>> WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON. FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW WHO I AM, MY NAME IS ROBERT LIMBO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION HERE AT THE MEDICAL CENTER. I WANTED TO WELCOME YOU TO OUR FIRST PRESENTATION IN OUR CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION GRAND ROUNDS SERIES FOR 2014. THIS YEAR, CLINICAL CENTER GRAND ROUNDS DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST WILL BE ADDRESSING ISSUES OF RELEVANCE TO THE GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION COMPETENCY DOMAINS OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND OF ASSISTANCE-BASED PRACTICE. BUT BEFORE WE BEGIN, I'D LIKE TO REMIND ALL OF YOU WHO ARE RESIDENTS AND CLINICAL FELLOWS IN THE AUDIENCE TO SIGN IN ON THE ATTENDANCE SHEETS AT THE BACK OF THE AUDITORIUM. THEY'RE AVAILABLE AT EACH ENTRANCE FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT RESIDENTS OR CLINICAL FELLOWS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIGN IN. IF YOU WANT TO GIVE US YOUR AUTOGRAPH, THAT'S OKAY, HOWEVER. A MAJOR GOAL OF GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION NATIONALLY IS TO ENSURE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PHYSICIANS AND TRAINING PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. THE FOCUS IS ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON GATHERING AND GIVING INFORMATION ABOUT DISEASE DIAGNOSIS, DISEASE MANAGEMENT AND DISEASE PROGNOSIS. HOWEVER, AN IMPORTANT COMMUNICATION SKILL THAT IS OFTEN NEGLECTED IS THAT OF TRANSMITTING THE RESULTS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDIES OR INFORMATION ABOUT PARTICIPATION IN CLINICAL RESEARCH SUCH AS CLINICAL TRIALS FOR THE PUBLIC AT LARGE. WHY IS THIS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE TO ADDRESS IN THE CONTEXT OF GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION AT THE NIH? WELL, IN 2013, AN OPINION POLL COMMISSIONED BY RESEARCH AMERICA FOUND THAT 72% OF AMERICANS REPORTED THEIR WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLINICAL TRIAL IF RECOMMENDED, BUT ONLY 22% REPORTED THAT A HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL EVER TALKED TO THEM ABOUT MEDICAL RESEARCH. IN ADDITION, 41% OF RESPONDENTS AGREED THAT PHYSICIANS OR OTHER HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT CLINICAL TRIALS. TODAY, MS. JEANNE BRAHA, WHO SERVES AS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT MANAGER FOR THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, OR THE AAAS, AS WE REFER TO IT, WILL ADDRESS THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PUBLIC. MS. BRAHA EARNED HER B.A. DEGREE IN ANTHROPOLOGY FROM BRINMAR COLLEGE AND A MASTER'S DEGREE IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT FROM YALE UNIVERSITY. IN HER ROLE AS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT MANAGER FOR THE AAAS, SHE WORKS TO BUILD CAPACITY FOR SCIENTISTS AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS, TO ENGAGE IN MEANINGFUL MULTIDIRECTIONAL DIALOGUE WITH THE PUBLIC, TO TRANSLATE THE SCIENCE OF COMMUNICATION ABOUT SCIENCE INTO PRACTICE, TO TRAIN SCIENTISTS TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY WITH NON-SCIENTISTS, AND TO RAISE AWARENESS AND SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. ACCORDINGLY, HER PRESENTATION TODAY IS ENTITLED "SCIENCE COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT." PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING HER TO THE PODIUM. [APPLAUSE] >> GOOD AFTERNOON AND THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME HERE TO NIH. AS THE ODD DUCK IN A FAMILY OF PHYSICIANS AND