Catherine Ball, a policy analyst at the House of Lords Science and Technology Select committee, talks about impartiality procedure at the Naturejobs Career Expo London 2015.
Watch more from the Naturejobs career expo here.
Tag Archives: London 2015
Science communication: Writing for scientific and policy audiences
Catherine Ball, a policy analyst at the House of Lords Science and Technology Select committee, explains the difference in styles between writing for a scientific audience and writing for a policy audience at the Naturejobs Career Expo London 2015.
Watch more from the Naturejobs career expo here.
Science communication: What are the differences between working for parliament or a learned society?
Catherine Ball, a policy analyst at the House of Lords Science and Technology Select committee, explains the differences between working for parliament and working for a learned society at the Naturejobs Career Expo London 2015.
Watch more from the Naturejobs career expo here.
Science communication: What’s more important to publishing?
Anke Sparmann, associate editor at Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, shares her experience on what to prioritise to get into the publishing business at the Naturejobs Career Expo London 2015.
Watch more from the Naturejobs career expo here.
Science communication: What is the organisational structure like in a company like Nature?
Anke Sparmann, associate editor at Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, shares her insights on the company structure of Nature at the Naturejobs Career Expo London 2015.
Watch more from the Naturejobs career expo here.
Science communication: Why is the turn-over rate for editors so high?
Anke Sparmann, associate editor at Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, shares her views on the turn-over rate for editors in scientific publishing at the Naturejobs Career Expo London 2015.
Watch more from the Naturejobs career expo here.
Science communication: How to deal with the media
Robert Dawson gives scientists a PR 101 at the 2015 London Naturejobs Career Expo.
Top tips:
- Understand what your audience wants from you.
- Figure out the three key messages.
- Practice and volcalize your pitch!
Further reading:
Science communication: Whose responsibility is it?
Science communication: Sculpting your role
Science communication: How to deal with misrepresented science in the media
Science communication: Do you need a PhD?
Science communication: How to get a job
Start writing and presenting in your spare time whilst in academia, say panelists at the 2015 London Naturejobs Career Expo.
Developing extra skills in your spare time will help demonstrate your passion for science communication in an interview.
Top tips:
- Look for opportunities within departments/universities to present your work. this is a safe environment in which you can trial out different techniques, whether for academic conferences or a chat down the pub.
- Look for, or start, other forums where you can explain your science to a lay audience. One of the most challenging things is explaining science to consumers. Speak to friends and family about your research and see if you can get them to understand what you do.
- Reflect on how to improve your communication; ask for feedback from the people you speak to.
- Joining writing groups to develop your writing skills. Having an external, objective input on your writing will help improve it.
- Ask your supervisor if they have any writing projects that they need help with, whether it’s writing a book chapter or website copy.
- Join a learned society and write for their blogs. They also have public engagement teams that are always looking for volunteers to help at events
- Build a network of people from within the science communication field that you can turn to.
- Although you might feel that you have no time to do any of the above, if you have a passion for it, you’ll make time. One way to manage your time is to use those brief moments of freedom in a productive way. When an experiment is running, read your favourite popular science books, write a blog, pursue an interview.
Further reading:
Science communication: Whose responsibility is it?
Science communication: Sculpting your role
Science communication: How to deal with misrepresented science in the media
Science communication: Making the transition
Panelists at the 2015 London Naturejobs Career Expo share what they found the most surprising when transitioning to a career in science communication.
Simplicity of communication, the rush of the working environment, the lack of experience with the media and the ability to understand science without a scientific background were the biggest surprises for the careers in science communication panelists at the 2015 London Naturejobs Career Expo.
Belinda Quick thought she was good at taking complex ideas and distilling them into simple, accessible messages. However, during every performance review she’s had whilst working in industry as a science communicator, she’s been told that her messages aren’t simple enough. Everyone’s view of what keeping it simple means can vary dramatically.
For Anke Sparmann, when transitioning from the lab to the magazine, is the difference in time management. In academia, when working at the bench, there are occasionally some down-times when you can relax/rest whilst waiting for an experiment to finish. In publishing, this down-time doesn’t exist. Sparmann constantly finds herself busy with no time to check emails or relax.
When Catherine Ball was working in science, she didn’t believe that those without a scientific background should, or could, make decisions based on scientific evidence. Now, working as a policy analyst, she has realised that they can grasp scientific concepts. “You can be a non-scientists and still be able to understand and use scientific knowledge appropriately.”
For Robert Dawson however, the surprise was the opposite: “The number of people that just don’t get it.” Here he is referring to scientists who don’t understand how the media works. They will come with their month-old research paper to a press office, and ask that it be put on the front pages of the national newspapers. What Dawson finds difficult to deal with is people constantly asking things that are unachievable, and it’s difficult to explain to them why that is the case.
Further reading:
Science communication: Whose responsibility is it?
Science communication: Sculpting your role
Science communication: How to deal with misrepresented science in the media
Science communication: Do you need a PhD?
A scientific PhD can be required for some science communication careers, but not for others, say panelists at the 2015 London Naturejobs Career Expo.
In science PR there is an argument as to whether or not you need a science qualification, says Robert Dawson from Cancer Research UK. Some say that having a scientific qualification can hinder your ability to see the bigger picture, and translate it into something the lay public can understand. Proponents of a science background in science communication say it’s critical to understand the scientific process. He personally has had undergraduate training in biology, and he falls back on it time and time again.
In policy a PhD is very useful, says Catherine Ball, policy analyst at the House of Lords Science Select Committee. Haivng spent time in academic research and having completed extended pieces of research, you understand the scientific landscape and the policies that shape it, like open access or funding, for example. Plus the experience of writing a thesis, and the data management and everything that comes along with it, can be a great experience.
For a career as a scientific editor, a PhD is crucial, says Anke Sparmann, an editor at Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. You cannot do the job without a PhD because your link with academia is so close. Most editors actually have postdoctoral experience as well, as this will have given them time to build a wider network.
In industry the need for a PhD varies, depending on the sector and type of company you’re in, and also how quickly the landscape is changing, says Belinda Quick from Mondelez International. She works with a team of people, some of whom have a PhD (herself included) and others who don’t. For her, the biggest factor is being able to marry the skills from your PhD training to the skills of good communication. The PhD means you have a core resolve, an ability to persevere and an ability to analyse, all important skills when you have to apply it to a breadth of topics that you experience in science communication. But this doesn’t mean it is essential to have one.
Further reading:
Science communication: Whose responsibility is it?
Science communication: Sculpting your role
Science communication: How to deal with misrepresented science in the media