1-068 - Say What? Crafting a Dissemination Plan to Communicate Science to Public Audiences

Session Type: Professional Development Session

Integrative Statement

Dissemination of research is critical to the advancement of science and society now more than ever. Scientists face increasing pressure to communicate their research and its societal implications to the public. Pressure to disseminate comes from various sources – requirements by funders for researchers to demonstrate their projects have societal impact, from practitioners (e.g. teachers, clinicians) who search for evidence-informed practices, from policymakers who evaluate the benefits of taxpayer investments, and from scientists who wish to educate the public and reduce the miscommunication of science. Despite its acknowledged value, academic training rarely equips scientists with the knowledge and skills they need to effectively communicate findings to public audiences. In this hands-on workshop, we will bring together scientists and science disseminators to explore the communication of research to broad audiences and provide attendees with dissemination knowledge and skills. Attendees will learn about (1) dissemination concepts, challenges, and opportunities, and (2) effective practices in communicating science. Attendees will leave the workshop with two dissemination products. First, they will develop a dissemination plan for their research that is tailored to public audiences. Second, attendees will learn to identify and craft key messages from their research for a diverse, non-scientific audience, which can be used in the implementation of their dissemination plan. Presentations and discussions will highlight how strong dissemination practices can foster stronger, bi-directional relationships between scientists and the public and the benefits of these for science and society.

Workshop requirements: Attendees must bring laptops and one of their own recent journal articles.

Sub Unit

• Professional Development Track

Presenters

• Kristin M. Gagnier, Johns Hopkins University

• Kelly R. Fisher, Johns Hopkins University

• David Grimm, AAAS and Johns Hopkins University