RESEARCHERS, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT IT'S ESPECIALLY FUN FOR ME TO GET TO GIVE WHAT'S A FAIRLY REGULAR TALK IN THE CONTEXT OF GRAND ROUNDS. I AM GOING TO KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET TODAY, BUT PLEASE WE'LL HAVE TIME FOR QUESTIONS AT THE END AND I HOPE TO HEAR A COUPLE OF GREAT IDEAS AT THAT TIME. SO I HAVE NO DISCLOSURES TO MAKE TO YOU TODAY. WE WILL BE -- BY THE END OF TODAY, YOU WILL ALL HOPEFULLY BE ABLE TO DESCRIBE AND PRACTICE FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS OF SCIENCE COMMUNICATION, IDENTIFY COMMUNICATION GOALS, APPRAISE YOUR AUDIENCE AND DEVELOP MESSAGES ABOUT YOUR RESEARCH. FOR THOSE OF WHO YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE AAAS, THOUGH I IMAGINE MANY OF YOU ARE, WE PUBLISH A LITTLE JOURNAL CALLED "SCIENCE" BUT ALSO DO A NUMBER OF OTHER ACTIVITIES, PARTICULAR INTEREST TO YOU MAY BE A JOURNAL SCIENCE OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE, WHICH IS AVAILABLE ONLINE. SO AS I MENTIONED, OUR OBJECTIVE FOR THE DAY, TO GET THERE, WE ARE GOING TO THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN IDENTIFY YOUR GOALS FOR COMMUNICATION, WHICH IS A STEP THAT I FIND MANY SCIENTISTS OFTEN SKIP OVER. WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU SOME PRACTICAL SKILLS FOR DEFINING YOUR AUDIENCE, WHO IT IS YOU'RE SPEAKING WITH, AND WE'LL TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO INDIVIDUALLY DEVELOP YOUR MESSAGES, AND THEN THINK ABOUT THE PLACES WHERE YOU CAN DEPLOY THESE NEW SKILLS, WHERE YOU CAN COMMUNICATE. SO I'LL GIVE YOU A MOMENT TO READ THIS COMMENT. I IMAGINE THIS RESONATES WITH MANY OF YOU, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO HAVE FINISHED YOUR PH.D. OR SOME OTHER DEGREE. IT IS VERY HARD TO TALK TO A NON-SCIENTIST ABOUT YOUR WORK. ACE MENTIONED, I COME FROM A FAMILY OF RESEARCHERS. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY THANKSGIVING DINNER DISCUSSIONS HAVE BEEN ME PULLING MY HAIR OUT TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS THAT MY COUSIN DOES WITH HIS TIME. HOPEFULLY I'M ABLE TO GIVE HIM A COUPLE OF TOOLS TO MOVE THAT AL. ALONG. THIS CAN EVEN BE THE CASE WHEN YOU'RE SPEAKING WITH A SCIENTIST WHO MAY BE IN A FIELD RELATED TO YOURS BUT NOT YOUR OWN. SO FUNDAMENTALLY, I LIKE TO THINK OF THIS AS A CHALLENGE OF THE INTERSECTION OF TWO DIFFERENT CULTURES OF COMMUNICATION, IF YOU WILL. AS RESEARCHERS OR SCIENTISTS, YOU MAY -- YOU'LL FIND YOURSELF ON THIS SIDE OF THE CULTURE OF COMMUNICATION. WHEN YOU OPEN YOUR COPY OF SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE, YOU MAY BE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE ARTICLE. YOU START WITH A QUESTION, WHAT ARE WE INVESTIGATING, WHAT IS THE HIS TRIF INVESTIGATIONS OF THAT QUESTION. THEN MOVING ON TO SUPPORTING DETAILS, HOW DO WE PLAN TO INVESTIGATE THIS QUESTION. WHAT ARE THE MESS THODZ THAT WE METHODS DI D WE USE, CHALLENGES THAT WE ENCOUNTER, THEN AT THE VERY END, A VERY MAUL PIECSMALL PIECE OF YOUR VERY IMPORTANT BUT FANTASTIC ARTICLE ARE THE RESULTS, WHAT DID YOU FIND, WHAT CAN YOU CONCLUDE OR SOME DISCUSSION OF THE IMPORTANCE OR RELEVANCE OF THOSE FINDINGS. SO I'M GOING TO CHALLENGE YOU TODAY TO TURN THAT FRAMEWORK ON ITS HEAD. WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT SPEAKING WITH THE PUBLIC, IN THIS SENSE I MEAN THE PUBLIC I MEAN ANYONE WHO MAY NOT BE A SCIENTIST OR IS A SCIENTIST IN YOUR FIELD OR EVEN A SCIENTIST WHO HAS TAKEN THEIR LAB HAT OFF FOR THE MOMENT, IF YOU WILL, YOU WANT TO DO ALMOST THE OPPOSITE. YOU WANT TO START WITH THE BOTTOM LINE. