really hired: According to the article, “seasoned investigators scout for talent at scientific meetings, summer training courses, and when giving seminars at other universities.” They also rely heavily on referrals from colleagues and many will focus on your publications and any interesting techniques you could bring to the lab. Note: letters of recommendation add very little to your application. Fitting in with the lab culture and work style was stressed so meeting current lab members will be a crucial part of the interview.

The PI’s approach to training postdocs: The PIs interviewed view the postdoc as the stage for developing your independence as a researcher and, as one PI put it, an opportunity to “test [your] own scientific wings.” As such, they encourage their postdocs to devise their own ideas and experiments, with one even favoring a “sink or swim” approach. Although expected to be self-motivated, this does not necessarily mean you will never see your advisor; one PI meets weekly with each of his postdocs and another holds weekly lab meetings where everyone presents.

What are they training you for: Preparing postdocs to run their own labs is at the top of the list for most PIs with an emphasis on cultivating mentoring skills. “Good mentors find ways to train their postdocs to excel at mentoring when they launch their own labs,” the article states. Others recognize that not everyone will follow in their own shoes and are open to their postdocs following nontraditional paths.

Overall, the article compares the postdocal experience to navigating a river and its “churning rapids with only a paddle and a helmet for protection.” Sounds about right.