A while back, I ran an informal poll of folks who subscribe to a free newsletter I run for my job [1] as director of the University of Wyoming Science Communication Initiative. The newsletter runs weekly during the academic year and highlights upcoming scicomm events, trainings, and resources (including jobs, funding, and publication opportunities).
We build this newsletter by curating [2] from a host of other newsletters, job boards, and more. We specifically emphasize content that offers people opportunities to enhance their skills or knowledge or get paid to do scicomm. All events we list are free (or nearly so) and virtual (except the occasional one occurring on my campus or in Wyoming).
In response to the poll, folks said a lot of nice things. For example, a scicomm professor from South Africa (yeah, wooot! We're connecting with folks globally!) said:
"Your newsletter has been SUPER useful. I have really found something (often many things) I can use in every issue! It is fantastic!"
People also said some really helpful things that have informed changes to how we format and run the newsletter. We've made a lot of those changes and will work toward others when we have the capacity to implement them. These include things like increasing the size of the text to enhance readability and creating an archive of past listings and reformatting slightly so that the weekly newsletter isn't so long it gets cut off in inboxes.
But, perhaps the most helpful feedback we received was feedback that helped us decide to continue prioritizing (and producing) the newsletter at all. Numerous folks indicated that our newsletter provides content they couldn't find elsewhere. Others said that it helps them feel connected to the broader scicomm community. And, someone even said:
"Honestly, my favorite thing about this newsletter is how personal it sounds - like it's an old friend sharing some good news with you!"
These comments absolutely reinvigorated our commitment to producing the newsletter (which requires several hours of effort every week). But, more importantly, the insight these folks offered us is that (a) a lot of folks want to be more connected to the broader professional community(ies, really) of scicomm but aren't sure where to make those connections.
This desire for connection isn't just coming from folks who are paid to do scicomm. Our subscriber list is approaching 800 subscribers. Many of them are students building their skills in all kinds of topics; others are early-career scientists/science professionals in all sectors who want to make a difference with and through science. And, yes, plenty are scicomm professionals working to build and tend science + society bridges.
In every case, connecting more directly with other folks working toward the same goals can be motivating, affirming, and sustaining. This sense of shared effort (and shared knowledge) is especially important given the academic prestige paradigm actively resists and devalues scicomm [3].
So, for the past year or more we've been especially attuned to including content (events, trainings, opportunities, resources, etc.) that directly provide people access to those connections.
For example, our Fall 2023 weekly series theme was Connecting to the Scicomm Community. We specifically highlighted various scicomm communities and the virtual platforms where people can connect to them. (See them all on our archive. [4]) Our Spring 2024 theme was Good Boundaries, and our Fall 2024 theme is Common Ground.
With every theme, our aim is to help you (as readers of the newsletter), to recognize the vital role that connectivity, healthy relationships, and sense of belonging play in effective scicomm and being an ethical, effective scicomm professional (at any career stage). If a weekly dose of events/trainings, job postings, and resources seems helpful, feel free to join us by subscribing to the WySCI newsletter or passing it on to folks you work with/support.
How about you?
What is one way that you connect with the scicomm community (or would like to)?
NOTES
[1] Well, directing WySCI is one part of my job.
[2] Here, I'm soooo tempted to borrow or riff off of one of Stephen Colbert's ridiculous-hilarious intros to his segment Meanwhile. Think run-on sentences absolutely overwhelmingly dripping and oozing adjectives and metaphors. 🤣 Just google it if you're curious.
[3] I've written a fair bit about the way the traditional paradigm of academia is (predictably) anti-scicomm and the really problematic ways that plays out today. If you're looking for a one-stop-shop discussion of all this, collaborators and I just published a big field-defining paper about the academic barriers to scicomm and how individuals within the academy can help make things better. It's worth reading! (If you run into a paywall, just contact me and I'll send you a PDF!)
[4] Just scroll down to the bottom of the newsletter landing page to find our archive, organized by each semester's theme. Note that we've posted the last year or so on our website, but the newsletter has been running for 5+ years!
This is the end of this post. If you see a prompt to subscribe, you're welcome to do so! Your paid subscription helps me allocate time to the resources I share here.
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