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU'RE TALK ABOUT, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU'VE FOUND? MOVE QUICKLY INTO THE "SO WHAT?" WHY DOES WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MATTER? WHAT IS THE RELEVANCE OF THAT TO ME OR PERHAPS THE BROADER CONTEXT OF WHERE I MIGHT BE LIVING. AND THEN ONCE YOU'VE ENGAGED THAT INDIVIDUAL, OR THAT GROUP, YOU CAN MOVE ON TO SUPPORTING DETAILS AND REALLY DIG IN TO THE -- FOR YOU IT'S PROBABLY THE FUN AND EXCITING PART OF THAT TOCH IK. TOPIC. SO IF IT'S SO HARD, WHY DO SCIENTISTS BOTHER? WHY SHOULD YOU CONSIDER PUSHING YOURSELF TO REALLY START TALKING ABOUT YOUR WORK OUTSIDE OF SCIENCE? I HEAR A LOT OF SCIENTISTS TALK ABOUT THIS AT A VERY MECHANISTIC LEVEL. WE NEED TO RAISE SUPPORT FOR FUNDING FOR OUR SCIENCE. WE NEED TO LET PEOPLE KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING. WE'RE STARTING TO THINK ABOUT THESE GOALS IN A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A PHILOSOPHICAL SENSE, IF YOU WILL. MANY SCIENTISTS WORK FORDS A NUMBER OF GOALS. FIRST THE IDEA OF BUILDING TRUST WITH NON-SCIENTISTS. SO REALLY BREAKING DOWN THOSE BARRIERS WITH NON-SCIENTISTS AND UNDERSTANDING WHERE THEY'RE COMING FROM AND GIVING THEM A SENSE OF WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM. THIS ALSO HELPS YOU BE BETTER AWARE OF PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF YOUR SCIENCE, THE MORE TRUST YOU HAVE, THE MORE WILLING THE PUBLIC MAY BE TO ENGAGE WITH YOU. A LOT OF SCIENTISTS COME AT THIS, YOU MAY HEAR ABOUT THIS AS A PIPELINE ISSUE, SO REALLY THE IDEA OF GETTING OTHERS EXCITED ABOUT SCIENCE OR INTRIGUE THEM IN MOVING INTO YOUR FIELD OF SCIENCE, THIS IS PARTICULARLY RELEVANT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING TO YOUNGER GROUPS. ALSO THINKING ABOUT FINDING WAYS TO MAKE RESEARCH OF INTEREST AND RELEVANCE TO PEOPLE'S EVERYDAY LIFE. IF YOU'RE TRYING TO GARNER SUPPORT FOR YOUR RESEARCH OR YOUR RESEARCH AGENDA, IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT RESEARCH SEEMS USEFUL TO THE GROUP THAT YOU'RE SPEAKING WITH. FINALLY, THERE ARE A LOT OF USES FOR YOU. SPEAKING WITH THE PUBLIC CAN BRING PERSONAL MEANING TO YOUR WORK. IF YOU'RE THAT PERSON IN A COMIC STRIP SPENDING YEARS ON A PROBLEM AND TRYING TO EXPLAIN IT TO JEANNE AT THANKSGIVING DINNER, IT'S VERY AFFIRMING TO HEAR THAT IT'S EXCITING TO THEM, BUT IT CAN ALSO TRANSLATE WELL TO OTHER AREAS OF YOUR CAREER, PARTICULARLY FUND-RAISING AREAS OF YOUR CAREER. SO I WOULD INVITE YOU ALL TO TAKE A MOMENT AS I'M TALKING TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO WHEN YOU COMMUNICATE WITH NON-SCIENTISTS, WHY IS IT YOU WANT TO GET OH OUT THERE, YOU'RE BUSY PEOPLE, WHY BOTHER TAKING THE TIME? SO IF WE THINK ABOUT COMMUNICATION, I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT THE COMMUNICATION NOT DRK -- I WANT TO YOU DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO. RATHER THAN THINKING OF YOURSELF AS A COMMUNICATOR IN FRONT OF A LARGE AUDIENCE SIMPLY TELLING THAT AUDIENCE WHAT TO SEE, THINK OF IT AS AN ITERATIVE PROCESS WHERE YOU'RE CONSTANTLY GETTING FEEDBACK AND MORE INFORMATION FROM THE AUDIENCE THAT YOU'RE SPEAKING WITH. YOU'RE SENDING THEM A MESSAGE BUT THEY'RE ALSO SENDING YOU MESSAGES. I SEE ALL OF YOU START WORKING ON YOUR PHONES OR LEAVING HERE BEFORE 1:00, I'LL KNOW THAT PERHAPS MY COMMUNICATION STYLE HAS NOT BEEN TERRIBLY EFFECTIVE WITH YOU. TO USE A VERY COARSE EXAMPLE. SO THIS IS THE IDEA THAT COMMUNICATION IS REALLY MULTIDIRECTIONAL. AND WE CAN TAKE THAT ONE STEP FURTHER TO SORT OF A MACRO LEVEL OF COMMUNICATION AND THINK ABOUT NOT JUST THAT INDIVIDUAL BACK AND FORTH, BUT ALSO THE BROAD SCIENCE AND SOCIETY OR RESEARCHERS AND INSTITUTIONS IN THE PUBLIC BACK AND FORTH. AND THIS IS IN THE