Science Outreach Training for Diverse and Early-Career Researchers: Workshop, Graduate Module & Ecological Science Communication Conference
Led by Suchinta Arif and Melanie Du Bo Massey, PhD. Candidates at Dalhousie University and co-founders of Diversity of Nature (DoN).
A. Open Access Outreach Training Workshop at MEOPAR’s 2021 Annual Training Meeting (ATM)
Translating Marine Science into Effective Scientific Outreach: Translating Marine Science into Effective Scientific Outreach (graphic here)
During this workshop, DoN co-founders Suchinta and Melanie taught around 30 marine researchers how to effectively communicate their work to the general public. They went through the steps required to set up and lead a marine scientific outreach event, which include: generating interest from the broader community, acquiring necessary funds and appropriate venue, and translating complex scientific ideas into accessible and enriching content. The workshop inspired other marine scientists to carry out their own scientific outreach events, in the hopes of sharing their research and knowledge with the broader community.
B. Graduate Module
Based at Dalhousie University, Melanie and Suchinta co-taught a Graduate Module on ‘Effective Scientific Outreach’ training nearly 10 early-career and diverse graduate students on how to create and implement their own outreach initiatives. Building on the previous workshop, this module offered an in-depth opportunity for students to walk students through how to create effective and immersive scientific outreach content. Students learnt how to apply for and acquire funding, select a target audience, build connections with relevant community members and effectively advertise their event. This module provided the required resources required for each graduate student to run their own a 1-day science outreach workshops for underrepresented youth as their final presentation. Check out the workshops resulting from this graduate module:
Picture a Shark Scientist Panel: https://youtu.be/rgy2fIpEkIg
C. Ecological Science Communication Conference
#EcoSciComCon 2022 provided a free and interactive virtual conference to connect diverse early career researchers and professionals with ecologists who are also experts in science communication and outreach. Learn directly from early-career and diverse scholars, grow your network, and gain skills to facilitate your own science communication initiatives!
Watch sessions from their inaugural Ecological Science Communication Conference here: Ecological Science Communication Conference (EcoSciCommCon 2022) [graphic here; and poster here]
Sessions
Welcome & Keynote Address by Dr. Cylita Guy on Skills for communicating science & where to apply them
Session 1: Climate Change and Conservation Outreach (video)
Speakers
- Dr. Michelle Tseng – All hands on deck: Building a BC butterfly monitoring program from the ground up
- Dr. Emily Choy – Insights on Beluga whales through a community-based monitoring program
- Unity Cooper – How community engagement led to a grassroots movement protecting an important ecosystem
- Dr. Dalal Hanna – Connecting young women and science on the water
- Em Lim – iNaturalist: making a difference with community science
Session 2: Avenues for Outreach (video)
Speakers
- Dr. Sara Wuitchick – Opportunities for science communication and outreach for early-career students and scientists
- Hunter Stevens – Value of outdoor and hands-on experiential learning for students of all ages 3. Dr. Karma Nanglu – Incorporating museums and natural history into science communication and outreach
- Loay Jabre – The power of open source: making science accessible without compromising quality
Session 3: EDI and Ways Forward (video)
Speakers
- Jasmin Graham – Building a new table: my journey in founding a BIPOC-focused scientific society
- Aaron Judah – Faith-based science communication and outreach
- Dr. Ana Martins – Maré Alta Education: how it came to be and plans for the future
- Suchinta Arif – Diversity of Nature: BIPOC-focused and BIPOC-led science outreach
