Communicating Science
This professional development course trains students to present complex research ideas to nontechnical audiences, such as the mass media or policy makers. Skills learned in this course help students become more effective communicators to their colleagues, to the general public and to those who may influence funding resources. Lectures and demonstrations focus on the best practices for using digital media as a valuable tool for communicating complex subject matter to a broad audience.
Students begin by writing short, plain language highlights about their own research at Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology. Using digital video and recording equipment, students then practice interviewing techniques with their classmates and faculty mentors. Working in teams, students write, film, and produce a video news release aimed at communicating a specific scientific or engineering topic to nontechnical viewers. The course culminates in a film festival where students and faculty view and evaluate the final video productions.
Enrollment restricted to graduate students associated with INBT only, or by special permission of the instructor.
Biocompatible Electronic Nanowires May Repair Damaged Nerve Connections
Filmed by Lindsey Smith, IGERT* fellow in civil engineering, and Janice Lin, IGERT* fellow in Materials Science and Engineering, it features Stephen Diegelmann, IGERT* fellow from the Department of Chemistry, and his faculty advisor, J.D. Tovar, assistant professor of Chemistry in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.
*IGERT stands for Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship and is a program funded by the National Science Foundation.
