Tag: scicomm

Social Media Toolkit for Healthcare

Posted by on in Resource, Upcoming opportunities1 Comment

More and more people are using the internet to discover and share information about their health. In fact, more than 40% said information found via social media affects how they deal with their health.

58% of the UK adult population use social networking sites and more and more are using them for information and advice in all areas of their life – including their health. It is therefore vital that healthcare organisations find their place on social media.

Skills For Health have developed a new social media toolkit for healthcare which may be of interest to those of you working in a health related field.

Check it out here: skillsforhealth – socialtoolkit

Sense About Science – Public Engagement: A practical guide

Posted by on in Biomedical Sciences, Resource, Upcoming opportunities1 Comment

Sense about Science have launched Public Engagement: a practical guide, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). It is aimed at researchers to help and encourage them to involve the public in working out how to communicate findings — from the earliest stages of projects, and on the most challenging of subjects.

 Sense about Science, have worked with researchers on many of the most sensitive subjects – some fraught with misunderstanding – to improve the communication of their research findings. They only undertake such partnerships where there are high stakes for the public and communication is difficult. Communicating the survival statistics of children’s heart surgery at different treatment centres in 2016 was among the toughest of these, with potentially major consequences for all involved. 

 The guide uses this experience as a case study throughout. Their public engagement team worked with NIHR-funded health researchers to present research information in a way that is shaped from the outset by people who will use it. 

We hope you find the guide useful and if so please consider sharing it with your networks. You can also follow the conversation on Twitter via their hashtag #PublicLed  

FameLab Regional Heats (Dec 12th)

Posted by on in Upcoming opportunities

The Midlands region is holding Famelab 2017 heats on Monday 12th December 2016, from 18:30 in PureCraft Bar, Birmingham. FameLab is an international competition that challenges scientists to communicate their knowledge in short three minute talks. The University of Birmingham had a UK finalist in 2016. You can watch Alex’s performance here if you want inspiration. It would be brilliant if we could repeat that success.famelab-01

You’ll have three minutes to share your topic with a public audience. Remember, you cannot use slides and only use the props you can carry on stage. Entrants must be 21 years old or older, studying or working in science, engineering, technology, medicine or mathematics.

Full registration is here.

Sign up to perform your three minutes as soon as possible as spaces are limited. Audiences (including your students) can book free tickets here so feel free to invite everyone. Posters are attached for colleagues and audiences. For further info contact PERC stalwart Jon Wood: j.b.wood@bham.ac.uk [Internal Ext. 45081]

 

In praise of storytelling – three ways that communication has made me a better scientist

Posted by on in case study, good practice, News, Raising Awareness, Upcoming opportunities

 a Neuroscience Doctoral Candidate, Penn State College of Medicine talks to THE CONVERSATION about how science communication has made her a better scientist. You can read the full article over at THE CONVERSATION, but we have a quick overview below:

“Scientists are often told to reach out to general audiences about their research for the public’s benefit:

We need to establish trust! Taxpayers deserve to understand where their money is going! We need to clear up misconceptions about GMOs and vaccines and climate change!

While these arguments are absolutely true, many scientists find this hard to do. Science communication can become a time-consuming side job. And for many, such a responsibility to the general public can be extremely daunting.

But it’s okay for scientists to practice their communication skills for non-philanthropic reasons, too. Despite my initial college lab experience, telling stories as a science communicator today has made me a much, much better scientist in a few unexpected ways.”

1. I read more and write more. So I read and write better.

While it’s impossible to know everything that’s going on at all times, being a science communicator has helped enormously. Scouting for story ideas or researching for a piece means I’m constantly coming across new findings, new methods and new hypotheses. Being active on social media, particularly Twitter, has introduced me to the diverse work of my journalistic peers, too.

But perhaps the best part is this: writing is significantly easier and infinitely less daunting than it used to be. Sitting down to write is hard, and finding your voice is harder. But the more one writes – whether a short, snarky blog post or a 12-page grant application – the easier and better it gets.

2. Simplifying my work makes for better conversations

Here’s a confession that many scientists may relate to, but few may admit: when I attend a talk outside my field, I’m lucky if I understand 50% of what is going on.

The purpose of science communication is to simplify, but not dumb down, your work so that the average non-scientist can understand it. Nowadays, when I design posters or oral presentations, I aim to do the same thing regardless of whether I’m introducing my work to scientists or non-scientists. My research posters, in fact, are almost laughably simple. Well under 200 words, with large, blocky figures, at first glance they may resemble a high school science project – certainly not a typical graduate student’s work at an international conference.

Since applying what I’ve learned from being a science communicator, my conference poster experience has completely changed. I’m frequently bombarded by a non-stop stream of scientists from all different fields, never having more than a free minute or two to sneak a swig of water. The best part is that because they understand what’s on the paper, our discussions can go deeper.

3. Unique opportunities and credibility

Since college, I’ve wanted to attend the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, the largest gathering of neuroscientists worldwide. This year, I got to do just that thanks to a travel stipend through the SfN Science Journalism Student Award – something I couldn’t have done if, obviously, I hadn’t started my quirky little hobby. In a roundabout way, I was able to attend an event I would have never been able to afford, and I returned to the lab with fresh ideas for my own research.

As people begin to recognise me as an “expert” in my field, I’m solicited for quotes and radio interviews. I’ve made a few odd dollars here and there for writing pieces, supplementing my lavish graduate student lifestyle. I even gave a TED talk in July – something I never imagined I’d have the chance to do.

While certainly not all scientists wish to seek out these types of public displays, it’s exciting to discover the countless venues for us to share our work with others.

So, scientists, here’s the bottom line: if you’re hesitant to reach out to the public due to lack of time, ambivalence, or just not knowing where to start, it’s understandable. It takes a fair bit of work, and it’s not easy. But if you want the chance to expand your horizons, improve your writing, enjoy unique opportunities, and engage more people – scientists and non-scientists alike – you might want to give science communication a shot.

In addition to making your work accessible to the general public, you might be surprised by how much your benchwork benefits, too.