Cirino Lauren A, Emberts Zachary, Joseph Paul N, Allen Pablo E, Lopatto David, Miller Christine W
Entomology & Nematology Department University of Florida Gainesville FL USA.
Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville FL USA.
Ecol Evol. 2017 Oct 24;7(23):10124-10130. doi: 10.1002/ece3.3501. eCollection 2017 Dec.
Effective and accurate communication of scientific findings is essential. Unfortunately, scientists are not always well trained in how to best communicate their results with other scientists nor do all appreciate the importance of speaking with the public. Here, we provide an example of how the development of oral communication skills can be integrated with research experiences at the undergraduate level. We describe our experiences developing, running, and evaluating a course for undergraduates that complemented their existing undergraduate research experiences with instruction on the nature of science and intensive training on the development of science communication skills. Students delivered science talks, research monologues, and poster presentations about the ecological and evolutionary research in which they were involved. We evaluated the effectiveness of our approach using the CURE survey and a focus group. As expected, undergraduates reported strong benefits to communication skills and confidence. We provide guidance for college researchers, instructors, and administrators interested in motivating and equipping the next generation of scientists to be excellent science communicators.
有效且准确地传达科学发现至关重要。不幸的是，科学家们在如何与其他科学家最佳地交流研究结果方面并不总是接受过良好的培训，也并非所有人都认识到与公众交流的重要性。在此，我们提供一个示例，说明如何将口头交流技能的培养与本科阶段的研究经历相结合。我们描述了我们开发、开设和评估一门本科生课程的经历，该课程通过关于科学本质的教学以及科学交流技能发展的强化培训，对学生现有的本科研究经历起到补充作用。学生们就他们所参与的生态与进化研究进行科学演讲、研究独白以及海报展示。我们使用CURE调查和焦点小组评估了我们方法的有效性。不出所料，本科生报告称在交流技能和自信心方面有很大收获。我们为有兴趣激励和培养下一代科学家成为优秀科学传播者的大学研究人员、教师和管理人员提供指导。
