Some of the public engagement with science (aka science outreach or informal science education or science communication) resources I have found in my day. I welcome suggestions to add to this list!
Other documents from UF collaborators:
- Social media series
- Science content communication
- Transparent Communication in Ag and Natural Resources
- Environmental Interpretation: How to Communicate Persuasively
- Some Challenges Behind Communicating about Climate Change
- Strategies for Communicating Climate Change to Extension Audiences
- Developing Sign Displays for Conveying Information ** note – think beyond conveying information if your goals are true science engagement
Organizations:
- American Association for the Advancement of Science and their Trellis community (look for the groups on science communication and public engagement)
- Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science
- National Alliance for Broader Impacts – working to “to create a community of practice that fosters the development of sustainable and scalable institutional capacity and engagement in broader impacts activity”
- Engagement Scholarship Consortium – researchers studying engagement throughout the world, especially working alongside practitioners and audiences to carry out participatory research
- American Association for the Advancement of Science has a number of resources:
- Center for Public Engagement with Science & Technology
- Trellis, an online community with a number of active discussion groups for scientists, including engagement and STEM Curriculum
- American Institute of Biological Sciences’ Communications Boot Camp (on site in Washington, DC) – some policy emphasis
- eXtension.org’s Mapping your Way to Better Engagement – learning to tell better stories with maps and map-based data
- Frameworks Institute – lots of research on messaging and finding strategies that work for different audiences, building on shared values, on specific topics. Check out particularly Science translation and Environment sections.
- For the March for Science, they suggest “Follow @FrameWorksInst, @ScienceMarchDC, and #ScienceMarch on Twitter for alerts when new communications resources become available, like downloadable signs and open-source graphics that frame the case in a powerful, yet nonpartisan, way.”
- Google spreadsheet of science and outreach organizations worldwide by @iamscicomm and contributors
- Friends of Joe’s (NPR’s Joe Palca) Big Idea Map – map of organizations and events featured on this NPR series
- COMPASS, Co-founded by former NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco
- Workshop on public engagement online recording (about 1 hour 45 min) from University of West England – Bristol
Activities/Programs for engagement:
- A beginning scientist’s list of organizations/programs one can get involved with
- SkypeAScientist – join a classroom remotely and get to know students while sharing your experiences
- NerdNite
- Science Cafe / Cafe Scientifique – two different links for similar programs inviting speakers into public spaces for short presentations and discussion
- 4-H
- Letters to a Pre-scientist penpal program.
- Girl and Boy Scouts
- YMCA
- Boys & Girls Clubs
- Agricultural Literacy Day – read to a classroom about agriculture!
- (again): Friends of Joe’s (NPR’s Joe Palca) Big Idea Map – map of organizations and events featured on this NPR series
- Farmer Field Day Guide and Toolkit from Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education foundation (SARE)
- Science Festivals
- Society for Science & the Public Advocate program – help students underrepresented in STEM complete independent research and submit it to competitions.
- Science Storytellers – kids interview scientists
Fellowship programs:
- WGBH (Boston) Rita Allen Fellowship for Science Communication (for communication or science research professionals)
- AAAS Leshner Leadership program for Public Engagement
- NOAA Knauss Science Policy Fellowships (For current graduate students)
- AAAS Science/Technology Policy Fellowships
Books/Guides:
- Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if your life depended on it by Chris Voss (recommended by Kevin Folta)
- Effective Science Communication: A Practical Guide to Surviving as a Scientist by Sam Illingworth
- Don’t Be Such a Scientist by Randy Olson
- Escape from the Ivory Tower by Nancy Baron
- North American Association of Environmental Educators’ Guide for Excellence in Community Engagement (slightly different focus than pure public engagement, but I believe they are related)
- The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking, with a blog post describing its relevance to science engagement – basically, it gives insight into how the media works.
Popular/practitioner press articles: