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Research to Enhance Ethical Scicomm Capacity

Communication is the top job skill required across all sectors. Previous research indicates  students themselves recognize the need for training in translational skills -- such as communication -- before embarking on their postgraduation careers. Yet, most scientists receive no formal training in science communication (scicomm) and report feeling ill-equipped to share science effectively beyond academia. This should be no surprise: the training necessary to gain competency in sharing and co-producing science ethically and equitably is rarely included in undergraduate and graduate training or early-career faculty mentoring programs. 

To address this gap, I use research, trainings, and coaching to build individuals' and institutions' scicomm and social change capacity. 

Several people lean over a table covered in interesting and weird objects collected from the ocean.

Who's Sharing Science & Why? Understanding Attitudes, Motivations & Behaviors in Scicomm

I am the lead investigator on a pair of studies investigating how students, faculty, and staff perceive their own work in science engagement with non-specialist audiences. These survey-based studies are in-progress and concentrate on before/after outcomes of scicomm courses and scicomm training. I also direct a science communication certification program wherein we are using similar methods to investigate effective approaches for scicomm skill development and career advancement outside the classroom. 

I am also the co-PI, with Virginia Schutte, of a program investigating effective modes of career coaching for mid-to-advanced-career science communication professionals. This work is supported in part by the National Association of Science Writers and the Science Communication Trainers Network.

If you teach a semester-long science communication course, and you are interested in participating in the sharing science study, please contact me directly.

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Scicomm LIFT:  Leveraging Institutional capacity for 
eFfective graduate student Training

I am the lead investigator on a million-dollar study funded by the National Science Foundation.

 

Project aims include:

 

1. Conduct a nationwide survey of graduate students, recent graduates and people involved in training them regarding existing scicomm training and needs therein.

2. Test ethical scicomm training interventions and assess longitudinal impacts of such training across numerous institutions. 

 

3.  Assess how best to support instructors who want to offer ethical scicomm training to graduate students. 

Collaborators: Dale Broder (American University), Robin Tinghitella (University of Denver), Meena Balgopal (Colorado State University), Rebecca Swenson (University of Minnesota), Virginia Schutte (independent)

See further details here.

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Scicomm Capacity-Building Initiatives

In addition to teaching and research on scicomm skills and capacity building, I have launched and/or currently lead several scicomm capacity-building initiatives. These include:

1. UWyo Science Communication Initiative: In 2017, I co-founded and have since directed WySCI, a grassroots effort to support, create, and value scicomm training, research, and culture at our institution. We provide a host of services to the UW community and the international scicomm community of practice.

2. Scicomm leadership in the Ecological Society of America: In 2013, I co-founded the Communication & Engagement Section of ESA and did extensive related leadership and training work with the Section and Society for a decade. And, in 2018, I was recruited to launch and edit a new section -- Communicating Science -- for ESA's oldest journal. In 2024, I was elected an Early Career Fellow in ESA for my "pioneering scholarship on science communication" and my leadership in ESA and the field.

 

3. Meteor: Scicomm with Impact: In 2019, I launched (with Virginia Schutte) a community of practice, advanced-career coaching program, and podcast, all dedicated to beyond-beginner scicomm practitioners. This work is supported, in part, by the National Association of Science Writers and the Science Communicators Training Network.

Related work

  • Writing is a key component of scicomm, academic change, and academic success. My book -- Teaching and Mentoring Writers in the Sciences -- offers instructors and mentors crucial, evidence-based support for fostering effective writers.

  • I teach scicomm courses every year at my institution.  If you're looking for ideas for your scicomm courses, have a look at my syllabi in the Resources section of my site.

  • I talk a fair bit about scicomm teaching, research, etc., on the Meteor podcast and my blog/newsletter (School of Good Trouble). I also talk about how to be a fully dimensional human while working to make a difference through scicomm. If either of those are relevant for you, check out Meteor and SGT.

commnatural sciencecommunication research & practice Bethann Garramon Merkle

© 2025 by Bethann Garramon Merkle.

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