Workshop: Social Media & Science Communication Dr. Karen Slides posted here:

Conservation as usual is not enough Grand Challenges in Env. Sci., National Academies of Science, 2001 Today’s conservation problems are complex, synergistic issues They cross geopolitical boundaries –E.g., Emerging infectious diseases, biodiversity & ecosystem functioning, climate variability, land use They require multidisciplinary & interdisciplinary collaborations (often international) –Breadth & depth of knowledge –Strong quantitative skills –Communication skills –Innovation, creativity

Pop Quiz! What is your dream job? If you could do anything, what would it be? In that dream job, think about your daily activities. What are you doing? Who do you meet? How do you spend most of your time?

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Pop quiz: How does going to grad school help you get your Dream Job? – what specific things do you think will be most helpful in getting the job? Do you plan to go on for a PhD? Why?

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Lots of different kinds of jobs in biology: Traditional: Academia, museums, agencies – Although those jobs themselves have changed in recent years – Increased roles of outreach Alternative professional routes – Zoos, NGOs, advocacy/lobbying, think tanks – Business: sustainability, biotech

Some Resources: Finding a Job Ecojobs.com website Job Boards: Texas A&M; Society for Conservation Biology; your society Listservers: EvolDir, Ecolog-L Science magazine ads Twitter: EvolDir, Ecolog, institutions, people

Most STEM College students do not end up working in a STEM field STEM majors STEM jobs bi ology

Where Will a Biology PhD Take You? (USA Version)

What can you expect (UK version)? Royal Society 2010: UK Scientific PhDs

What skills will you need? 1) Marketable Skills & Experiences Traditional academic training, coursework – Technical: genetics, genomics – Quantitative skills: GIS, mark-recapture, occupancy, R, stats – Critical thinking, Problem solving skills 2) Communication 3) Leadership

Pop quiz: communication In one sentence, what is the main message of your research? Who needs to hear your message? How will you be sure they hear your message?

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Why is it important to be an effective communicator? It engages your audience Increases understanding of science Increases accessibility & inclusivity It fosters collaboration & innovation Increases interdisciplinarity Focus on the big picture To secure funding Write better To teach better To find a job of Ciencia Puerto Rico

Why Use Social Media? Boost your professional profile Act as a public voice for science Online outreach can help you get funding Establish contact with reporters, media outlets Increase impact of your papers Open science & Collaboration #icanhazpdf Personalized news feed Ask questions of experts Live tweeting meetings (From Paige Brown, Russ Mounce)

From Liz NeeleyThe communication – research feedback loop

Pop Quiz: communication 2 Who do you think will be your primary audience?

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Who are you likely to talk to? Many Types from many fields – Regular people, policy makers, celebrities & CEOs Get out of your comfort zone, find common ground Where: elevator pitch, church, cocktail parties, airplane rides, events, meetings, neighborhood; online

You’ll need to be versed in communicating in all these different arenas Traditional: Presentations, writing – diverse forms: academic & nonacademic Media communication Educational and community outreach – Ability to talk across boundaries; experience and exposure to other ideas Newer: Podcasts, videos, Social Media (Twitter, FB, blogs)

Pop quiz: communication How many of you have sought specific training in oral and written communication skills? How many of you are currently involved in community outreach, public education about science? How many of you have a professional Social Media account (e.g., Twitter, FB, blog, tumblr)

"Social Media has provided us with the opportunity to have our own National Geographic or Discovery Channels to reach the general public”

“It gives you exposure to a much bigger part of the world. Kids can interact with scientists and form a more accurate and broader picture of what science is and what scientists do.”

Social media is like the conversations in the hallways at meetings. It is the Campfire around which we can gather and converse. It is the Virtual Water Cooler where we trade stories

From Liz Neeley

Where’s your audience? Bik & Goldsein 2013

Nature 14 Aug 2014 Why?

Twitter increases #paper citations Liang et al DOI: /

Tweeting increases the reach of your science “Highly tweeted articles were 11 times more likely to be highly cited than less tweeted articles… Top-cited articles can be predicted from top-tweeted articles with 93% specificity an 73% sensitivity” Eysenback, 2011 J Med Internet Res; 13(4): e123

@Katie_PhD

suggestions Create & curate your Google Scholar page. Make sure you have a Web page somewhere. Create a Twitter account and follow people that work in your area When you publish, – Post data to figshare; – Write a guest blog post about paper – Add your Twitter handle to posts, talks, etc (From Titus Brown)

What are your goals? What do you want out of your social media experience? – Increased citations for your papers? – Increased visibility of your research? – Outlet for opinions? – Collaboration? – Open data and sharing? – Translation of science for broad audience? (From titus brown, paige brown)

Nature Feb 2015

Tweeting societies

Want to learn more?

Guide for talking with media & policymakers

resources It’s Time for Scientists to Tweet: time-for-scientists-to-tweet-14658http://theconversation.com/its- time-for-scientists-to-tweet Social Networking for Scientists: The Wiki How to Build an Enduring Online Research Presence Using Social Networking and Open Science, SlideShare, Titus Brown beaconcongresssocialmedia beaconcongresssocialmedia Darling et al. (2013).The role of Twitter in the life cycle of a scientific publication. Bik, H. M., & Goldstein, M. C. (2013). An Introduction to Social Media for Scientists. PLoS biology, 11(4), e From Paige Brown Social Media for Scientists

Pop Quiz: Leadership Have you sought training? Are you currently involved in leadership activities?

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What leadership skills will you need? Leaders are able to communicate a common vision & facilitate implementation Communication & networking are your leadership tools We all have the potential to contribute

Planning for your future

Summary: Lessons Learned Change happens incrementally, often in unexpected ways Be nimble, take advantage of momentum Be patient when it’s slow Get out of your comfort zone Collaborations are hard, but foster creative thinking Don’t be afraid to cross boundaries or to step up

thankyou Download this presentation from Karen’s FigShare page: n%20Lips/278233