SCIENCE OF COMMUNICATION, WE'RE REALLY THINKING ABOUT MORE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT RATHER THAN PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING. WE'VE COME TO UNDERSTAND THAT SIMPLY GIVING MORE FACTS TO AN AUDIENCE DOES NOT NECESSARILY CAUSE THEM TO CHANGE THEIR VIEWS OR OPINIONS OR ATTITUDES ABOUT AN ISSUE WHEN IT'S AN ISSUE THAT CAN BE VALUE-LADEN. SO RATHER THAN THINKING ABOUT COMMUNICATING TO THE PUBLIC, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO THINK ABOUT COMMUNICATING WITH THE PUBLIC. SO AT AAAS, WE HAVE A LONG DEFINITION AS OUR NAME WOULD SUGGEST FOR A PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH SCIENCE, SO JUST TO CLEAR THAT UP A LITTLE BIT MORE, WE THINK OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH SCIENCE AS A MULTIDIRECTIONAL DIALOGUE, SO AGAIN, NOT A LECTURE. YOU CAN USE THE LECTURE FORMAT TO DO PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. WE CAN TALK MORE ABOUT THAT LATER. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH SCIENCE IMPLIES THAT YOU'RE ENG RATING VARIED PERSPECTIVES SO YOU'RE NOT JUST SIMPLY SHARING YOUR VIEWS BUT YOU'RE OPEN TO OTHER VIEWS. AT ITS CORE, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH SCIENCE ENCOURAGES SCIENTISTS AND THE PUBLIC TO BE RESPECTFUL OF EACH OTHER. YOU NEED TO HAVE THAT BASELINE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS. WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, YOU ALSO WANT TO ADDRESS NOT JUST THE BENEFITS OF THE SCIENCE OR THE APPLICATION THAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT, BUT ALSO THE POTENTIAL LIMIT FOR THE PITFALLS SO THAT YOUR AUDIENCE CAN REALLY GRAPPLE WITH THAT AND THINK ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS. AND ALL OF THIS WORK CAN THEN HELP ENSURE THAT DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE AT AN INDIVIDUAL SOCIETAL LEVEL ARE INFORMED BY SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE. IN A WAY THAT HELPS US RESPOND TO SOCIETAL ISSUES OR CONCERNS. SO WHEN I GIVE THIS DEFINITION, I OFTEN GET A QUESTION THEN WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN. SO I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A COUPLE OF SMALL EXAMPLES. WELL, IN THIS CASE, IT'S KIND OF A BIG EXAMPLE. SO THIS SCIENTIST IN QUESTION IS GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER. YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF HIM. HE WAS A SOIL SCIENTIST AND HE DID A LOT OF OUTREACH WITH FARMERS IN THE RURAL SOUTH BACK IN THE MID 1800s. HE HEARD FROM HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH ALL THESE FARMERS, HE HEARD THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT NEEDING TO REAP ECONOMIC BENEFITS FROM THEIR FARMING PRACTICES. AS A SOIL SCIENTIST, HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT A LOT OF THE PRACTICES THEY WERE USING, PARTICULARLY THE CROPS THAT THEY WOULD GROW SEASON AFTER SEASON WHICH DEPLETED THE SOIL. SO HE DECIDED TO BUILD A RESEARCH AGENDA INTO THE ECONOMIC USE OF SOME OF THE CROP THAT HE KNEW AS A SOIL SCIENTIST COULD BE MORE REPLENISHING TO THE SOIL. IF YOU EVER HAVE A CHANCE, IN A COUPLE OF MINUTES, HIS BULLETIN ABOUT THE MANY USES OF SWEET POTATOES IS REALLY FANTASTIC. I HAD NO IDEA YOU COULD MAKE MINTS OUT OF SWEET POTATOES, BUT YOU CAN. SO YOU CAN THINK ABOUT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT THE SOCIETAL USES OF YOUR RESEARCH MAY BE AND IT MAY EVEN INFORM FUTURE RESEARCH QUESTIONS. