What is SciComm?
“SciComm”, or Science Communication, is the practice of sharing scientific research findings with non-expert audiences, bridging gaps between researchers and the broader public.
Why is it important?
It is often assumed that those of us in academia willingly confine ourselves to our “ivory towers”; this is not helped by the current lack of public access to journal publications and the tendency for some academics to limit their engagement outside their field. Because of this, many people believe they do not have “stakes” in our research, and trust in science has grown lackluster– an issue which, yes, impacts our funding, but impacts wider scientific literacy and curiosity as well.
SciComm addresses this issue on various levels. Firstly, the individual: SciComm encourages and enables people to make informed decisions about their mental, physical, and emotional well-being. SciComm also works on a local scale: museums, blogs, news sites, and social media can be channels for SciComm, promoting passion for science and understanding of scientific concepts within communities. On a global (societal) scale, SciComm informs and drives innovation in how we address modern challenges. In particular, it helps to facilitate cooperation between researchers and those around them (including educators, journalists, and policy-makers).
My experience with SciComm
Since language and communication are universal, EVERYONE deserves a chance to get involved in language science research. My undergraduate P.I., Laurel Brehm, recently initiated a partnership between the MOXI museum in downtown Santa Barbara and the PRPL Lab (UCSB Linguistics). Through this connection, undergraduate and graduate students can not only observe language production/processing in real-world environments, but ALSO let locals know what’s going on in our lab. I had the chance to teach visitors of all ages about psycholinguistics and even show them how to use our portable eye-tracker! Our booth provides a space for anyone to ask questions about our lab, our research, and sometimes the purpose of language science research in general. Inviting open conversations and critiques like this can be intimidating, but it is incredibly important in fostering goodwill towards science. 🔬
How to get involved?
See below for links and/or opportunities related to CSDComm (aka SciComm for Communication Sciences and Disorders research 💬), i.e.:
- Increasing awareness about the applications/importance of language science/CSD research
- Clearly informing participants about our research processes and goals… let’s make “scientific jargon” and complicated stats easy to understand for people of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life!
- Actively connecting with the communities we work within, whether that be through accessible seminars, Q+As, public feedback sessions, or simply dedicated debriefing periods in our studies
- Providing opportunities, support, and community for clinical research participants and their loved ones
- Expanding CSD research to address underserved communities
In the near future, I plan to create a public spreadsheet where people can post links, flyers, and more according to the type of language science/CSD research they involve. Stay tuned! :)
SciComm Links and Opportunities
- Planet Word’s Language Science Station is at the forefront of modern LingComm efforts– I had the chance to visit when I was in D.C., and I highly recommend stopping by if you’re in the area. See this article by Vaughn et al. (2024) for more info!