Designing effective scientific communication

While many would prefer to leave science behind and no longer engage with it after completing required science classes in school, the reality is that engaging with science is an integral part of our daily lives. Moreover, engaging with scientific information is essential to the safety and well-being of human society. We face the challenge of learning scientific evidence on issues ranging from conservation to public health and making decisions that impact not only our families but also the communities around us. However, despite decades of science education reform and concerted efforts to improve scientific literacy, many members of the general public lack the confidence, skills, or interest to discuss scientific issues, preferring to negotiate their scientific decisions with non-scientific stakeholders such as politicians or pop culture figures. These challenges are persistent and destructive. How can we communicate scientific information more effectively to the general public? With other scientists? This course is designed for scientists, science teachers, and science communicators who are interested in rethinking how we communicate science to a variety of audiences, especially the general public. Topics include evidence-based considerations about human cognition and effective communication across a variety of media, including oral presentations, written forms of communication, technology, and the arts. The goal of this course is to equip students with the skills needed to design and implement effective science communication practices. Students will be able to identify key principles of human cognition that underlie science communication, describe the pitfalls of “popular” science communication, and apply best practices in science communication across a variety of media.