Communication 101 for Professors

A growing number of institutions offer opportunities for faculty members to learn how to talk to the general public about their research in a way that is easy to understand. Here’s a sample of the workshops and what participants learn:

Cornell University

A monthly workshop series called “Knowledge Matters: Communicating Research for Different Audiences Through Transmedia” gives Cornell faculty and academic staff members information on how to translate their research into various media genres, including websites, blogs, vlogs, comics, and even PechaKucha, a fast-paced presentation style where 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each. Twenty-two Cornell faculty members have been selected as 2017-18 Knowledge Matters Fellows.

How to Explain Your Research

Michigan State and other colleges teach faculty members how to explain why their work matters. That’s key to getting lawmakers and a skeptical public to appreciate universities’ contributions.

California State University at Long Beach

The institution’s Public Knowledge Initiative began this semester. Faculty and graduate students will learn how to make videos, use social media, and interact with online, print, radio, and television outlets. The five-workshop series includes discussions with reporters, media experts, and broadcast producers.

Pennsylvania State University

Earlier this month, the university’s Institutes of Energy and the Environment partnered with Compass Science Communication — an organization founded to help scientists communicate with the general public without compromising the accuracy of their work — to offer training for graduate students and faculty members whose research focuses on health and the environment. The three-day event also included a plenary on the changing world of journalism and its effects on talking about science with policy makers and the public.

University of Michigan

Faculty members, graduate students, and postdocs can apply to be Science Communication Fellows, who learn how to engage the public and how to develop inquiry-based activities that showcase their research. The fellows get help from the program staff at the university’s Museum of Natural History, where fellows can try their projects out on the public.

Audrey Williams June is a senior reporter who writes about the academic workplace, faculty pay, and work-life balance in academe. Contact her at audrey.june@chronicle.com, or follow her on Twitter @chronaudrey.