This article first appeared in Medium on March 23, 2021, and is reprinted her with permission of the author. It contains some minor edits from the original version.
Talking about science is incredibly important, yet sometimes risky business. Take the Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo (1564–1642), for example. In 1633, Galileo was put on trial for publishing an idea that, at the time, was considered highly controversial: The Earth revolves around the Sun. Galileo’s writing ticked off the Catholic Church, who clung to their belief that the Earth lay at the center of the universe. Galileo was charged with heresy, sentenced to a lifetime of house arrest, and had his publications banned from the public.
Science can be controversial, and sharing ideas means sometimes having to pick a side. But that’s precisely why we need to talk about it. In the face of fake news and rampant misinformation, it has never been more critical for scientists to step up and set the record straight. Time and time again, we’ve witnessed how effective science communication can change behaviors, raise awareness, influence opinions, and shape policies. The world needs science communicators, now more than ever.
Choose your own scicomm adventure.
My path to science communication (scicomm) started the conventional way. I’m a “classically-trained” scientist, hitting the usual academic milestones and training in the fields of cell biology and regenerative medicine. As part of this work, I wrote scientific papers, put up posters at student symposiums, and presented at scientific conferences.
However, the more casual instances of science communication thrilled me the most: Sharing my progress in the lab with non-scientists friends and getting them excited about why my research mattered. It was incredibly rewarding.
I’ve been fortunate to be able to forge a career out of that spark. Today, I’m a science writer — inspiring work that has me wearing many hats and spending my days at the bleeding edge of new scientific discoveries. It’s a job that continues to push boundaries and allows me to excite and influence others in ways that weren’t always possible in my experience as a frontline scientist.
If that sounds like a way you might like to spend your days, you’re not alone. I often get asked about how I ended up making a living from science communication. Here’s my advice on where to start, how to get better, and what to do to immerse yourself in the exciting scicomm ecosystem.
You’re already doing it, now get better at it.
The first piece of good news I have for you is that you don’t need a long list of degrees to start producing content. General audiences don’t care about the letters at the end of your name or how many hours you’ve spent with a pipette in your hand to qualify as an expert. Whether you’re a research technician making Tik Tok dance videos by the PCR machine or a scientist who discovered how to grow brains in a Petri dish — it’s your perspective that matters, not your qualifications.
If you’re in the STEM field, you’re already a communicator. Every handwritten lab notebook entry, every conference poster, every weekly lab meeting update — that’s scicomm. Now, just use the same research principles and critical thinking skills, but channel them towards a different output for a diverse crowd.
Practice makes perfect
Here’s an exercise I like to do to practice this skill.
Let’s use this journal article from Nature Biotechnology as an example, a paper published by the Santangelo Lab in Georgia Tech titled: “Treatment of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections via mRNA-encoded Cas13a in rodents.”
Most laypeople might feel hesitant to dive right into the paper’s contents, put off by how technical it sounds. Even an engineer familiar with general scientific principles might struggle to keep up with the in-depth molecular biology. The science communicator’s role is to make science inclusive, inviting all audiences to take a step closer and find meaning beyond the complex jargon.
Extracting the crunchy bits from technical writing is easier said than done, a skill that needs to be perfected over time. Let’s practice by asking the following questions about the Nature paper:
How would you explain this data to a 7-year-old?
Perhaps something like this might work: “Scientists are making tiny weapons to destroy germs and keep our bodies healthy.”
How would you explain it to a group of friends at a dinner party?
Maybe: “Scientists have created a genetic tool for responding to the next pandemic more effectively. With this new technology, they can use the genetic information from emerging viruses like COVID to rapidly create life-saving therapies.”
How would you explain it in 10 words or less?
Here’s what I came up with as a title for my Medium article on the topic: “A ‘Plug-and-Play’ CRISPR Therapy for Flu and COVID.”
Idea origami
Once you’ve practiced this concept dissection a few times, you’ll find yourself thinking about your research and interests in a fresh new way. You’ll speak with more clarity, infusing meaning and significance into your communication without getting bogged down with the nitty-gritty details.
You will create a comfortable, accessible space for people to engage with your work and initiate some thought-provoking discussions.
Science communication is like origami — the idea is a piece of paper, but you can express the message in a multitude of ways, simply by folding it into different shapes. Work out that muscle and challenge yourself by trying to communicate content that’s way outside your comfort zone. Recently, I’ve been writing about how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing medicine and healthcare, topics far removed from my area of expertise as a cell biologist.
Creating your scicomm brand
The science communication landscape is vast, encompassing science journalism, activism, education, entertainment, and beyond. It’s easy to feel lost, and here’s where creating a niche for yourself helps. Identify what makes you unique and why your voice matters.
You could be Raven the Science Maven, working to showcase diversity in STEM and dismantle the stereotypes that continue to plague STEM. Or Greg and Mitch, the queer educators from AsapSCIENCE, whose videos will leave you in stitches (but also with a juicy science nugget to share at dinner parties). There is no mold of what a science communicator should look or be like. Be unapologetically you — your audience will love you for it.
Start experimenting with different platforms to flaunt your work. Social media can be a great place to start. Join the eco-influencers on Tik Tok or microbiologists using Instagram to raise awareness about their research. Start a podcast.
If like me, writing is your jam, there are several fantastic online publications and digital magazines as outlets for science writers. Massive Science, for example, has a vibrant member base of scicomm enthusiasts and a stellar editorial team that can help with everything from pitching to refining your final piece. Science news websites and industry magazines are also usually on the hunt for content providers from STEM fields. Medium is also a great place to start building your portfolio and using ‘claps’ to gauge which topics resonate best with the public. If you are in the regenerative medicine field, Signals is always looking for smart, good writers.
The best way to build your brand is to connect with others. Whether it be by retweeting a funny science meme, or joining a scicomm collective, networking with other communicators can help guide you on your path. In my experience, the science communication community is an incredibly giving and supportive one, a rich source of bright ideas and sound advice, particularly if you’re interested in turning scicomm from a hobby to a 9 to 5.
Personally, talking about science has challenged me and rewarded me in ways that I would never have dreamed possible in my early days as a bench scientist. My advice for aspiring scicommers? Go for it. Start practicing, carving out your niche, and share your passion with others. You’ll soon be on your way to a fulfilling and exhilarating science communication journey of your own.
Tara Fernandez
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