Guidelines for Science Communication Project [ EAS 1601 ]
This assignment is a chance for you to take concepts you are learning in class, interpret
them in a new way, and share with the world! Communication is a critical part of any
field, and in particular for science. But good science communication, or “outreach”, is
difficult because it needs to be accurate, exciting, and engaging to non-scientists. You’ve
probably experienced this in your own life, both good and bad communication of science.
You’ve probably been reached by good science communicators, folks like Carl Sagan, Bill
Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Dian Fossey, Rachel Carson or Emily Lakdawalla. For the next
few weeks, channel your inner “Science Person” and get involved.
In order to complete this two-phase assignment, you will need to select:
1) A topic from one of the lectures or labs (either one that has already happened or
that is listed as a topic for future classes)
2) Two or more popular science or scientific journal articles or other similar source
that you find interesting about this topic (these must be scientifically accurate and
from a credible source, see below).
3) A favorite “media” or “venue” for your project—this can be visual or electronic, but
must be something through which you can share or display or disseminate
information
a. Traditional media: Videos, music, painting, drawings, etc.
b. Modern media or venues: Blogs, Articles, Wikipedia, Instagram, other
public media
4) A way to demonstrate how effective your communication has been by analyzing
your own work and how people have responded. The goal is for at least 100 other
people to “interact” with your work—but this can be accomplished in many ways.
You’ll need:
a. At least one credible reference on how to use your chosen media effectively.
b. Documentation of your scientific communication and its impacts.
The goal of this project is for you to take what you are learning in class, expand it a bit,
and expand its reach by communicating in a creative, new way to people outside of class.
Step 1, Thursday March 14 (5% of final course grade): Once you find something
appropriate that interests you, write 2 pages (single-spaced, Times New Roman, 12point font, 1 inch margins):
1) Set a goal for the project! Make sure that you make this an obvious statement,
underlined in the text. An example: “I would like to teach people in my home
town Tucson, AZ about how glaciers in Greenland affect their lives.” Summarize
the science in class and the two or more resources you are using in your own
words and extending it to class and your experience (e.g., How might this
research/knowledge be relevant to your life or impact society more broadly?
Why did you find this particular topic interesting? What additional questions
occur to you that might be interesting for further research?)
2) Tell us about the media you have picked. List out the generally accepted
“best practices” for this media, citing at least one source (see links
below for a start). This is important—there’s a difference between reposting
an article online and making new content that draws people into a discussion
about the science (and this is what we want!).
3) (Half a page at least) Tell us how you will implement your project. Tell us your
plan over the next four to five weeks, weekly goals and metrics, and when you’ll
check up on your work. How will you reach 100+ people?
Step 2, Due Thursday April 18(10% of final course grade): Tell us what you did,
and how well it worked. Over the 4-5 weeks in between, you should be developing your
project, either figuring out a way to engage people in a discussion online, or creating a
new Wikipedia article and getting it through the editing process, or producing a painting
or video and showcasing it online or in a gallery (or…insert your own idea here). Write 2
pages including:
1) (at least 1 page) Measure your success rate! Did you reach your goal? How
many people saw your work (or will see your work)? How did people react to
your project?
2) What would you change if you did this again? Do you have any ideas for ways
to make this type of exercise, both for class and for scientists in general, better?
3) Attach documentation of your work to demonstrate your conclusions above
(does not count towards two pages). For example, if you made a new Instagram
account, print out the account page, some examples of posts that did well and
didn’t, etc. This would be a good place to include documentation of page
interaction statistics, if relevant.
Here are a few links to high-profile, interdisciplinary scientific journals, which often have
news pieces and summary articles (“News & Views” or “Perspectives” articles) that
summarize new research. If you’re feeling up for it, you can also pick a scientific article:
http://www.sciencemag.org/
* the first papers from the Rosetta mission to comet 67P were published here this
week…definitely relevant to the course materials!
http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html
* often a range of Earth and space science papers are published here, as well as
potentially relevant papers on physics, chemistry, oceanography, etc.
You could also go with a feed that links to press releases from scientific articles:
http://www.eurekalert.org/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
http://phys.org/wire-news/
These are just suggestions – we’re open to popular science articles and press releases from
just about any credible news outlet (finding a paragraph on the internet, that is NOT
enough!). This is an opportunity for you to expand your understanding of the material
and make new connections between this class, your other courses, and the broader world.
So feel free to think creatively! If you are unsure whether the topic or media/venue you’ve
picked is appropriate, just ask.
Here are some links to get you started in finding references for best practices in
communicating science:
Union of Concerned Scientists
AAAS
Medium.com
The writing assignments will be graded based on the following criteria:
Step 1:
(1) format (length, spacing, etc.)
(2) appropriateness of topic (is it relevant to the course materials?)
(3) appropriateness of sources (is it credible or just some crackpot’s blog?)
(4) overall plan (included step by step plan, found resources on how to use media/venue
well)
Step 2:
(1) Effort and execution
(2) Engagement
(3) Analysis of the results
Copying or cheating will not be tolerated.
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