The Importance of Science Communication

Over the past few years, we collectively have seen how scientific data can be misrepresented and misconstrued by the media and by the general public. While scientists are often aware of the use of hand-picked data to further an individual's viewpoints and narratives, we [scientists] can't control how our data are used. We can, however, do our best to present our findings in clear ways in papers and in communications with media sources. As graduate students, we have the opportunity to present our work to the department on a few occasions, and we are also encouraged to speak during our graduate research discussion group as a way to receive feedback about our work, answer questions that our peers have about the methods we used, and we can practice conference talks in front of an audience of peers who may offer insights that we can use to rework our presentations. This week I am going to be talking to the graduate students about my recent work on how wastewater treatment plants shape coastal ecosystems, and present some early findings from the nematode data I collected this summer. This presentation is a way for me to practice (very early) for a major seminar I will give in the spring, where I will provide a more robust and descriptive narrative about my study system and how urban infrastructure shapes ecology.

I am also excited to announce that the microbe experiments were successful and weather-permitting I will be out to collect sediment next week to start the microplastics laboratory experiment that I planned. The experiment will not run for long, but the data collection and analysis phases will make up for the short runtime. Next week I am hoping to have a picture or two from the research trip and to show you all what the experimental chamber looks like now that we have prepared it for the experiment. Looking in on the changes today, I felt like I was on an HGTV show seeing my renovated house for the first time.

In the meantime, to return back to the theme of the importance of science communication, I urge everyone to consider how we share information with our peers. Were we pulling a quote out of context that changes the meaning of what the speaker intended? Did you apply your own interpretation to the information that you received and are therefore offering a more subjective version of the truth? Did the original information come from a reliable source? I think it is worthwhile to consider all of these items prior to passing on information that may shape the opinion of others. But what do I know? I'm just one source. (See you next week)