ForBio and DialPast course: Innovation in science through science communication

“One can only show how one came to hold whatever opinion one does hold.” In ‘A room of one’s own’, Virginia Woolf tells the story of how she ended up with one clear statement about women and fiction. Just like in any science, we need to communicate our findings and the way there, both to our own peers and to the general public. Otherwise, there is no point in doing research.

By communicating your research in new ways and to new target groups, you contribute in changing our society in new directions. And that’s not all. By opening up for conversations with society at large, you are also improving your own research. But how to do that?

What will you learn?
In this course you will get training in communicating your own research and field to different target groups. You will get an overview of the different genres and new ways to communicate in order to achieve what you want. In addition to the basics, you will gain skills in scientific storytelling, essay writing, graphic design, oral presentations and interviews. You will learn how to visualise your own hypotheses and research, how to write a killer essay and news items, how to use essay writing in order to improve your own research process, how to talk to the crowd and journalists, and how to think more strategic about science communication. You will be coached to publish a killer essay or news item made during the course in suitable media. Other writing and designs are intended to contribute directly to your own research and scientific publications.

The course plan
The course is a full week course - from Monday to Friday. Each day starts with an inspirational lecture and follow-up discussion in groups, and continues with a workshop. The students will participate in giving feedback on each other’s work and discussions. At the workshop part they will be divided into four groups. Upon completion of the course a ForBio course certificate of 5 ECTS will be given.

How to participate?
All students must hand in one assignments as a part of their application for the course. The assignment is to write three short texts about your own research or field (maximum one A4 page in total) directed at three different target groups: 1) school kids (age 10-12 years), 2) elderly people ( age 70+) and 3) policy makers/people in management.  

The course is limited to 30 participants. Application deadline is July 31st. Click here for registration.

When you have been approved for the course, you must hand in three other assignments two weeks before the course in order to participate. The three other assignments are 1) a popular science essay about your own research or field (it does not need to be finished, max. three A4 pages); 2) a simple drawing of your own research (by hand or computer) and hand in a figure/graph you want to improve; and 3) write a manuscript for a 5 minute oral presentation on your own research or field (this may be accompanied by a ppt or keynote, but max 5 slides). All of the four assignments (target group, essay, drawing & figure, and talk) will serve as a starting point for the workshops.

Teachers
Norith Eckbo (researcher, biologist, science communicator)
Adam Rutherford (The Cell and Inside Science on BBC, geneticist)
Alok Jha (Dara O Briain’s Science Club on BBC, former Guardian)
Angela Morelli (Information designer, Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services, link)
Tom Gabriel Johansen (information and interactive designer, NRK, link)
Henrik Svensen (researcher, geologist and author) and Ståle Wig (researcher, anthropologist, author).

ForBio will arrange accommodation and refund tickets for ForBio and DialPast members. For more information, please contact Hugo de Boer

Published May 19, 2015 9:51 PM - Last modified Sep. 3, 2015 11:25 AM