ComSciCon is a series of workshops on science communication led and attended by graduate students. From April 12th-13th, Useful Science Director Maryse Thomas joined students at ComSciCon Pacific Northwest 2019 in Seattle and delivered the keynote address, encouraging students to take the plunge and kickstart their own sci-comm initiatives.
The Mariana Trench remarkable geological features on Earth.pptx
How much can you say in one sentence? Useful Science Keynote Address at ComSciCon-PNW 2019
1. How much can you say in one sentence?
A journey in science communication with Useful Science
ComSciCon-PNW April 12, 2019
Maryse Thomas
Director, Useful Science
PhD Candidate, McGill University
5. What is the goal of science communication?
To convince someone why something is useful.
E.g. To convince the NIH why stem cell research is useful.
To convince policymakers why local composting is useful.
To convince the public why vaccines are useful.
6. Useful Science as one attempt at sci-comm
Mission: To write accessible and accurate summaries of
scientific articles that are useful to everyday life.
Website Podcast Network of
contributors
14. Usefulness
Accuracy
The “usefulness” curve in scientific reporting
Bad reporting,
sensationalized
headlines
Primary research
articles
Pop
science Press
releases
Sweet
spot
19. Our goals
when
starting
Useful
Science
Help people improve their
lives through actionable
science summaries
Improve public perception
and understanding of
science
Be a reliable source of
scientific information that
is still fun to share
20. What would it look like if
every sentence on a
website was cited?
28. Dragon’s Den Next Gen
Grants Coffee table book Ad space Merch
Web hosting: $25
Podcast hosting: $15
Domain hosting: $1
Email hosting: $5
=$46/month
29.
30. 1. Useful Science: From idea to reality
2. Reflections and room for improvement
3. How to build a sci-comm platform
32. ROSES:
- Attractive and eye-catching
website design
- Intense email campaign following
the launch of the website
- Use of personal network to grow
- Peer review led to high-quality
content
- Gave grad students and budding
science communicators a
platform to gain experience
THORNS:
- Passive contributor model
with no hierarchy meant
there was no safety net for
drops in participation
- Not enough expertise or
specialists for certain
elements (website updates,
fundraising)
- Did not manage to build a
consistent revenue stream
33. Our goals
when
starting
Useful
Science
Help people improve their
lives through actionable
science summaries
Improve public perception
and understanding of
science
Be a reliable source of
scientific information that
is still fun to share
Did we
achieve
our goals?
34. Reader feedback
“Clearly written and has citations”
“Suggestions backed by research, and
references to primary literature”
“Short and sweet”
“Easily digestible tidbits”
“Short descriptions of actionable
science information”
35. Who are we reaching?
44%
male 56%
female
50%
0%
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
Age group
40%
30%
20%
10%
39. Lecturing
Telling facts
Debunking
Painting science as
detached & objective
Ridicule
Pointing out what
someone needs to change
Asking questions
Storytelling
Explaining
Revealing the human and
emotional side of science
Empathy
Finding out what someone
wants to change
40. Storytelling for more effective science communication
Hillier, Kelly, & Klinger (2016)
41. Challenge
Convince someone you know to take a step towards
making a positive behavioral change in their life.
• Talk to someone in person and practice active
listening to find out what they are willing to change
• Provide them with a tool to help them start
• Let them know you’re there to help, and follow up
42. Challenge
Convince someone you know to take a step towards
making a positive behavioral change in their life.
• Talk to someone in person and practice active
listening to find out what they are willing to change
• Provide them with a tool to help them start
• Let them know you’re there to help, and follow up
Everyone in this audience should test their hearing
hello@usefulscience.org
HearWHO app
43. 1. Useful Science: From idea to reality
2. Reflections and room for improvement
3. How to build a sci-comm platform
44. 8 steps to building a sci-comm platform
1. Find an unmet need
2. Determine your audience
3. Choose a format and communication style
4. Set goals and include measures to evaluate them
5. Build a team
6. Engage with social media
7. Seek collaborations
8. Make real-world connections
45. 1. Find an unmet need
Usefulness
Accuracy
Sweet
spot
DIVERSITY
INCLUSIVITY
ACCESSIBILITY
INTERDISCIPLINARITY
46. 2. Determine your audience
Practice active listening and qualitative/motivational interviewing
Students Lay public Scientists Policymakers
47. 3. Choose a format and communication style
Written Audio Video
Data-driven Illustrated
What expertise will
you need?
And how can you use
storytelling in each?
48. Some brief podcast tips
• Get a good microphone!
• Be consistent
• Invest time in developing
relevant skills
Radiolab’s Story Board
Resources
Cast (free to try)
Simplecast (Hosting)
49. 4. Set goals and include measures to evaluate them
• # of people reached?
• # publications?
• $ raised?
• # of people trained?
*If your goal is to start a business or be profitable, look for advice
outside of academia: startup accelerators/incubators
50. 5. Build a team
Non-selective model:
Say yes to everyone
Selective model:
Employ a stringent
selection process
Journalism model:
Contributors pitch ideas
that can be accepted or
rejected
Number of
permanent
contributors
Time spent
Recruiting/
onboarding
Time spent
managing
Retention
rate
51. 5. Build a team – and show them your gratitude
• Offer opportunities for recognition
• Offer opportunities to develop new skills
• Letters of recommendation
• Ask for their feedback – and act on it
52. 6. Engage with
social media
#scicomm, #phdchat,
#PhDSupport, #AcademicTwitter,
#MarginSci, #FirstgenSTEM,
#WomenInSTEM
@iamscicomm, @realscientists,
@biotweeps
54. 8. Make real-world connections
Attend or organize: Networking sessions, Community activities,
Workshops, Training sessions, Meetups, Conferences
You never know who is going to be in the audience!
Spell Your Science Workshop, McGill 2018 FORCE2018 Conference, Montreal
55. Free online tools
Project management
• Trello, Airtable
• Slack, Google Groups
Merchandise/Profits
• Threadless, Redbubble
• Patreon
Finding contributors
• SciComm Board, Idealist
Website
• Google Analytics & Search Console
• Wufoo (contact forms)
Social media and marketing
• Tweetdeck, Buffer, Mailchimp
• Canva (Design tool)
• Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay (No-strings
attached stock photos)
56. Summary
• Useful Science was a mostly-sustainable model of science
communication in our experience.
• There is still lots of room for new models of ACCESSIBLE and
ACCURATE science to be tested out
• Talk to people in real life to understand what is most needed
58. Thank you! Reach out
hello@usefulscience.org
@maryseethomas
@usefulsci
Board: Maryse Thomas, Jaan Altosaar,
Ian Mahar Jaime Devine, Susan Rogers
Van Katwyk, Cameron Spencer