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, ENGAGING WITH THE PUBLIC CAN ALSO HELP YOU THINK ABOUT THE WAY THAT YOU MANAGE YOUR WORK. NOT NECESSARILY THE SPECIFIC MESSAGE THAT YOU USE, THAT REALLY BUILDS ON YOUR SCIENTIFIC EXPERTISE, BUT THE WAY IN WHICH YOU CHOOSE TO MAKE TRANSPARENT THE DATA OR THE FINDINGS THAT YOU HAVE. SO WANTED TO TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT THE PERSONAL GENOME PROJECT, WHICH WAS A PROJECT ORIGINALLY OUT OF HARVARD, WHICH IS A PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH PROJECT IN WHICH VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTE THEIR GENOMIC INFORMATION, ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION AND HUMAN TRAIT DATA IS ALSO COLLECTED. AND AT THE OUTSET OF THIS PROJECT, THE INVESTIGATOR WAS PLANNING TO KEEP A LOT OF THIS INFORMATION VERY CONFIDENTIAL OUT OF CONCERN FOR THE VOLUNTEERS' PRIVACY. BUT AFTER THE FIRST, I THINK, 12 OR SO PARTICIPANTS HAD VOLUNTEERED AND GIVEN THEIR DATA TO BE -- I BELIEVE THEIR GENOMES WERE SEQUENCED, HE HAD A PUBLIC GATHERING WHERE VOLUNTEERS CAME TOGETHER IN BOSTON, MIGHT HAVE BEEN CAMBRIDGE, AND A LOT OF MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WEREN'T PARTICIPATING IN A PROJECT CAME AS WELL. THIS WAS A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE PROJECT, WHAT THEY WERE TRYING TO DO WITH THIS, THE SORT OF UNDERSTANDINGS THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO GAIN. THROUGH THIS CONVERSATION, A LOT OF THE VOLUNTEERS SAID WAIT A SECOND, WE DON'T WANT OUR DATA TO BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL, WE'RE CONCERNED YOU MAY EVENT WILL TRY TO CAPITALIZE ON THIS AND USE IT FOR FINANCIAL GAIN, SO NOW IF YOU LOOK AT THE PERSONAL GENOME PROJECT, THEY HAVE VERY OPEN DATA PROCESSES. FINALLY, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT CAN REALLY JUST SHIFT THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT YOURSELF AS A SCIENTIST. THESE THREE INDIVIDUALS ARE THREE OUT OF THE FOUR WINNERS OF OUR AAAS EARLY CAREER AWARD FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH SCIENCE. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK THAT UP IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE IN YOUR EARLY CAREER, AND THEY REALLY HAVE BUILT THESE INTERACTIONS WITH THE PUBLIC, THE SHARING OF THEIR RESEARCH, BOTH THE ACTUAL DOING OF THE RESEARCH BUT ALSO THE FINDINGS THAT THEY HAVE INTO THE WAY THAT THEY GO ABOUT THEIR DAILY BUSINESS, SO MARY HELEN -- THE WOMAN ON YOUR LEFT, IS SOMEWHAT -- SHE'S A NEUROLOGIST AND EDUCATIONAL RESEARCHER AT -- I ALWAYS SAY THE WRONG ONE -- UCLA, AND SHE, WHENEVER SHE IS INVITED TO GIVE A TALK SOMEWHERE ELSE OFF CAMPUS, SHE ALWAYS ASKS THE HOST INSTITUTIONS ALSO SCHEDULE HER A TALK WITH A LOCAL POPULATION THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN HER RESEARCH. SO IN HER CASE, SHE DOES BRAIN SCIENCE FOR LEARNING SO SHE OFTEN WILL SPEAK WITH A LOCAL SCHOOL AUDIENCE OR A GROUP OF PARENTS OR TEACHERS. SO NOW WE SORT OF BUILT THE CASE FOR HOPEFULLY AT THIS POINT YOU'RE ALL EXCITED ABOUT DOING PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND YOU WANT TO KNOW, HOW DO I DO THAT? SO WE WILL GET THERE. WE THOUGHT A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR GOALS, STARTING OUT, WHY AM I TAKING THE TIME TO DO THIS, WHAT IS IT THAT I'M HOPING TO ACHIEVE THROUGH MY COMMUNICATION, AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE AND YOUR MES MESSAGES. SO YOU WANT TO SELECT YOUR AUDIENCE BASED ON YOUR GOAL. IF YOUR GOAL IS TO BUILD SUPPORT FOR RESEARCH IN YOUR FIELD IN THE U.S., TALKING TO EUROPEAN AUDIENCES PROBABLY DOESN'T MAKE THE MOST SENSE, IT'S NOT THE MOST EFFICIENT USE OF YOUR TIME. BUT THEN REALLY DEFINING YOUR AUDIENCE, HAVING A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHO THEY ARE WILL REALLY HELP YOU SHAPE THE WAY THAT YOU ENGAGE THAT