PI: Sunshine Menezes (University of Rhode Island)
Amount: $37,863.00
Award Dates: April 1, 2016 — March 31, 2017

Abstract

The “Building Leadership in Science Communication” project was an
education and outreach effort designed to build science communication skills and confidence among C-DEBI grantees, especially graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Organized by the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography’s Metcalf Institute for Marine & Environmental Reporting, a one-day workshop was held on October 17, 2016, in conjunction with the 2016 C-DEBI Annual Meeting in California to maximize the opportunity for C-DEBI grantee attendance. The workshop focused on providing expert instruction and coaching on how to develop a compelling message about scientific research for a variety of audiences, how to prepare for interactions with the news media, and how to develop and share videos of research activities for broader audiences. Of the 27 workshop participants, twenty completed a pre-workshop survey to assess their science communication experience, needs, and expectations, and sixteen completed a post-workshop survey to gauge the program’s effectiveness and impacts. The workshop was part of Metcalf Institute’s ongoing work to deepen public engagement with science through communication training for scientists and science training and resources for journalists.

See resources from this day-long workshop at http://metcalfinstitute.org/training/scicomm-cdebi/. The following workshop speaker videos are available on YouTube:

  1. Talking to the Media and Using Conduits to the Press
    Mario Aguilera, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego
  2. Composing Opinion Pieces
    Edward Ortiz, California Energy Commission
  3. Sharing Science with Video
    Katie Pratt, URI GSO Office of Marine Programs
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