Sci comm from your sofa

A few weeks ago we witnessed an announcement pertaining to the current lockdown, memorable for the science it featured. Not because of what it said- but that we had no idea what it said. Fast paced jargon with an offensive onslaught of figures, missing labels and axis, and random ombré hues stunned the British public. When it came to an essential tell all of a global pandemic at its very height many changed the channel. Unsurprisingly, the public chose no science over confusing science.

The academic community referred to it as “a masterclass on how not to communicate science”. Unfortunately, this masterclass came from the highest office in the country and set a precedent for what science is to the public: numerous boring figures. This misapprehension leaves a vacuum in public interest and trust and now more than ever it’s our moral prerogative to fill it. With current restrictions, is this easier said than done? Perhaps not. Perhaps you can partake in science communication right from your sofa.

I’m A Scientist-Get Me Out of Here

This competition covers a range of STEM subjects on a mass scale by putting scientists in touch with students across the country via question boards and online chats. Scientists are sorted into Zones by their subject area and compete for a grand prize of £500 to design and conduct public engagement. Students vote for their favourite scientists in voting rounds on a weekly and eventually daily basis, until a final winner stands per Zone.

I’ve done it twice. Once competitively in the Memory Zone (funded by the British Psychological Society), dedicating 4-5 hours a day for two weeks answering kids questions not just specific to my research but broader as well. I ended up a finalist and runner up. The second time I just wanted to do a bit of STEM Outreach so I only did 1 hour every other day for 4 weeks for the MRC funded Zone. Chats and question boards are not compulsory so you choose how much time you put into it.

The beauty of I’m A Scientist (apart from a participation mug) is that you remain a part of their non-obligatory Careers Zone and can answer questions and chat whenever you feel a bit of public engagement is due. I’m A Scientist has also been running more rounds than usual so there are plenty of available slots.

Letters to a Pre-Scientist

This pen pal scheme was created to connect American grade students from disadvantaged communities with scientists to demystify STEM career pathways and humanize STEM professionals. Researchers are required to complete one online training in which they learn about effective letter writing and communicating science at a primary and secondary school level.

Researchers are matched up with one pen pal and have to handwrite and mail them four letters through the course of the year. I was given a schedule telling me when I should mail out the letters and what the theme and prompts were for each one. Letters to a Pre-Scientist continues to expand so get on their mailing list to be a pen pal, or an alternate.

Global Science Show

This Twitter based virtual science festival runs every months or so via the @GlobalSciShow Twitter, encouraging scientists to showcase STEM through Tweeted content (they’re running one in December!). Participants can create a video that’s 2 minutes and 20 seconds long or link to YouTube, use images or share science art, or get creative with their Tweets to explain scientific concepts.

When I participated I received an email a week before giving me a timeslot for when I had to Tweet my content with the hashtag #GlobalSciShow. I created a thread on my research that turned concepts into quiz questions and scattered in a few images and gifs. It took me all of half an hour. Once I tweeted it the @GlobalSciShow copied it to their mass thread.

Rotation Curations

These are Twitter accounts dedicated to subjects, which are taken over by a different user between regular intervals. While the account is under your purview use it to Tweet about your work, whether that’s your specific research or broader area, or even non-research work you may have done.

Comment Vectors by Vecteezy

When I signed up for the @PsyTweeps RoCur, a psychology, mental health and behaviour account, I was given a week and created an outline for what I would Tweet about on each given day; the first day was an introduction, the second day about past research, the third about current research, the fourth about clinical experience. There’s no hard and fast rules, as long as you are producing a reasonable amount of daily content; often 2-3 tweets a day can be enough.

Have a search on Twitter to see if there are any accounts for your subject by searching “rocur” or “tweeps” accounts. For a meta-experience, consider taking over the @iamscicomm RoCur to Tweet about your sci comm experiences.

Wikipedia

Wikipedia has been a high powered science communication tool for the last 19 years, receiving more than 32 million views a day. I became aware of its use for public engagement through Dr. Jess Wade’s talk at Manchester for International Women’s Day. Dr. Wade began writing up and editing Wikipedia pages on women scientists and their contributions, which set into motion a national initiative to address the significant gap in knowledge of women in STEM.

Whether it’s women in STEM you want to champion, or another scientific passion, editing Wikipedia is a free and simple activity which can be done through registering yourself for a Wikipedia account. If you would prefer more direction you can join ongoing initiatives with pre-determined goals and criteria through WikiProjects. For a community feel you can search dedicated #Wikieditathons, events that bring Wikipedia editors to work together.

Science Meetings

Café Scientifiques and Science in the Pubs have been ongoing trends for the last decade and when it comes to Manchester many of the traditional science meetings have set up shop online. You can now sign up to speak for Didsbury SciBar, Live with Scientists , the Greater Manchester Skeptics Society, Psychs in the City and Psychology in the Pub North West– all of whom are regularly showcasing speakers and their research for up to hour long talks.

Organisations

Keep an eye out for what official societies and associated groups of both public engagement and subject areas are advertising in terms of online outreach and sci comm. You could score a speaker’s slot for an events or podcast, volunteer your time to perform an activity, or write a piece for them. If you’re brave enough, in the absence of a vacancy, pitch yourself and what you have to offer.

Science Live (By the British Science Association)
STEM Ambassadors (By STEM Learning)
Pint of Science (Upcoming events in 2021 may be switched to online)
Cosmic Shambles
The Brilliant Club (Have worked with lots of schools to move tutorials online)
The Great Science Share for Schools
SoapBox Science (Are hosting some online events)
The Royal Society
National Institute for Health Research and its individual schools
Medical Research Council
Wellcome Trust
Official societies (eg. British Psychological Society)
Charities (eg. Alzheimer’s Research UK)
Museums and galleries (eg. Manchester Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Whitworth).

Training

If you’re still not ready to dip your toe into sci comm, or need a refresher, there’s no better time to undertake some sci comm training. For free courses, FutureLearn and Coursera does general courses, while Massive Science does more writing based sci comm training. Sense about Science is also due to run a Voice of Young Science “Standing up for Science” workshop soon so keep a look out.

For more bang for your buck, try some paid courses with the BIG STEM Communicator’s Network, including their cheaper “Little Event” for new comers. Or more seasoned courses such as those by the Royal Society or any of the ones toted by the National Coordination Centre for Public Engagement, including those with a specific focus on online sci comm.

And of course, there’s always Manchester’s own updates on opportunities, which you can subscribe to!