Wanted to talk about this common problem in science communications for a long time. Grateful to EurekAlert for giving me a platform to highlight this, “Suppress the urge to communicate to external audiences using corporate lingo and industry jargon. Since we tend to communicate mostly within our company and industry, we often write as if audiences can understand the relevant culture and context. They do not!” Interview link: https://blog.eurekalert.org/2024/07/15/lose-the-lingo-to-spark-engagement/

Hi all! I recently began a newsletter at stemscribe.substack.com where two student-written articles on science are published each week. If anybody has feedback for us, please share! We’re also looking for professional scientists, educators, or science communicators who would be open to a quick chat - we want to learn from you! Please message us here or email stemscribe.director@gmail.com if you’re interested.

Hi everyone, its my first post here. I'm a uni student and I'd like to start making short 1-3 minute videos to share amongst my network, but I'm not sure where to begin. I'm in my 30's and I didn't grow up using any of the short video apps like some of my fellow students, so it doesn't come intuitively to me.

My aim is more for informational content rather than entertainment, so I'd like my videos to be similar to institutions that use animations and infographic styles on their videos (as opposed to a video of me talking in front of a whiteboard or copying 'influencer' styles, etc). I'd like for my videos to be professional yet accessible.

Ideally I'm looking for a short course (I'm happy to pay for it) that can help guide me towards making my first video, or set of video content. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a little bit lost in the new tech, my creative skills go as far as making a powerpoint, so I'd like a little bit of handholding so I can learn this new skill! Any advice on resources would be greatly appreciated.

Physician and science-enthusiast here. Have always enjoyed writing and communicating all things science, medicine or not. Looking into online science communication programs. Notably, Hopkins MA in science comm and the one at Stony Brook. Has anyone completed these? Other thing I’m considering is UC Santa Cruz Sci Comm program but this is full time, in-person and would require a move + finding another job…but I could surf! And I’ve been wanting to move to Cali.

Just to give you a background, I have a master's in biology and have a bit of research experience as well. As much as I enjoyed being in labs and doing all the experiments, nothing made me as happy as the writing and reading part. I got to work in a big enough lab for about 6 months that i got to edit and review several papers and it was so wonderful. I even picked a media minor during my undergrad so that I got to write about science.
I know that's not all it is I'm scicomm. I have been looking at the PhD program offered by Australia National University and some others in the field to understand what the field can offer. It is all very interesting. However, I really need to figure out if this is a viable career option and the employability of someone with a degree like that. Of course, if someone can help me with other ways to enter the field, please do.

Hello,

I am looking to start my own channel called ResearchNGaming (or RNG) where I discuss areas of STEM with researchers, grad students, professors, or anyone in the STEM field while playing video games together. My channel is brand new so I am looking for my first guest, but this is an idea that I am committed to. I am a science teacher myself with a master's in science education and see this being an educational but fun channel for all ages. If you are interested, send me a message or Email me at researchngaming@gmail.com

Hello everyone. My name is.... Let it be Dave. I'm 18 years old. I live in the South-East of Ukraine, where there has been a war for 10 years. I don't like to talk about politics, but without it, Western readers simply won't be able to understand which place I'm talking about. If someone is interested in my position, I will not speak out on this topic to please anyone. The only thing I would like to say is that anyone who picks up a gun and kills other people is a murderer. Regardless of the correctness of any of the parties, everyone who participates in the deaths of other people deserves condemnation. There is no right way to kill people. There is no reason for this. The people who support any war are monsters. This is the end of the mini-blog about the war. That's not my goal. I want to talk about myself and my personal problem that bothers me.

Maybe no one is interested in this, but for the most part I want to keep a blog to express my own thoughts, so that they are somewhere. So that at least a piece of me remains somewhere.

I want to start with the fact that for many years I have had problems communicating with people, I just can't find a common language with them. It is difficult for me to control my own emotions and thoughts, and I am too anxious about my words and the words of my interlocutor, I can take it too verbatim or close to my heart. P.S. I also want to warn you that I do not speak English well, so I use a translator, but at the same time I can translate on my own what you will write to me. In addition, I feel an anxious feeling when I talk to someone, I can worry about what they will think of me, they may not understand me or laugh at me, so I always try to convey my thoughts clearly and extensively. Perhaps even this is a problem, because people may not understand me even more, and they are also stressed by the volume of what they have written. Therefore, I assume that somewhere here I will find those who would be interested in listening to me and who could understand me. Even now, as I write this, I feel a little anxious and uncomfortable. When I communicate with the opposite sex, I also have some problems, because I do not understand how to interest a person. According to my personal perception, I try, I try to find out something about my interlocutor and talk about it, but I don't do it very well, either I do it badly, or others are simply not interested in me, despite the fact that I try to feign interest in them. Maybe I'm really a boring person. I have no hobbies, no favorite activity, no favorite food, no favorite color, favorite brand of clothing or shampoo. Even if they are conditionally present in my life and some of the things can be called my favorite, it is difficult for me to realize or notice it. Because, most likely, I just got used to it, it wasn't my conscious choice. It's just become a habit and I do it on a basic level, just like I breathe, but I can't relate these things to myself. Perhaps that's all for today, I'll come back when I'm in the mood to write something else, I'm feeling tired at the moment. Thanks for reading! <3

I'm conducting some very casual and naive research for a science foundation on usage of X (twitter) vs. Bluesky. Upon first glance posts look to be about the same content and format, but was wondering if you all see any other significant differences? Does content change, engagement, etc? Thank you!

