STEM Matters. But how do we best communicate it?
Our ASM Vice President (communications) Rebecca LeBard, School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW on the ASM communications ambassador workshop.
Your ASM communications ambassadors share information to members and the public through our ASM social media accounts, online community and through their personal profiles. This month we met online to learn more about science communication and some successful tips for creating visual stories.
You can meet each ambassador on our communications ambassador page where we share our profile photos, short biographies and links to our Linkedin and Twitter accounts. Many of the ambassadors also act as rotating curators on the ASM Twitter account, so you can often find us there too.
Our workshop used Zoom and, being interested in communications and social media, every ambassador had their camera on. It was the first time we all met, though we were familiar with each others’ profiles. It was great being able to see everyone chat as a group and find out the different social media interests of everyone: from streaming on Twitch to drone footage and short ‘lab tips’ videos.
AJ Epstein, a publisher from STEM Matters, provided some tips for taking video and photos suitable for science stories. AJ has experience working with science organisations to communicate and engage in using innovative storytelling.
We came away with a short equipment list and a long list of ideas for taking interesting images that will enhance a science story or scientist profile. This one of our ambassador Christopher got the thumbs up from our science communications expert.
Tips for sharing visual science stories
And some basic tips for ASM members wanting to snap some science with their iphones: clean the lens, ensure there is plenty of light, never zoom in, and use a tripod.
Kylie Ahern, CEO and founder of STEM Matters and founder and publisher of The Brilliant. She has a strong background in publishing, as the co-founder and former CEO of COSMOS magazine, a popular science magazine that received 54 awards and was subscribed to by 70% of Australian high school.
Kylie provided an overview of science communication in Australia; the media, influence on policy and how the STEM sector needs to change how we approach an audience. Her interesting case studies, including the Mayo Clinic, provided interesting insights into different engagement strategies.
Our ambassadors came away with ideas for developing their research profiles, elevator pitches, related explainers and more. I look forward to sharing their work in the future.