Popular Science: Why Communicating Research Matters

1. Popular Science:Why Communicating Research Matters Oct.23, 2006 Chip Rose Asst. Director of Media Relations UMBC www.umbc.edu/NewsEvents

2. Why Communicate w/ the Public? • Hurricane Katrina = Most Public Interest in Earth Science in Decades • Global Warming Becoming Public Policy Issue • California emissions deal signed by Governator • “An Inconvenient Truth”

3. Why Communicate w/ the Public? • Death & Taxes • It’s their money, it’s their planet • Stem Cell Research, Extreme Weather, etc. • Policy becomes personal

4. Avenues & Opportunities Baltimore Sun Weather Blog http://blogs.marylandweather.com/

5. Avenues & Opportunities Baltimore Sun Weather Blog http://blogs.marylandweather.com/ Frank Roylance • Covers all things in the sky

6. Baltimore Sun Health & Science • healthsci@baltsun.com • Send honors, awards, promotions (and a photo) for “Names in the News”

7. Blogs • One of our research groups landed a CNN slot just by publishing their research on their blog. • Blogs get Googled, Reporters & Editors Google stuff they don’t know. • Blogs written by scientists: • http://www.realclimate.org/ • (climate change science) • http://cosmicvariance.com/ • (physics & astrophysics)

8. “Old Media” Blogging or Online More • http://blog.sciam.com/ Scientific American http://www.newscientistspace.com/home.ns New Scientist Space Etc.

9. Tips to Get Your Story Noticed • Do your homework • Read where you’d like to be read. • Learn reporters’ beats, what they’ve covered recently, their voice and target audience. • Connect to regional or national trends

10. Think Visually • Why should “YouTube” be all Diet Coke & Mentos? • NASA News Knows Images are Key • A good photo can help your chances immensely • Local TV loves a good photo-op, be creative • We can help with on-camera training for TV interviews

11. Become a News Junkie • Hot Issues • Big Bang, Darwin, Religion & Science • Anticipate tomorrow’s headlines, or even better, next week’s • Respect Reporters’ Deadlines • Exposure is great, but be prepared to be “on call”

12. Writing Popular Summaries • Average Newspaper Audience Reads at Middle School Level • Avoid Jargon • Explain Technical Terms if You Must Use • Analogies, size, shape, etc. • Sensory Detail – Paint a Picture

13. Writing Popular Summaries • NY Times Science Page is Great • Read the Leads • “Fourteen years ago, when a Berkeley astronomer named George F. Smoot declared that he and his satellite, the Cosmic Background Explorer, or COBE, had detected the astrophysical equivalent of the fingerprints of God, his euphoria was easy to understand.”

14. Stigma? • Even Nobel Prize Winners Get Asked Tough Questions: • On NPR’s “Science Friday,” Astrophysics Nobel Winner George Smoot got asked: “What did the Big Bang look like?” • http://www.umbc.edu/NewsEvents/PhotoGal/scifriday.mp3

15. Best Way to Convey Results • Power Point is Fine • “Inconvenient Truth” Started as PPT • Main thing is Making Analogies Everyday Folks can Understand • While Letting Your Passion Shine Through