Effectively Communicating Science Workshops (2021-2024); Saint Paul, Minnesota

This project supports a series of workshops that bring together a diverse group of science professionals and experienced law school faculty to develop effective practices in communicating complex science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts to non-scientists in a range of challenging communication settings. To communicate and teach effectively, scientists must understand how to explain their work to audiences who are not scientists and lack understanding of complex scientific principles.

Scientists must not be an advocate for one side or the other, but they must be able to convey the substance, quality, and accuracy of their work. The main objective is to improve participants’ abilities to communicate and teach complex STEM concepts to non-scientists in a variety of formal settings.

During the workshops, participants learn and practice the role of both scientists and non-scientists in order to: 1) develop and build upon skills necessary to effectively communicate their expertise; 2) understand the culture and perspectives of nonscientists; and 3) develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the different challenges in communicating and teaching complex STEM concepts to non-scientists. The workshops demonstrate the merit of experiential learning and provide hands-on practice opportunities with individualized feedback and coaching during the workshops.

Participants also discuss ethical issues concerning communicating and teaching STEM concepts to non-scientists.

The potential Broader Impacts (B.I.) involve providing an immersive hands-on learning and demonstration experience in communicating complex science in a novel communication venue for scientists and in collaboration with legal professionals. This collaboration helps bridge the gap in understanding the culture norms and ethical considerations of the two professional communities that increasingly interact over technical issues.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.