APECS Norway, in collaboration with the Arctic Marine Ecosystem Research Network (ARCTOS) and with support from the Challenger Society for Marine Science, hosted a 3-part workshop on science communication associated with the Arctic Frontiers 2023 conference in Tromsø, Norway.
Image: Rosalie McKay
The first workshop, "Communicating Scientific Research to Policy Makers" provided expert advice about how to highlight the key messages of scientific research which will be relevant to policy makers. An activity was coordinated where participants were assigned the roles of either a scientist or a policy maker, and paired together with the task of giving a short (1-3 minutes) explanation about what the scientist's research is about and why the policy maker should care. Afterwards, the policy makers had the chance to give brief and focused feedback about how the scientists could improve their argument and the round repeated but with a shorter time limit. After three rounds, scientists had only 30 seconds to get their message across effectively to policy makers! This was a daunting task but a very valuable experience for all participants with great tips from our experts.
The second workshop, "Communicating Scientific Research Through Social Media" brought together expertise from a non-profit organization and from within research to discuss how to effectively use social media, especially while communicating "depressing science". The third workshop, “Communicating Scientific Research Through the Media such as Documentaries and Journalism” showcased the experience of creating a documentary through the lens of both a producer/director and an early career researcher. Advice was shared on how to discuss your work with the media and how to prepare for being on film. The workshops attracted a wonderful turnout with 120 registrants, with up to 30 participants online and 40 in person at any given time during the evening. We thank all of our presenters for sharing their expertise and participants for the lively discussions.