I've been a science communicator for almost 8 years, and my new aim is to help/coach newer science communicators succeed professionally or recreationally. But importantly, I'd also like to improve communicators' scientific/critical thinking, focusing on scientific integrity, transparency, and biases. For example, by treating science communication like a journal club, we can critically investigate science's positives and negatives and improve scientific trust and literacy.

However, I feel the science communication community is relatively silent on that particular front. It may be that I've failed to identify these communities. Many people post about their research or exciting new science or technologies. However, apart from some journalists, I fail to find groups that communicate about science or the concepts of science critically.

My questions are:       

• Are people generally interested in science communication? Good to assess if there's interest in that community.
• Do you think scientists and science communicators are interested in critical communication type of knowledge?

I started writing for the general public (and researchers professionally) 8 years ago, but I recently started writing and creating videos primarily for scientists and science communicators (and curious non-scientists). People tell me topics like scientific/critical thinking and transparent science communication are relevant and needed. But I don't see full engagement or initiatives on social media.

Anyway, I'm happy to clarify if the post is too vague. Let me know.

Thanks!

Edit: Added a more general question about science communication interest.

Hi can I please get 3 minutes of your time?

I am looking for participants for the study I am conducting for my master thesis who are

- Residing in the Netherlands

- 18-65 years old

- Have an Instagram account.

The study is about sustainable marketing and purchase intention. Can you please fill it out: https://uva.fra1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bOv7Wjsqi59HBYO

THANK YOU so much in advance.

I have just finished my PhD in Microbiology & Immunology, and I am jumpstarting my career as a science communicator/writer/editor. I have received several suggestions from people in the field to start a personal website to showcase my work!

Just wondering which platform is the best and cheapest to get started on! Thanks!

I recently made a video covering our recent work on the mathematical aspects of tokenization (AI/NLP). I've made a few smaller videos before but am struggling to get audience for these topics (arguably they're very niche).

I'd be very grateful for any feedback as I'm still learning how to make educational videos. Thank you!

https://youtu.be/yeEZpf4BlDA

Hello!! So I got my bachelors in journalism and have since realized that while I don’t particularly love the eternal grind that is journalism, I do love writing and science and really want to try to get a job in science communication.

However, I have limited scientific experience and most of my work experience relates to TV or radio or conservation work. SciCom seems like it’s a hard field to get into without a science-related degree.

Because of this, I’ve been considering applying to some science communication programs across the states. Obviously cost is a huge consideration and it would also be a huge risk, but I think it’s one I’d be willing to take if it would mean getting a foot in the door in this field.

Do any of y’all know of good, well-funded programs? And if so is it worth it? Or should I try my luck volunteering and cutting my teeth that way?

Hello, I’m a Communications major and English minor in college… I love biology but math scared me away from the major. I’ve recently discovered that science communication or environmental journalism could combine my passion for science with my writing skill and I’d like to get my foot in the door. I’ve seen plenty of advice and resources on the internet for scientists going into science communication, but nothing for people with writing backgrounds going into it. Could someone please give me any advice on where to start?

I’m currently a full-time researcher in neuroscience hoping to pursue Ph.D. programs in either neuroscience or psychology. However, multiple factors are negatively impacting my drive for applying to my dream programs (gap years, mental health, time/cost benefit, etc.). I also spend my free time creating videos on TikTok surrounding academia and my neuro/psych knowledge, which has led me to considering a career in science communication (or similar field) instead.

Are programs dedicated to science communication worth the money and time if I want to eventually choose between doing it as a full-time career OR using it to boost my graduate school applications?

Does anyone know of any scicomm Master's Programs in New England (Preferably MA) or any credible online scicomm Master's Programs? Additionally, I have a BS in Biology and have spent two years working in an infectious disease lab at Tufts. Are there any jobs or opportunities I should look for that would improve my chances of getting accepted into an MS program?

I am most interested in tips about publicizing video content and content about social science, psychology and neuroscience (because that is what I make), but I am still definitely interested in hearing the perspectives of people who make and publicize other things. Happy to share what knowledge I have in the comments if anyone is interested.

Thanks in advance.

Hello all. Possible stupid question follows (sorry)! It seems to me that while there is long-established and developing field of "science communication", with its own professional community (and indeed its own science), there is no broader defined field of "research communication". Further, the literature on science communication variably incorporates references to the social sciences and humanities, but at other times is very clearly about the pure and life sciences.

My question is therefore whether "science" and "research" communication are interchangeable terms? If not, what is the difference?

In addition, assuming that there is at least a lot of overlap between these concepts (as I think there might be), do we risk creating a hierarchy with regard to what research gets communicated by prioritising the use of the term "science communication" in nomenclature?

I’m early career and really just getting started. I’ve been published a couple of times but my goal now is to build my portfolio. I have another full time job. I’ve been offered an unpaid position for a science related nonprofit and would be required to submit one article a month. I think this might be a good start and a way to work with an editor and gain some credibility. They could also write me a recommendation letter later if needed. Is this a good move or a waste of time?

Looking for data such as percentage of land used for different types of agriculture, amount of production, etc.