Home Research Members Science Communication Press Contact
“Communicating your research in a world of misinformation”
A Workshop on Science Communication
Want to learn how to communicate your science better?
Frustrated by the growing public distrust in science?
Developed by Dr. Shahir Rizk and Maggie Fink (University of Notre Dame), this interactive workshop engages participants in activities designed to help the participants identify their strengths and expertise with a focus on how to address the rising public distrust in science. The workshop uses games and group activities to train PhD students, postdocs, and early career scientists on how to engage the public in meaningful conversations about research. We provide techniques on how to effectively communicate ideas in-person, or through writing (blogs, op-eds, etc), and how to use art and storytelling to create interest and engage a wider audience.
Since 2021, Shahir and Maggie have conducted the workshop at several institutions/conferences to hundreds of audience members both in-person and virtually.
Interested in having the workshop at your institution? Inquire by contacting Shahir Rizk at srizk@iu.edu
Here’s some of the feedback from workshop participants:
- I gained such great tips on creating a hook, writing and describing my research to a general audience. Really loved all of the games we played!
- Reinforced the power of storytelling for engaging with people about science.
- I liked the flow of the workshop and the balance between practical and more philosophical concepts. I loved that the structure was loose and allowed for ideas from the audience to shape the experience.
- The games were helpful and fun
- [The workshop] Helped me think anew about how I communicate to non science people and feel empowered about prioritizing my artistic endeavors as much as my scientific work.
- I enjoyed hearing the personal connections of the speakers to ways that their own experiences have made them better science communicators.
Science communication in the classroom
The Rizk lab works to promote science knowledge in many ways. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of communities to the fast spread of misinformation. Science skepticism and suspicion of the scientific community are at an all-time high.
Working with students and the community, Dr. Rizk and members of the lab aim to dispel false notions about science and scientists by promoting science communication through several means.
Training students to be good science communicators:
A science communication curriculum had been built into senior level biochemistry courses taught by Dr. Rizk to train students on how to become better advocates for science as they transition from college to career.
The redesigned courses include the following three aspects:
- Reading articles on current trends in science policy followed by guided discussions
- Guest lectures from scientists as well as non-scientist who bring their field of study into a scientific perspective (social/political impact of science and perception of science by the community).
- Generating guidelines for approaching those who are skeptical about scientific research (anti-vaxxers, flat-earthers, etc.)
More on science communication in the classroom at CUR Chemistry blog.
Engaging the community in public talks about protein science:
Telling stories is one of the most effective ways of communication. Weaving science into personal stories demonstrates how scientific concepts are part or our everyday lives.
As part of the IUSB Pop-Up University, Dr. Rizk presented a talk titled: “How to survive being frozen solid and other illustrated science stories“. During the talk, Dr. Rizk told stories about cooking with his grandmother as a child in Northern Egypt, tying personal stories and folklore to protein structure. The presentation also contained several original illustrations of plants, animals and protein structures by Dr. Rizk and former lab member Maggie Fink.
Communicating Science Workshop: short video on climate change:
While attending the Cottrell Scholars Collaborative Workshop on Communicating Ideas in Science in 2019, the attendants were tasked with coming up with a short video to illustrate one scientific concept. Here’s Dr. Rizk’s short video on why a one degree rise in global temperatures really matters:
Ultreia STEAM initiative at the crossroads of STEM and the Arts
Dr. Rizk served as co-founder and president of Ultriea, Inc, a local non-profit organization that supports arts and art education in Northern Indiana. During his time as president (2012-2019), Dr. Rizk established the Ultreia STEAM program, which hosted talks by individuals and groups who’s work breaks the boundaries between science and art. The series was funded in part by the IUSB College of liberal arts and sciences.
List of speakers included:
Magued Guerguis, professor of architecture, UTK, SoftBoundaries
Tom and Becca Nania, Nania house of Luthiery
Folding moonlight blog: The art of protein structure
Folding moonlight is an online blog for science communication through art: See website, Instagram and Twitter. This is a collaboration with former student, Maggie Fink, currently a PhD student at Notre Dame. The blog weaves personal stories and folklore into how living organisms use proteins to survive. The art work is designed to generate public interest in protein structure and function in all living things and to foster an appreciation for the natural beauty of molecular biology.
