By Maggie Fox
Maggie is starting the third year of her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at UCLA. She is the FY21 Undergraduate Mentoring Match Coordinator (UMMC).
The advancements and discoveries in STEM are a critical part of decision making in the public space. To ensure that the general public understands the motivation behind scientific research, explorations and new milestones, effective science communication is essential. As a graduate student, a good portion of our day to day tasks include trying to explain to people what we are doing. Our audience could be experts in our field, committee members looking at a proposal, a family member or friend just trying to show interest, or the general public. Thus, depending on who we are speaking to, our explanation and/or narrative might change. This is all part of being an effective science communicator.
Science communication is so ingrained in many aspects of our career, however, it is generally one of the things that isn’t explicitly taught in STEM and because of that some of the breakthroughs in our fields can get lost or misunderstood. There are typically said to be five main skills that are needed for most careers: “writing, public speaking, leadership, project management and teaching.” Our ability to communicate effects all of them.
Here are some ways to help you improve your communication skills:
This list is not exhaustive and only scrapes the surface on some of the ways that grad students can look to improve their communication skills. If it seems overwhelming, start small and try just explaining things to yourself in different ways using the five levels challenge! This exercise, originally from WIRED (and something I saw on the Instagram account @soph.talks.science), encourages scientists to explain what they do to people at five different levels: a child, a teen, an undergraduate, a grad student, and an expert in your field!
References:
Kuehne, L., Twardochleb, L., et al. Practical Science Communication Strategies for Graduate Students. Conservation Biology, 2014, 28, pp.1225-1235.
Science communication is so ingrained in many aspects of our career, however, it is generally one of the things that isn’t explicitly taught in STEM and because of that some of the breakthroughs in our fields can get lost or misunderstood. There are typically said to be five main skills that are needed for most careers: “writing, public speaking, leadership, project management and teaching.” Our ability to communicate effects all of them.
Here are some ways to help you improve your communication skills:
- Start your own website, social media page, blog or podcast!
- Write an Op-Ed or letter to an editor/policy maker/agency!
- Participate in outreach programs!
- Look into university programs, workshops and fellowships!
This list is not exhaustive and only scrapes the surface on some of the ways that grad students can look to improve their communication skills. If it seems overwhelming, start small and try just explaining things to yourself in different ways using the five levels challenge! This exercise, originally from WIRED (and something I saw on the Instagram account @soph.talks.science), encourages scientists to explain what they do to people at five different levels: a child, a teen, an undergraduate, a grad student, and an expert in your field!
References:
Kuehne, L., Twardochleb, L., et al. Practical Science Communication Strategies for Graduate Students. Conservation Biology, 2014, 28, pp.1225-1235.
