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.

Me Talk Science One Day

Early on in graduate school, I had the opportunity to spend a day on Capital Hill discussing science policy with members of Congress. The Coalition for the Life Sciences periodically brings in biologists for these “Capital Hill Days” as a vehicle to improve the communication between scientists and legislators. It’s a great initiative and I’m glad I was able to participate.

Admittedly, though, that day did little to turn me on to politics. I was frustrated by our representatives’ limited understanding of science as well as narrow interest in only the research with direct implications for health and disease, particularly in areas that affected them personally. Case in point, one staff member asked if any of us studied lipids because a relative of the senator had a lipid metabolism disorder and would be particularly interested in supporting that. I did, in fact, study lipids but had no clue how to respond appropriately since my research didn't have immediate clinical relevance. (Plus I know I'm not the only one to roll my eyes at having to link everything back to a horrific disease for people to take interest). By the end of the visit, I just wanted to go back to talking science with other scientists.

Flash forward to a couple of weeks ago when I attended a program sponsored by Stony Brook University’s Center for Communicating Science (CCS). This new institute is dedicated to teaching scientists how to effectively describe their work- not only to other scientists but also to the people who fund their research, policymakers, and the general public. I was there along with faculty and administrators from colleges and universities around the world to learn about the CCS’s curriculum and why this training is critical for our graduate students and postdocs.

Going through this week of training prompted me to recall my prior experience on Capital Hill and reflect on how it could’ve been improved had I been exposed to the kinds of courses the CCS offers.

One problem going into my visit to Washington, DC is that I wasn’t prepared to talk science with a lay audience. I didn’t know where to begin and how much detail to give to anyone outside my field. What’s more, I was hesitant to “dumb down” my research or make it personal. Had I received practical instruction on how to distill and tailor a message to different audiences, skills the CCS teaches, I might not have felt like I was speaking a different language and avoided becoming frustrated or impatient. And as I also learned, being simple and clear, using analogies, and humanizing a story isn’t dumbing down or detracting from the seriousness of the topic, it’s being a good communicator. If the listener doesn’t understand or care to understand because of an an unwillingness to lose the jargon or inability to explan its relevance- it’s my fault not theirs.

Another issue brought to light by my Capital Hill visit is that while I recognized the importance of working with policymakers and educating the public, at the time I reasoned it didn’t have to be MY responsibility. After all, I wasn’t planning on going into science policy or journalism. But Alan Alda, who gave the keynote at the CCS, argues that, “communication is not something extra you add to science, it is of the essence of science.” Cornelia Dean, science writer and former editor at the New York Times, elaborates on this point in her book Am I Making Myself Clear: A Scientist’s Guide to Talking to the Public. She writes:

“We need to adopt a broader view of what it means for researchers to fulfill their obligations to society. It is not enough for them to make findings and report them in the scholarly literature. As citizens in a democracy, they must engage, and not just when their funding is at stake.”

Unfortunately, too many scientists think like I used to, “I’m a researcher not a writer or politician.” I believe this mentality arises because engaging the public isn’t rewarded or encouraged in a scientific career. If we instilled the importance of communication early and provided the tools for doing it effectively, we might see a shift in this way of thinking. And for those still reluctant to engage non-scientists, Carl Safina, author, scientist, and one of the CCS instructors, issued the following statement:

“If you choose not to communicate what you do, your work will be increasingly irrelevant. Even worse, you will condemn the rest of us to receive information from sources who  may be ignorant or who choose to distort and misinform for their own gain.”

Needless to say, by the end of CCS’s program, I was convinced to include science communication training in future Science Alliance programming. Now if only I could go back and explain why my doctoral research on lipids was important despite not curing any lipid disorders...

Stay tuned, the next blog post will present practical ways you can start to communicate with the public.

Career Path Video: From a Professor to Science Communicator- Beth Schachter

Beth Schachter, PhD
Science Communicator
Beth Schachter Consulting and Principal, Still Point Coaching & Consulting

Beth Schachter earned her PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California and was an Associate Professor at Mt Sinai Medical Center, where she performed NIH-funded research in endocrinology, neuroscience and cancer research.  After sixteen years spent as a principal investigator, Beth left academic research to pursue a career in science communications. She has been both a scientific editor at HMS Beagle, the first online biomedical magazine, and contributing writer at The New York Academy of Sciences.

Beth then started Beth Schachter Consulting, in which she writes about life science, biomedicine, and biotechnology for professional audiences. She has commissioned projects for institutions such as the Whitehead Institute (MIT) and Rockefeller University, and has had bylined articles in the NYTimes, Nature Biotechnology, Trends in Genetics, and The Scientist, among others. Beth is also a Principal at Still Point Coaching & Consulting, providing professional development for scientists and executives in life science research through seminars, workshops and one-on-one editing and coaching.

For more information on careers in science communications, click here.