Science of Science Communication Scientific Interest Group

NEW! “Evaluating the Effectiveness of Science Communication" with Dr. Kristin Bass
Thursday, July 6, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. ET
https://nih.zoomgov.com/j/1602397876?pwd=SmphNnFJeDIxRGlWaVhWTU9QY2grUT09

Science communicators appreciate the value of a well-crafted story. Evaluators do too. This presentation will explore how to tell the tale of your communication efforts and the impact they’re making. I’ll introduce a step-by-step process for evaluation at the beginning, middle, and end of a project, and share additional resources. Questions will be welcomed and encouraged!

Dr. Kristin Bass has over 20 years of experience in teaching and educational research. As the Director of Research Development at Rockman, she is responsible for proposal development, research and evaluation, funding, and research trends. Kristin is actively involved in evaluations for the National Institutes of Health’s Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) program, as well as projects within the National Science Foundation’s Education and Human Resources Directorate (AISL, ITEST, DRK-12). Kristin has a B.A. in Psychology from Yale University and a Ph.D. in Education and Psychology from the University of Michigan. Her papers have been published in peer-reviewed journals and books, including Cell Biology Education-Life Sciences Education, the Journal of Science Education and Technology, the Journal of the Learning Sciences, and the Journal of STEM Outreach. She is also a Co-Editor for the Journal of STEM Outreach. 

Effectively communicating research results to a broad range of audiences is integral to the scientific process. The ability to tell rigorous and compelling stories of science can elevate a researcher’s profile, facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations, and increase the impact of their scholarly publications within the scientific community. Perhaps more importantly, strong communication can also enhance public engagement with science, allowing researchers to build bridges of trust with non-technical audiences and instill a sense of curiosity and wonder among inquiring minds. While artistry is no doubt critical to communications, there exists an underlying body of literature that draws from fields including psychology, sociology, and political science that provide a theoretical foundation for scientific communications.

The NIH Science of Science Communication Interest Group (ScioSciComm-SIG) plans to focus specifically on the scientific design and evaluation of science communication, with seminars/journal clubs highlighting both measures of effectiveness and methods to increase general success or target efforts to respond to specific goals.

The interest group is chaired by Chris Gunter (NHGRI) and Erica Bizzell (NIDDK). Membership in the ScioSciComm-SIG is open to all interested individuals within the NIH, who can join the listserv via https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A0=SCIOSCICOMM. A combination of face-to-face meetings and remote webinars are held monthly.

For more information and instructions on joining the newsletter, contact Drs. Bizzell or Gunter.

Previous lectures:

2023 February 2: “Community-based public health communication” by Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz, Associate Professor, Vice-Chair, Department of Prevention and Community Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University

2023 April 6: "Does science self-correct? What we’ve learned at Retraction Watch” by Dr. Ivan Oransky, Editor in Chief, Spectrum; Distinguished Writer in Residence, New York University's Arthur Carter Journalism Institute; and Co-Founder, Retraction Watch.

Chairs

Scientific Focus Areas

This page was last updated on Tuesday, June 20, 2023