Strengthening Science Communication

1. Strengthening Science Communication Professional Workshop Series at the National University of Mongolia • Workshop #1 • Introductions and “Elevator Talks” • Dr. Christa Hasenkopf • Fulbright Grantee | Research Associate • National University of Mongolia | University of Colorado

2. Introductions! • Tell Us About Yourself! • Name • Position (grad student, researcher) • What kind of science are you interested in? • Anything else?

3. Workshop Description • Goal – Build Science Communications Skills Among: •  Colleagues at the Same Institution • How? •  Colleagues around the World •  Scientists and the Public

4. Workshop Description • You will create a set of perfectedprofessional communication products: • CV/Resume  Abstract  10 min research talk  “Elevator Talk” • With the hopes that:

5. Workshop Description • You will gain tools and processes that make research easier: • Drop Box  Google Groups/Calendar/Alerts  Web of Science Tricks  Peer-Reviewing strategies • Again:

6. Syllabus

7. Workshop Website • www.christahasenkopf/workshop2012 •  Content from workshop – Handouts, PowerPoints, Syllabus, Schedule • Links to related content (e.g. Chronicles of Higher Education on “Elevator Talks”) • Eventually, Mongolian version of the workshop content (after end of course)

8. Workshop Description • Goal – Build Science Communications Skills Among: •  Colleagues at the Same Institution • How? • Why? •  Colleagues around the World •  Scientists and the Public

9. How Science Grows Possible new bit of knowledge Humanity’s understanding of science Eureka! Peer Review (papers, conferences, informal discussion, new research directions)

10. How Science Grows Possible new bit of knowledge Humanity’s understanding of science Eureka! Eureka! Eureka! Eureka! Eureka! Eureka! Eureka! Eureka! Over time …. Trash

11. How Science Grows Over even more time …. Humanity’s understanding of science ….the boundaries grow and extend in new directions.

12. Contributing to Science If you want to contribute to science, you need to: Humanity’s understanding of science Communicate to the public your research area is valuable Communicate to your LOCAL and GLOBAL peers that you deserve funding Communicate to your GLOBAL peers that your research is important.

13. Workshop Description • Goal – Build Science Communications Skills Among: •  Colleagues at the Same Institution • Why? Humanity’s understanding of science •  Colleagues around the World • Strong communication skills are essential for conducting science. •  Scientists and the Public

14. And besides…. In science the credit goes to the man who convinces the world, not the man to whom the idea first occurs. ( By the way, if you’re wondering – I was - Sir Francis Darwin was the son of Charles Darwin) Sir Francis Darwin, 1914

15. Clear Communication Is Tough! Icebreaker Activity Find a partner (one of you will need a piece of paper and pencil/pen) Pick one partner to be the Drawer, and the other to be the Explainer. Explainers will get a picture (that they MUST NOT show their Drawer partner). The Explainer will describe the picture to the Drawer, who will try to duplicate it based only on the Explainer’s description. The Drawer can ask questions but the Explainer CANNOT look at the Drawer’s paper.

16. Clear Communication Is Tough! If this can turn out like this… …you can imagine, how difficult it can be to clearly explain your science!

17. Why is it so hard? Hard to find the exact word to describe what you see. Even if there is an exact word, your partner might not know it, not have the skill to replicate it, OR have a different interpretation for what it means. Even if there is an exact word, your partner might have a different interpretation for what it means. It means we have to choose our words very carefully.

18. And now to talk science! • Elevator Talks!  Informal, impromptu, BRIEF (30-45 sec) explanation of your research Be ready for when opportunity knocks! (conferences, visitors, airports, who knows?) • Be able to: • Say who you are • What you do • What your research is/will be • Why it’s important

19. Keys To a good Elevator Talk • Elevator Talks! • Know your audience: • Colleague/scientist in another field/non-scientist? • Avoid jargon or acronyms • Focus on the BIG picture Example: • I’m talking to a non-scientist in France about my research: • “I’m an atmospheric scientist from CU. I study particulate matter in UB.” • “I’m an atmospheric scientist from CU. I study particulate matter in UB.” • “I’m an atmospheric scientist from the University of Colorado. I study air pollution in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.”

20. Keys To a good Elevator Talk • Elevator Talks! • Know your audience: • Colleague/scientist in another field/non-scientist? • Avoid jargon or acronyms • Focus on the big picture • Write it out – maybe more than 1 version. • Practice it • Practice it again!

21. Example – My Elevator Talk • Audience: Educated, non-scientist I’m an atmospheric scientist from the University of Colorado. I’m currently working in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, collaborating with the National University of Mongolia, studying air pollution. Air pollution – especially in the form of soot - is a major problem in Ulaanbaatar. It is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and the health impacts have been severe. The World Bank estimates that approximately 25% of all deaths in Ulaanbaatar are related to the air pollution, yet there have been few studies published in the scientific literature. Another impact of air pollution from soot is that it can have a big effect on local and global climate. There’s a component of soot that is actually second only to carbon dioxide for causing global warming. All in all, this makes Ulaanbaatar an important place to study air pollution.

22. Examples Two good ones here: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/careerprep/jobsearch/elevator_talks.html

23. Your Elevator Talk • Scenario: You’ve just gotten into an elevator with an educated, non-scientist, who is interested in providing grants for scientific research. •  Design an “Elevator Talk” for this audience (in English). • Bill Gates •  Shoot for 30-45 seconds. •  Write it down. •  Try it out on a someone in the workshop. • Who knows, maybe it was this guy?

24. Next Time  Polish your talk and bring it to class next time. You’ll have the opportunity to practice your elevator talk in front of the class. You’ll receive feedback from your workshop-mates. We’ll discussTools for Smooth Communication Who has a gmail account already?

25. One Last Thing…. • This workshop is for YOU. • Have comments or suggestions about ANYTHING in the class that can make it better? • Let Me know!