AUDIENCE. IT WILL ALSO HELP YOU STAY ON TOPIC AND REALLY STAY FOCUSED ON THEIR NEEDS. SO VERY BROADLY, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE AMERICAN AUDIENCE, YOU WERE GIVEN A LITTLE AS WELL IN THE BEGINNING. MANY SCIENTISTS ARE OFTEN SURPRISED TO HEAR THIS INFORMATION, AND THE NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD DOES PUBLISH A CHAPTER OF THEIR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING INDICATORS EVERY TWO YEARS THAT FOCUSES ON PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING AND ATTITUDES ABOUT SCIENCE. SO ALMOST WILL, 91% OF AMERICANS, ARE VERY OR MODERATELY INTERESTED IN NEW SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY, SO THEY WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY. NEARLY AS MANY EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR GOVERNMENT FUNDING OF BASIC RESEARCH, AND THE NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD DOESN'T ASK ABOUT APPLIED RESEARCH BUT OTHER STUDIES THAT LOOK AT APPLIED RESEARCH ALL SHOW THE BOARD IS HIGHER FOR APPLIED RESEARCH THAN BASIC RESEARCH. LIKELY BECAUSE IT SEEMS A LITTLE MORE PROXIMAL TO PEOPLE'S INTEREST, THEY CAN USE THAT SELECT FACTOR. THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE ALSO SAY THAT SCIENTISTS ARE HELPING TO SOLVE CHALLENGING PROBLEMS, SO THEY SEE THAT SCIENTISTS ARE THERE TO HELP. BASICALLY OTHER THAN FIREFIGHTERS AND OCCASIONALLY THE MILITARY, DEPENDING ON WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE WORLD, SCIENTISTS ARE CONSIDERED THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS AND OFTEN TRUSTWORTHY AMONGST A GROUP OF PROFESSIONALS. WHEN YOU DIG INTO THE WAY THEY WORD THE QUESTIONS ON MANY OCCASIONS, THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY IS ASKED A LITTLE BIT SEPARATELY FROM SCIENTISTS AND TYPICALLY YOU'RE WITHIN 1 TO 3 PERCENTAGE POINTS OF THE RANKINGS FOR SCIENTISTS. SO YOU CAN THINK ABOUT THIS BROADLY IF YOU'RE DOING PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IN THE U.S. YOU HAVE KIND OF A STRONG FOOT TO START FROM. SO THEN, OF COURSE, YOU WOULD WANT TO GET MORE INFORMATION OF A PARTICULAR AUDIENCE THAT YOU WILL BE WORKING WITH. YOU WANT TO THINK ABOUT THINGS LIKE WHO THEY ARE, HOW OLD ARE THEY, WHAT GENDER AND ETHNICITY CAN OFTEN BE VERY CRUDE INDICATORS OF PEOPLE'S INTERESTS OR UNDERSTANDING, CULTURE CAN ALSO BE A CASE AND I'D REFER YOU BACK TO THE IDEA OF THE SCIENTIFIC VERSUS THE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION CULTURE, BUT YOU CAN DIG A LOT DEEPER INTO THAT, IF IT'S A CULTURE THAT HAS A LOT OF ACTIVISM AROUND THE HEALTH ISSUE THAT YOU MIGHT BE DISCUSSING, THAT MAY BE SOMETHING TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION AS YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT YOUR COMMUNICATION, OR CULTURE IS GENERALLY VERY DEFERENTIAL FOR HIGHER AUTHORITY, YOU CAN THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN USE THAT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE OR THINGS YOU MIGHT WANT TO DO TO DEFRAY THAT MAYBE CONCERN THAT PEOPLE HAVE. GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION, HOW MUCH PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT YOUR TOPIC. I THINK WITH HEALTH TOPICS, THIS CAN BE PARTICULARLY SALIENT. I SPENT A LITTLE TIME TALKING TO THE SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE EDITORS THIS WEEK BEFORE I CAME TO SEE YOU, AND ONE THING THAT THEY NOTED IS THEY TAKE SPECIAL CARE WHENEVER THEY'RE DOING PUBLICITY AROUND ANY ARTICLES AROUND CHILDREN OR BRAIN RESEARCH, THOSE SEEM TO BE THE ONES THAT WHEN PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THEM, RAISES THE MOST CONCERN. AND YOU