Science Communication [LLS12]

Detailed information about this course:

Description

As a researcher, you will be trained to communicate your research findings to colleagues by means of a poster, a conference talk, or a scientific publication. But fellow scientists are not the only target group for our results: we often want to further disseminate our findings. Are we well equipped to communicate our research findings to a wider audience and what does it take to do this properly? In four half-day sessions we will explore some of the basic principles of science communication. In the lectures we will discuss topics such as what is meant by societal impact, how to determine the target group of your research and how to communicate to different audiences. In subsequent interactive sessions, you will implement the gained knowledge in several exercises using your own research.

The live sessions for this course will take place on:
Monday 6 November
Friday 10 November
Monday 13 November
Friday 17 November

The assessment consists of:

- Attendance and professional conduct;
- Preparatory assignments;
- Final assignment: creating a pitch video.

Objectives

In this course, students:

• Learn how to effectively communicate their study results to a wide audience;
  
• Learn about different communication channels;
  
• Learn what the difference between scientific and societal impact is;
  
• Learn in which ways societal impact can be achieved;
  
• Acquire basic skills in writing popular texts and making popular videos;
  
• Acquire skills to explain their study results in an easy-to-understand language;
  
• Reflect on their own skills and competences as a science communicator.

Participant profile

Students in the MSc Health Sciences programme (120 EC) and MSc Clinical Research programme (120 EC), and external participants. We particularly recommend MSc students who have already started working on their thesis, as they will have the opportunity to apply the skills acquired in this course to their ongoing research.

Assessment

Attendance, Assignment(s)