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Image: screenshot from the website CLIPS: Communication Learning in Practice for Scientists CLIPS is a website focused on communication skills common in the sciences – writing, presentations, posters, graphing, etc. The website features interactives, tips, checklists, videos, and more. The authors of the site, all faculty at University of Queensland, say, “As scientists, we all know the importance of communicating…

This month’s newsletter is live, and should soon be in your inbox if you are one of our (free) subscribers! Click here to join the mailing list. Meanwhile, see below for the table of contents, and click here for the full May 2018 newsletter.  

If you are a current Section member, please check your inbox for an email with a link to the voting form. Voting* will close on June 11, 2018. Section officer elections are key, and your vote matters. Officers 1) plan a lot of the annual meeting trainings, 2) collaborate with other sections and governance committees to ensure comm & engagement…

Looking forward to ESA 2018, there are two mentoring opportunities, as well as a travel award! Note that the travel award for those looking for support for invited speakers (not for your own individual travel). Read on for details about: SEEDS program seeks mentors (commitment just during #ESA2018) Early Career mentorship program seeks mentors (during #ESA2018) New travel award: Annual Meeting…

I feel like I have found a reference to keep on my shelf for the rest of my career […] In fact, after reading Writing Science in Plain English, I want to go back and edit every journal article I have ever written. ~S. Bayer What is the reviewer’s motive (expertise, curiosity, sharing lessons learned, etc.) and perspective (research scientist,…

In the spirit of expanding the reach and of science communication and engagement conversations happening within and beyond the Communications and Engagement Section, we are going to start re-posting and cross-posting content from C&E Section members. If you would like to have one of your projects or blog posts featured in this series, contact us! Meanwhile, here’s a cross-post from…

(Photo by Bethann Garramon Merkle, ©2018) As we mentioned in the April newsletter, nominations are now open for the next Communication and Engagement Section chairperson-elect. If you are looking for a way to enhance your scicomm skills while contributing to others’, this is a fantastic opportunity. It’s also a great way to learn more about how ESA governance works, at multiple…

When I first read this book, I was so inspired that I set out to transform every lecture in my Gen-Ed course into a TED talk. ~ J. Purrenhage What is the reviewer’s motive (expertise, curiosity, sharing lessons learned, etc.) and perspective (research scientist, educator, science communicator, etc.)?  I am a scientist and a science educator. As a lecturer in…

We know we’ve posted a lot in the last week, but when our chairperson-elect picked this photo to start our April newsletter, we just had to share a backstory with you. Check your email tomorrow for the newsletter featuring this photo and more! What’s with the egret and Terrebonne Parish? Well, this spring, the C&E Section has developed a strong connection…

Our SciComm/Engagement Lit Review series launches this week! The Lit Review series features contributed reviews of books and other scicomm and engagement resources. Reviews provide unique content about lit that has direct or indirect relevance to the wide range of scicomm careers, approaches, and interests of Section members. We seek SciComm/Engagement Lit Reviews (book review-style), and we welcome co-authored reviews.

This week, Dr. Jente Ottenburghs, a Belgian stand-up comic, biologist, and science writer responds to the #MySciComm questions! Jente Ottenburghs is a biologist and freelance science writer. He obtained his PhD at the University of Wageningen (the Netherlands) where he studied the genetics of hybridizing geese. During his PhD, Jente discovered his passion for sharing science with a broad audience….

Retrospective by Jennifer Purrenhage, series co-editor and Communication and Engagement Section secretary Bethann Garramon Merkle’s recent #MySciComm 2017 Year in Review highlighted takeaways from our 2017 contributors on building human connections through scicomm. As I looked back on the 2017 #MySciComm contributions, an additional set of theme emerged from our contributors. They offered advice and encouragement for those of us…

Retrospective by Bethann Garramon Merkle, series co-editor and Communication and Engagement Section chairperson Certainly, there is much to be learned from #MySciComm contributors regarding how to incorporate scicomm into research and how to transition into a scicomm career. But we, the editors, think the humanity this series exposes is equally important. #MySciComm shows us the people behind the science. In…

Welcome to the 2018 #MySciComm Series! We’re excited to kick off the new year by celebrating what the #MySciComm Series became in 2017. We launched in February 2017, and were able to feature 27 publicly engaged scientists and science communicators. Their back stories celebrated and talked candidly about the diverse entry points and skill sets that epitomize scicomm and public engagement…

This week, Dr. Caitlin Looby, a SciComm Section member, responds to the #MySciComm questions! Caitlin Looby is a scientist and a freelance science writer. She earned her PhD in Biology from the University of California, Irvine, her M.S. in Biotechnology at Kean University, and her B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Connecticut. During graduate school, Caitlin…

This week, Dr. Jennifer Purrenhage, our SciComm Section Secretary, responds to the #MySciComm questions! Jennifer is a lecturer in wildlife ecology and environmental conservation at the University of New Hampshire, and the current Secretary of the Science Communication Section of ESA. She emphasizes the study and practice of science communication and engagement in all her courses, and puts her own…

This week, Dr. Ramesh Laungani responds to the #MySciComm questions! Ramesh is an associate professor of Biology at Doane University. He holds a PhD in biology (ecology and evolution) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he studied nutrient cycling in tallgrass prairie. As a professor, he teaches both introductory and upper level biology courses. He is also involved in SciComm…

This week, Rose Hendricks, a member of the ComSciCon Leadership Team, responds to the #MySciComm questions! Right now, we are recruiting, with ComSciCon and the ESA Student Section, for student co-organizers to lead a ComSciCon workshop at #ESA2018! Please contact the ESA Student section directly if you want to co-organize and lead the #ESA2018 ComSciCon! Rose is a PhD Candidate…

This week, William Chen responds to the #MySciComm questions! William is a science communicator interested in writing, storytelling, and interactives. After obtaining a Master’s degree in Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management at the University of Washington, he is transitioning into a career of science communication. This starts with an internship at The Nature Conservancy, where he engages diverse audiences with…

As we mentioned in our #ESA2017 recap post a couple of weeks ago, a wealth of opportunities sprung up and/or were identified at this year’s annual meeting. Here’s a complete list of all our current volunteer opportunities. We’ll keep that updated, so do check that page when you have time to commit. Meanwhile, we want to highlight some particularly exciting…