You’ve got your article, blog, or website ready to post.
But will anyone see it after you publish?

This course teaches you SEO specifically for science communication. Outrank misinformation and expand your reach with SEO skills every scicommer needs.

Who should register: Science writers, website owners, scientists, and science communicators who address misinformation

Course Overview: You’ve got your article, blog, or website ready to post. But will anyone see it after you publish? This course will teach you how to use search engine data to expand the reach of your online science communication.

You’ll learn basic search engine optimization skills (keyword research, on-page keyword use, and hyperlinking). With these skills, you will be able to find out what language the public uses when searching on science questions and how to use that language in your writing to signal to search engine algorithms to return your article when the public does these searches.

We will also cover how to link to other websites in your online writing to make sure good science is at the top of those search results, how and why to build links to your articles and websites, and why these skills are so important to science communication.

 Instructor: Effie Greathouse

 Dr. Greathouse is the director of Digital Resources for   Community and Science, whose mission is to promote   public understanding of, and public influence over, science   and society. Their core method towards that mission is to   make science-based websites, innovate science communication on social media, and work with scientists and science organizations to use best practices in these online communications.

Dr. Greathouse holds a B.S. in wildlife, fish, and conservation biology from the University of California, Davis and a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Georgia.

Learn to harness the power of pictures to engage and educate any audience!

In an age of increasingly complex science, pictures can be a key to communicating clearly. But few science communicators have had a chance to learn how to access the power of pictures to engage and educate their audiences.

This course is designed to empower anyone to do that — to create pictures that clearly convey science information, no matter how complex.

What you'll learn in this course

S.P.A.R.K. will change forever the way you think about pictures and use them to communicate about science. 

You’ll learn core concepts of visual communication. This is not a course on how to draw. The S.P.A.R.K. strategies work with many ways of presenting information — diagrams, charts, posters, sketches, cartoons, even data visualizations. What you'll learn can be applied to pictures created by hand or with software you already know.

Each of the 24 videos is 10 minutes or less. You’ll learn:

• A perfect way to jumpstart your visual thinking and transition from words to pictures
• How to speak with the 8 elements of visual language
• Ways to target your audience’s visual sweet spot
• Tips for visually communicating to people who aren’t familiar with your top

Media producers, writers, journalists, educators, publishers, communications professionals, researchers, academics, students—anyone interested in making a greater impact with their science messages.

Join the ranks of science communicators who have already used S.P.A.R.K. to improve their outreach and communication skills, including at Yale, Harvard, the Innovative Genomics Institute, the University of Miami, Louisiana Tech University, and the University of Oregon, along with labs and individuals worldwide.

Instructors

Betsy Palay	Tami Tolpa
Betsy has over 30 years of experience creating visual communications for science researchers, educators, major biotech companies, and entrepreneurs. She is the founder and former president of a design firm that specialized in investor communications, assisting clients in raising a total of over half a billion dollars in Initial Public Offerings (IPO’s). Betsy has an MS in medical and biological illustration from the University of Michigan, is a Board-Certified Medical Illustrator, and is a Fellow and a past president of the Association of Medical Illustrators. Over 100 of her original scientific illustrations have been accepted into the permanent archives of the Vesalius Trust Collection of the Lloyd Library and Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio. See her work at www.betsypalay.com.	Tami has over 20 years of experience in scientific illustration and animation for clients including: Scientific American Magazine, The Scientist Magazine, Science News, MIT's Technology Review, Harvard University, and the University of Washington, as well as numerous physicians and biotechnology companies. Tami has an MFA in medical illustration from the Rochester Institute of Technology. She’s a past board member and current Fellow of the Association of Medical Illustrators. Tami has spoken about science communication using visuals at the University of Washington, Rochester Institute of Technology, the Association of Medical Illustrators, The Northwest Science Writer's Association, Science Talk '18, and ComSciCon-PNW. She's currently the Scientific Illustrator at Gladstone Institutes. Her professional website is www.tolpa.com.

Have confidence interacting with media to get your science story straight!

This workshop from the Science Communication Network teaches the nuances of communicating technical topics to the media and other public audiences, focusing on delivery of key research findings while protecting scientific credibility.

Who should Register?

Scientists and science communicators interested in learning the basics of engaging with the media or getting a refresher on tips and tactics to be most prepared before media interviews.

About this workshop

This workshop will provide tactical guidance for media interviews and interactions, and offer best practices for communicating uncertainty that is inherent in good science. With this training, you will learn how to

1. Anticipate and prepare for tough questions, with the ability to better control an interview and resulting news articles.
2. Explain scientific findings to be understood by journalists, so they may be reported accurately and with context.
3. Gain confidence for speaking publicly about the science you want to share

Emily Copeland

Amy Kostant

Emily brings over 15 years’ experience in media relations, crisis and science communication, as well as social media strategy. Her expertise in science communication lies in helping scientists at all career stages build their capacity to communicate clearly and effectively with a variety of audiences. She graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Journalism for Public Relations. She also holds a Juris Doctorate from the Florida International University College of Law in Miami, Florida.

Amy founded SCN after 15 years working in public education and mass communications. She specializes in communicating environmental health science, media training that includes talking about uncertainty inherent in good science, and protecting scientific credibility in an age of disinformation. Prior to SCN, Amy was executive director of the Rhode Island Film Commission where she worked closely with government, labor organizations, film and television producers and the press. She also served as public information specialist at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and produced and recorded feature stories for WAMU radio, the Washington, DC NPR affiliate. Amy holds a BA from Hampshire College and a Master of Arts degree from Emerson College

Enhance your writing skills and adapt your science communication style for different outlets.

Course Overview

The “Art of Science Writing,” is an intermediate-level course designed to elevate your science communication skills and expand your writing repertoire across various platforms. Over the span of four weeks, you will delve into advanced interviewing techniques, learn to craft compelling narratives for different platforms, and master the art of brand journalism. Each week, you will engage in practical assignments and participate in thought-provoking discussions to enhance your understanding and application of science writing principles. Each module also features a short video lecture and assigned readings.

The course will conclude with a live session during the week of November 11. The exact date and time will be determined based on availability of course participants, and be recorded for anyone unable to attend.

• Leveraging Your Resources Learn how you can leverage resources such as source credibility and AI to effectively communicate with your audience.
• Writing for Different Platforms Explore the nuances of writing for different platforms such as video and social media. Practice adapting your style to meet platform-specific requirements and engage various demographics effectively.
• Brand Journalism Writing for organizations, balancing promotional and informative content, and how to build a successful career. 
• The Pitch In our final week, we’ll cover the art of pitching your expert, yourself, and/or your work to amplify it through earned media. 

Who should Register

This course is tailored for individuals with some experience in science writing who are eager to refine their techniques and explore new media.

Instructor: Deborah Bright

Deborah L. Bright has been a professional science communicator for just over a decade. With a unique background in both science and communication, she has dedicated her career to promoting scientific literacy. Her work has been featured in numerous media and has won multiple awards. Deborah holds a Master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and is currently pursuing her PhD in Strategic Communication with a focus on science communication. She is a current Board Member of the San Diego Science Writers Association and serves as an Advocate for the Ruben H. Fleet Science Center as part of their "Two Scientists Walk Into a Bar" program.