Science is more than simply a collection of theories and facts derived from endless experimentation. The process of scientific inquiry involves critical thinking as well as a level of creativity in order to draw new conclusions from previous research. It is also important to keep the general public informed about “breakthroughs” and emerging ideas in the scientific world to show people that science opens up a world of opportunities for the advancement of mankind. A few methods of conveying scientific studies are scientific blogs, podcasts, and videos. These distinct approaches to communicating ideas that scientists have appeal to different audiences, and some are more effective than others. However, scientific discourse is readily available for anyone to engage in with the convenience of the Internet.
A particularly interesting medium of information is www.peoplebehindthescience.com, which has podcasts from professors and respected scientists who are attempting to connect to other scientists and even non-scientists. The podcasts consists of informal conversations between various researchers and the host, Dr. Marie McNeely, who seems very enthusiastic. Themes of the podcasts range from actual research that individuals are working on to how they got to where they are in their careers. For example, podcast number 176 is a conversation with Dr. Zach Hambrick who is a psychology professor at Michigan State University. He received his Masters degree and PhD in Experimental Psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Hambrick is more than happy to share his journey in the field of psychology, in which he currently studies why certain people have higher levels of performance (in sports, music, careers) than others. His words are very encouraging, especially to young scientists, to use their scientific interests to push them forward. All it takes to get started in research is a novel question that may seem unimportant to some, but of utmost importance to others. Another podcast, number 173, is a conversation with Dr. Norman Ellstrand, who is a professor of genetics and botany at the University of California. He spoke about his hobbies that he partakes outside of the lab, and at work, he studies the science of romance in plants and plant sexuality. These two podcasts might as well be on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of the methods of how each professor conducts his research, but they are both geared towards explaining the beauty of science to those who are unfamiliar with science. The target audience can vary from young adolescents seeking mentors to older scientists with established careers, and the podcasts sound very much like radio talk shows. Although the podcasts are very diverse and involve many fields of science with the scientists as the primary sources of research, they are not suitable for a person who wants information at warp speed. The podcasts range from thirty minutes to an hour in length and would not be able to hold the attention of visual learners since the only images are pictures of the scientists. Therefore, an improvement would be to shorten the podcasts and even categorize them by their respective fields of science on the website for easier access to the podcasts for various topics. In addition, they are recordings that individuals could listen to in their free time in order to become more engaged in science. All of the podcasts are informative and worth listening to, particularly for those who have thought about working in labs or publishing their own scientific work someday. Dr. McNeely also maintains a Twitter account, and she is approachable for listeners and other scientists to give their feedback on how they feel about the podcasts, which makes this form of communication even more engaging.
In contrast to the perspective of established researchers with Masters degrees and PhDs, ten students from the University of Michigan created a blog, www.mindthesciencegap.org, for their science communication course, using social media. The target audience is largely college students because they would be most interested in the themes of blog posts, which are health issues that young adults face and how to overcome them. One post is titled “Chronic Insomnia” by Neha Arora, and it is about how Americans suffer from sleep deprivation since they have trouble falling and staying asleep. This post also provides statistics about how many Americans are insomniacs and further links to seek possible “cures” for chronic insomnia, which may actually help a large number of college students. Each post has pictures that can catch a person’s eye since they are either silly cartoons or photographs that are relevant to the topics of the posts. The posts are also fairly short, ranging from half a page to a page, with previews shown for each one, which is ideal for adolescents when they are scrolling through the blog looking for an interesting piece to read. Some of the sources used for the blog posts are primary, but mostly secondary, and they are formatted as links that viewers could click on as they read certain words embedded in the post itself. Therefore, a note for improvement would be to use more primary sources rather than secondary sources in order to ensure that the information being dispersed is credible since they can cause hysteria among health-crazed teenagers. Unfortunately, the blog is no longer updated, which is a shame because it was an efficient way for students to rapidly access information when they want to learn more about their physical and mental health. In comparison to the podcasts previously discussed, this blog would be more attractive to younger people who want to better themselves whereas the podcasts convey more information and are motivators for other scientists.
Combining the best of aspects of both podcasts and blogs, videos allow for the most stimulating form of science communication. The videos on creaturecast.org are only two to five minutes in length, but they portray amazing images of sea creatures to the underwater research vessels used to study them. Some videos have music in the background whereas others have narration of the complexities of the creatures. One video is titled “Disappearing Cuttlefish,” and it shows how cuttlefish have the remarkable ability to camouflage by changing the color and texture of their skin, which causes them to completely “disappear” in the face of danger. Most of these videos were originally posted on the New York Times website, which is the source of the information as well. The videos express how extraordinary science can be even, and they appeal to individuals who read newspapers and enjoy searching up strange scientific discoveries online. They are not the most informative medium for science communication because these videos are meant to be short and exciting to watch, but they show the lighter side of science. However, individuals of any age would be astounded by the creatures shown in the videos.
Although these three mediums for scientific communication have the same purpose of conveying information to the public, they each take on different approaches and appeal to distinct audiences. Most videos and podcasts are used to spark interest in specific topics through visual and auditory cues whereas science blogs are more densely packed with information, and each has its own advantages. However, the danger of scientific communication is that people tend to believe what they read or see online without visiting more sources on their own. Therefore, it is important for all forms of scientific discourse to include a variety of credible sources. Ultimately, it is a great idea to keep up with scientific communication in order to see how far the world of science has come.
Links to media:
http://www.peoplebehindthescience.com/podcasts/
http://www.mindthesciencegap.org
http://creaturecast.org