JUST WANT TO THINK GENERALLY ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN FIND OUT ABOUT THAT PERSON. THIS IS A FAIR AMOUNT, HOW DO YOU FIND THAT OUT? YOU CAN OBVIOUSLY JUST TALK TO THE ORGANIZER OF THE EVENT THAT YOU'RE GOING TO. I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO DR. LIMBO BEFORE I GAVE THIS TALK SO HOPEFULLY I'M MODELING GOOD PRACTICES. THE INTERNET IS A WIDE OPEN SOURCE OF INFORMATION. I FIND IT'S REALLY HELPFUL IF YOU'RE GOING TO TALK TO A PARTICULAR ORGANIZATION TO LOOK AT THEIR WEBSITE AND SEE HOW THEY DESCRIBE THEMSELVES AND THE SORTS OF THINGS THAT THEY NEED TO PRIORITIZE AS IMPORTANT TO THEM OR THE LANGUAGE THEY'RE USING TO DESCRIBE THEMSELVES, YOU CAN ALSO LOOK AT ANY ARTICLES OR PLACES THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT TO GET A BETTER SENSE OF WHAT KIND OF WHAT MAKES THEM TICK. COLLEAGUES ARE ALSO A GREAT RESOURCE IF THEY KNOW SOMEONE WHO'S WORKED WITH THAT GROUP BEFORE, YOU CAN TALK TO THEM ABOUT WHAT WORKS, WHAT DIDN'T WORK AND LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES. YOU CAN ALSO JUST, AS YOU'RE GOING OUT AND WORKING WITH THAT GROUP OF PEOPLE, YOU CAN KIND OF DO ON THE SPOT, ON THE FLY ASSESSMENTS OF ARE THEY GE GETTING IT, DOES THIS SEEM TO BE WORKING, AND THE REACTIONS THAT YOU'RE GETTING. SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU ALL, YOU CAN DO THIS NOW OR AS YOU THINK ABOUT THE NEXT COMMUNICATION OPPORTUNITY YOU'LL HAVE, YOU CAN TAKE A MOMENT AND JUST REALLY ITEMIZE FOR YOURSELF WHO IS IT THAT I'LL BE SPEAKING WITH, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, WHAT ARE THEIR GOALS AND MISSION AND THEIR CULTURAL NEEDS AND INTERESTS. I'LL GIVE YOU JUST 30 SECONDS TO DO THAT RIGHT NOW. ALL RIGHT. SO NOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE YOUR AUDIENCE IN MIND, WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT COMPONENT OF COMMUNICATION, WHICH IS YOUR MESSAGE, WHICH IS WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY. SO HAVING A CLEAR MESSAGE HELPS YOU REALLY DEFINE THE AGENDA, REALLY REMEMBER WHAT IT IS THAT YOU WANT TO SAY. THE CLEARER IDEA YOU HAVE OF WHAT IT IS YOU'RE TRYING TO COMMUNICATE, THE BETTER YOU CAN SPEAK WITHOUT JARGON, AND WE'RE GOING TO COME BACK TO JARGON IN JUST A MOMENT. IT ALSO HELPS YOU P IF YOU START TO DEVIATE ON A TANGENT OR IF YOU GET ASKED QUESTIONS, THEN CAN YOU REALLY GET BACK TO YOUR CORE MESSAGE AND STAY ON POINT AS YOU'RE MOVING. YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT MESSAGES AS A FRAMEWORK OR A SCAFFOLDING FOR WHAT IT IS YOU'RE TRYING TO COMMUNICATE SO YOU CAN USE IT FOR A REALLY BRIEF -- YOU KNOW, YOU MANAGE TO GET THE PROGRAM OFFICER FROM THE FOUNDATION THAT YOU'RE REACHING IN AN ELEVATOR, YOU CAN SPEAK TO THEM BRIEFLY, OR IT GIVES YOU A NICE SCAFFOLDING FOR AN HOUR-LONG TALK. BUT THE MESSAGES -- HAVING CLEAR MESSAGES ALSO HELP YOUR AUDIENCE, THEY HELP THEM REMEMBER WHAT IT IS YOU'RE TRYING TO SHARE WITH THEM SO THAT THEN THEY CAN REALLY DIG INTO THAT AND THINK ABOUT HOW IT RELATES TO THEMSELVES. IT HELPS THEM PAY ATTENTION, FOCUS ON YOU, BUT ALSO THE CLEARER YOU CAN BE, THE BETTER THEY CAN THEN REALLY THINK ABOUT HOW THIS RELATES TO THEM AND PUT IT INTO THAT POSITION OF RELEVANCE. SO IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT DEVELOPING A MESSAGE ABOUT YOUR WORK, WE TYPICALLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE THREE Ms OF MESS ANGS. MEMORABLE, MINIATURE, MEANINGFUL. THE GENERAL IDEA IS YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE 12 POINTS THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO COVER IN THE SPACE OF TWO MINUTES. YOU CAN THINK ABOUT THIS AS THREE FOCUSES OF YOUR