Research Comms

In this week's episode I welcome back friend of the podcast and science communicator, Sam Illingworth, to talk with me about the recent report 'Climate Communication in Practice - How Are We Engaging the UK Public with Climate Change?' produced by Sam and members of the Climate Communications Project. We discuss the importance of identifying specific audiences, the need to understand their beliefs and values, and how it's ok for scientists to have opinions. Here are links to some of the things discussed: The Climate Communications Project Report Yale Climate Change Communication Report 2017 The Age of Consequences documentary How Not to Talk About Climate Science YouTube Climate Visuals Project

Science and storytelling are not often seen as natural bedfellows. Stories are more commonly associated with the make-believe, told for purposes of entertainment or escapism. Cast as being a million miles away from the strict, truth-seeking nature of science. But in reality science and storytelling have a great deal to offer each other, at least when it comes to the communication of science. In this week’s episode of the Research Comms Podcast we’ll be exploring how storytelling can help drive clear communication of scientific ideas to all kinds of audience. And my guest, who will be helping me do that, is Jessica Fox: writer, filmmaker and science storytelling consultant. We speak about how she got into the world of science storytelling, why stories resonate with us so deeply, and how researchers can harness the power of Story to engage people with their ideas. ---------------- Three Things You Need to Know About Rockets available here Jay O'Callahan's story about NASA 'Forged In The Stars' can be seen here Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to the Research Comms Podcast if you've enjoyed this episode. And also, while you're at it, feel free to sign up for my monthly newsletter the Research Comms Digest with all the latest news and best content from the world of research communication.

In September of this year London welcomed an exciting new addition to its cultural scene - Science Gallery London - opened by King’s College London at its central London Bridge location. It promises to be a place ‘where science and art collide’ designed with young adults in mind; a space where visitors can consider the most urgent scientific challenges we face, through the lens of art and culture. Just before its opening I popped along to check out ‘Hooked’ its inaugural exhibition, exploring the theme of addiction, and in this episode of the Research Comms podcast I chat to some of the people who have helped to bring the gallery’s mission to life. www.orinococomms.com

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In 2011 the Academic Ideas Lab was created, with the goal of transferring the most exciting research stories from UK universities onto our TV screens and radios. Ex TV producer, Lucy Vernall, runs the company and in this episode of the Research Comms podcast she talks about the challenges of getting shows commissioned, what elements can turn a piece of research into a captivating documentary idea, the difficulty of gauging the impact of reaching millions of people with your research, and how the changing digital landscape is affecting our viewing habits and what we watch. www.orinococomms.com

Just over ten years ago a couple of communications staff at Oxford University realised that there was need for a one-stop-shop where members of the public could go to find out more about the university's scientific research. Oxford Sparks was the result. It started out as a website and has since grown into a multi-faceted digital engagement programme, including including podcasts, animations, blogs, teaching resources and live streaming events. In charge of it all is Michaela Livingstone Banks, who is this week's podcast guest. In this episode of Research Comms she discusses the need to be realistic when defining a target audience, getting scientists into bed for Facebook Live, overcoming social media algorithm changes and the power of networking. www.orinococomms.com

Last week I met up with one of the most influential figures in British science and science communication, Katherine Mathieson, Chief Executive of the British Science Association. The British Science Association is an organisation that plays a prominent role on the science scene over here in the UK. It's been around for almost 200 years now, since it was founded in 1831 as the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Its focus back then was on the communication of science amongst scientists but since then it’s evolved considerably and now it’s a far more outward looking organisation that seeks to engage the public with science through a variety of programmes, such as British Science Week and the British Science Festival, as well as public engagement campaigns both offline and digital. I had a fascinating conversation with Katherine at BSA's headquarters in London. As you’d imagine, given her role, she's a passionate advocate of the importance of public engagement with science, so we spoke about why it matters and about the critical role that diversity has to play in science communication. We also chatted about public debates around emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, how digital media can be used to reach under-served audiences and we also spoke a lot about the BSA’s ambitious new mission to transform the relationship that millions of people in the UK have with science over the next couple of years. Check out the Research Comms Blog for more information, insights, resources and inspiration for communicating research in a digital age.

A brief summary of this episode

This week's episode of the Research Comms podcast comes all the way from America's wild and wonderful Lone Star State......Texas. A few weeks ago I paid a visit to the University of Texas in Austin to meet the team behind some of the most creative research and science communication content that's coming out of American universities at the moment. J.B. Bird is UT's Director of Media Relations and Christine Sinatra is Director of Communications at the university's College of Natural Sciences. www.orinococomms.com

This episode tells the story of a team of scientists and doctors from Newcastle’s Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Research who spent years campaigning strenuously, alongside patients, to persuade UK policymakers to pass a law that would permit the use of a pioneering but controversial fertility treatment The team from Newcastle hoped that the IVF treatment, known as mitochondrial donation, might halt the transmission from one generation to the next of a devastating, incurable and often fatal condition - mitochondrial disease - that blights the lives of many thousands of families across the world. In 2015 the five year long campaign reached a dramatic conclusion when Parliament made its landmark vote on whether or not the treatment should be allowed in the UK. It was huge victory for the campaigners, shared amongst the doctors, scientists, patients and their families but much credit has to go to the man who spearheaded the campaign, Professor Sir Doug Turnbull. Professor Turnbull is one of the world’s leading experts of mitochondrial disease and last year he was given a knighthood in recognition of his dedication, spanning decades, to the study of the disease and to the care of patients afflicted by it. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Doug and his team for a few years on their public engagement projects but my involvement with their work started after the climax of this dramatic story of their Parliamentary success, so I was very excited to sit down with Doug a few weeks ago to hear all about the campaign from his perspective, as well as hearing his insights generally into the power of public engagement. To learn more about the work of Doug and his team check out their website. You can also watch the videos I produced for them explaining what mitochondrial disease is and telling the stories of people whose lives have been impacted by the disease: Beth's Story Kim and Betsy's Story Stuart's Story For more information, insights, resources and inspiration for communicating research in a digital age please check out my Research Comms Blog

This week's episode comes right from the heart of Bloomsbury in London; from iconic Senate House, to be precise, where the UK's only dedicated humanities festival, the Being Human festival, is organised. The man in charge of putting on this public engagement extravaganza is Michael Eades and I caught up with him to chat about the health of the humanities and to hear his insights into what it's like to put on a global festival celebrating the latest research into the humanities. www.orinococomms.com Research Comms Blog

This week the Research Comms podcast is becoming somewhat introspective with an episode all about...podcasts! I was lucky enough to joined by Emily Elias, presenter and producer of my favourite research podcast around at the moment, the Oxford Sparks Big Questions podcast, and we shot the breeze about topics such as why podcasts are so popular right now; how to communicate complex research in an accessible, engaging way; whether or not there's a secret magic ingredient to creating a successful podcast; and the importance of building a community to help grow your podcast. Emily gave me some really valuable podcast production insights, which will be hugely helpful to anybody who is looking to use podcasting as a way of communicating their research to a wide audience. www.orinococomms.com Research Comms Blog

My guest on Episode 1 is science communication expert, Sam Illingworth. Sam is a Senior Lecturer in Science Communication at Manchester Metropolitan University and he is also a prolific practitioner of digital science communication. Listen for Sam's top tips on how to avoid being overwhelmed when it comes to building an engaged community around your research, and a live rendition of one of his fantastic science poems 'A Piscine Problem' that addresses that age-old problem of people peeing in public swimming pools! www.orinococomms.com Research Comms Blog