Graduate Students

Ever wish the public better understood what you do?

Science and research are far too important to share just with researchers or to confine only to journal articles. Building public support for research leads to good policy. It also advances your career and supports your work.

Engage public audiences this summer in JRN 892 (Section 730), Science Communication. This online, three-credit course runs from May 17 to July 1. There are no prerequisites.

Reach the people who may not care about your work now - but will when you learn to tell your story. Focus your message. Spread your enthusiasm. Reach public audiences. Even gain a few simple tools for producing video stories.
Produce a research story template to use in teaching, grant proposals, news stories, blogs or other public communications.

Reasons to learn these concepts:

• You have far greater impact when you turn that journal article into something read by people otherwise unfamiliar with your important work.
• Your grant proposals become focused, compelling, successful. Score points for broader impacts and with reviewers bogged down by the tedious applications of others.

• The more people know about your work, the more they’ll benefit from it and support it.

The course is taught by David Poulson, the senior associate director of MSU’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism and a longtime former science and environmental journalist.