{"id":4787,"date":"2014-11-05T06:00:14","date_gmt":"2014-11-05T06:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/?p=4787"},"modified":"2014-11-07T11:13:51","modified_gmt":"2014-11-07T11:13:51","slug":"what-isnt-science-communication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/2014\/11\/05\/what-isnt-science-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"What isn\u2019t science communication?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Naturejobs-science-communication\"<\/a>

L-R: Greg Foot, Jonathan Sanderson, Steve Palmer, Celeste Biever, Julie Gould<\/p><\/div>\n

Things to consider if you\u2019re thinking about working in the field of science communication.<\/span><\/h2>\n

Contributor Samuel Brod<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA full house\u201d, someone muttered as a besieged looking member of staff rushed out extra chairs for the hundreds of researchers filtering their way into the auditorium. Sci-comm, as it\u2019s often termed, seemed a hot topic this year. A panel at the\u00a0<\/span>London\u00a0<\/span>Naturejobs<\/em> Career Expo<\/a>\u00a0on September 19<\/span>th<\/sup>, 2014<\/span>\u00a0asked the question: What is science communication?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The panelists were Steve Palmer, Cancer Research UK; Jonathan Sanderson, StoryCog; Greg Foot, BBC; Celeste Biever, Chief news editor for Nature.<\/em> Chair: Julie Gould, Naturejobs<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The talk began with the panelists describing their current jobs and how they\u2019d found them, followed by a more general discussion around pursuing a career in science communication. On stage, the panel was at ease and their comments often induced laughter from the crowd, not out of politeness but genuine amusement. Within the audience, there was a definite sense of expectation–it seemed that they were waiting for answers.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, <\/b>many may have left that day with more questions than answers on the topic of science communication. (\u201cIt was good. I think,\u201d said the person next to me at the session\u2019s end, frowning slightly. \u201cI need to think about it a bit more.\u201d) Perhaps the panelists were most clear in describing what science-communication — as a career and a concept — definitely was not:<\/p>\n

\u2018Science communicator\u2019 is not a well-defined job<\/h3>\n

The panel consisted of a television presenter, film director, news editor, press officer and a blogger — very different roles, yet all science communicators. Communication, of course, has many different purposes and audiences. To find a place in this complex job landscape, the panel suggested that you must define your own niche. As\u00a0Gould put it, \u201cYou’ve got to understand what you’re like as a person and what drives you. That will help you decide what career is suitable for you and where you will excel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Science communication has no set career path<\/h3>\n

\u201cI drifted into it.\u201d \u201cI fell into it\u201d. \u201cI stumbled into it\u201d.<\/p>\n

None of the panelists began their careers knowing that they would end up as science communicators. Unlike academia, with its established progression from PhD to post-doc and beyond (if you\u2019re lucky<\/a>), positions in science communication seem highly fluid. Each person described obtaining their jobs through a combination of providence, networking and a persistent passion for explaining science to others.<\/p>\n

Science Communication is not an easy career…<\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve met several scientists who regard science communication as a soft option, the easy alternative for those who can’t hack the daily grind of research. Palmer quashed this idea, describing his role as head of press at Cancer Research UK as \u201ca 365 days a year job. If someone calls me on Christmas day, then I\u2019m on the phone and we\u2019re talking about cancer… Its live, it\u2019s constant and you have to deal with that pressure all the time\u201d.<\/p>\n

Sanderson emphasized that \u201cnot everybody is a natural communicator. It\u2019s good to acknowledge that — and every single person has to work on it. It\u2019s a craft. It\u2019s a skill you need to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

…Or a stable one<\/h3>\n

Foot\u2019s discussion on his life as a freelance science presenter<\/a> made working in academia seem comparatively secure. \u201cI have no idea where I\u2019m going to be in five years\u2019 time…it\u2019s a challenge for any science communicator. How much stability do you want? Do you know your career path or are you happy to go whichever way the wind takes you?\u201d<\/p>\n

It also shouldn\u2019t be forgotten that the future of the news industry is still highly uncertain<\/a>. With increasingly fewer jobs available for beat journalists, specialist science writers in this industry are in precarious situations in terms of job security.<\/p>\n

However…<\/h3>\n

If the uncertainties don\u2019t put you off, the panel agreed there’s a lot of opportunity out there. The key tips I gleaned were:<\/p>\n

Find your place.<\/b>\u00a0Science-communication encompasses a dizzying array of jobs<\/a> . It\u2019s up to you to find (or create) what you\u2019re best suited to. Science Writer Carl Zimmer (not present at the talk) has some excellent tips<\/a> on this subject.<\/p>\n

Hone your skills.\u00a0<\/b>This could be as simple as starting a blog or you could take the plunge with formal training in Sci-Com. The panel agreed that such a qualification \u201cisn\u2019t necessary but it certainly helps\u201d. Sanderson pointed to programmes run by\u00a0Imperial College London<\/a>, the\u00a0University of West England<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Northumbria University<\/a>\u00a0but also advised thinking carefully about the qualification that best matches your own interests \u201cLook very closely at journo courses. Look also at teaching qualifications and think why they may or may not suit you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Network.<\/b>In a field as diffuse as science communications, building a solid group of contacts is vital. Each speaker stressed the importance of\u00a0good networking<\/a>, with Foot suggesting to \u201ckeep a little black book of contacts, see where people go, and touch base with them in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just do it! –\u00a0<\/b>Greg Foot put it best: \u201cScience communication is so open, you can just go do it. If you\u2019re interested in it,\u00a0start now,\u00a0<\/span>blog some bits<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>make a little film<\/a>. There’s so many things you can do. Just give it a go, chuck it out there\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Contributor Samuel Brod  … Read more<\/a> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45013,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[617],"tags":[337,811,156,815,809,817,807,813],"class_list":["post-4787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-njce14","tag-career-paths-2","tag-media","tag-naturejobs-career-expo","tag-presenting","tag-press-office","tag-public-speaking","tag-science-communcation","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45013"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4787"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4787\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}