SUSTAINING SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Science communication has become more popular among scientists with the advent of widespread interest in climate change and with economic reasons for scientists to communicate their work to governmental funders. Opportunities abound and scientists are busy. Hence, understanding when and what to communication becomes essential. From the perspective of a practitioner who both does science communication and promotes science communication, there are many aspects of sustaining science communication in an organization.

Scientists commonly focus on content; accuracy is essential and media also want the authority of the research scientist. Finding the right language for different audiences is challenging. Not only does the communicator need to identify the audience, but increasingly, there is awareness that acknowledging the audience’s preconceived knowledge, culture, and interest is essential. A well thought out story with a specific message is better than general information. The delivery of the messages, whether verbal or in various media such as exhibits, articles, films promotes interest and credibility. The visual aspects of graphs, photographs, and charts are commonly overlooked and varie depending on the type of communication and the varied cultures of television, film, newspaper, internet and others. Last, scientists are extremely busy and cannot communicate to the public to the detriment of their research. Finding the relevant arenas for communication with timely messages helps scientists set priorities for their important contributions.