RESEARCH, THREE REASONS YOUR WORK MATTERS, THREE QUESTIONS YOU PURSUED, THREE GIANT FLOPS THAT YOU ENCOUNTERED AND WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM THEM, THREE POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS. IT REALLY CAN BE ANY SORT OF ORGANIZING FRAMEWORK FOR WHAT IT IS YOU'RE TRYING TO COMMUNICATE. SO NOW TO DIG INTO THAT IDEA OF THE THREE Ms, MINIATURE, MEMORABLE AND MEANINGFUL. BY MINIATURE, WE MEAN SHORTD AND SHORT AND TO THE POINT. YOU WANT THEM TO BE THINGS THAT ARE EASY TO REMEMBER. IT MAY BE THAT YOU DEVELOP THREE POINTS THAT YOU USE FOR YOUR INTERNAL ORGANIZING BUT THAT YOU COMMUNICATE THEM DIMPLE WHE DIFFERENTLY WHEN YOU ACTUALLY SPEAK TO THE PUBLIC. I THINK I MENTIONED BEFORE, YOU WANT THIS TO BE SOMETHING THAT WORKS IN A FLEXIBLE WAY SO IT CAN BE A NICE SHORT TALK OR IT CAN BE A REALLY LONG CONVERSATION. YOU WANT YOUR MESSAGES ALSO TO BE MEMORABLE. YOU WANT PEOPLE TO REMEMBER THEM SO THEY CAN REALLY DIGEST THEM. YOU ALSO WANT TO BE SURE YOU REMEMBER THEM YOURSELF. THINGS LIKE ALLITERATION, SIMILAR SOUNDS, ANALOGIES, ACRONYMS, THEY CAN HELP PEOPLE TAKE THOSE MESSAGES AWAY. I SPENT SEVERAL YEARS MANAGING A PROGRAM THAT DID WATERSHED EDUCATION IN NATIONAL PARKS AND I LEARNED THE VERY HARD WAY AS WE WERE COLLECTING FIELD DATA, WE WOULD ALWAYS -- WE ALWAYS MARKED THE LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE OF THE FIELD SITE WHERE THE DATA WAS BEING COLLECTED, AND THE WAY THAT I REMEMBER THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE, WHICH ONE GOES THIS WAY AND WHICH ONE GOES THAT WAY IS THE JIMMY BUFFETT SONG MARGARITAVILLE WHICH SAYS LATITUDE IS ALL ABOUT ATTITUDE. THAT'S JUST A LITTLE DEVICE THAT I USE TO REMEMBER THAT. EXPLAINING THAT TO A BUNCH OF 15 YEARS OLDS IS THE BEST WAY TO GET THEM NOT TO LISTEN TO ANYTHING YOU SAY FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. SO YOU DO WANT TO THINK ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE, THINKING ABOUT YOUR POP CULTURE REFERENCES. YOU WANT YOUR MESSAGES TO BE MEANINGFUL. THAT MEANS THEY'RE MEANINGFUL IN YOU TO A WAY YOU CAN CONVEY THEM WITH PASSIONATE ENTHUSIASM AND ALSO ENJOYABLE TO YOUR AUDIENCE. YOU WANT TO REALLY FOCUS ON WHAT WILL MATTER TO YOUR AUDIENCE BECAUSE THEY DO HEAR A LOT OF INFORMATION, WHETHER IT'S IN PERSON OR IN TEXT, SO YOU WANT THIS TO BE SOMETHING THAT POPS UP AND PRIORITIZES AT LEAST IN THEIR PRESENT MOMENT. ONE THING THAT I FIND WITH SCIENTISTS, YOU IF DON'T HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE WAY YOU CAN MAKE YOUR SCIENCE RELEVANT TO AN AUDIENCE, SO I SUSPECT THAT'S EASIER, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE HEALTH APPLICATIONS OF YOUR WORK, IS THAT SCIENTISTS ARE OFTEN REALLY FAFANTASTIC, GETTING EXCITED ABOUT THE WORK THEY DO AND YOUR PASSION CAN BE SOMEWHAT CONTAGIOUS TO OTHERS. SO WHEN IN DOUBT, SPEAK OUT ABOUT YOUR WORK. AND THIS ALSO GIVES YOU A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO THINK ABOUT TELLING THE STORY OF THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING, SO NOT JUST TO LAY OUT THE FACTS BUT TO REALLY PUT IT INTO THE CONTEXT OF WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE DOING, PUT A LITTLE BIT OF YOURSELF INTO THE MESSAGES. STORIES IN GENERAL ARE EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO REMEMBER AND THEN DIGEST THAN SIMPLE LISTS OF FACTS, IF YOU WILL. SO HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE THREE Ms IN PRACTICE. THIS IS FOR ALL THE COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGISTS WHO CAME TODAY. SO A WAY THAT I'VE HEARD SEVERAL SCIENTISTS WHO WORK WITH BIG DATA DESCRIBE BIG DATA IS VOLUME, VELOCITY AND VARIETY, OR SOME SCIENTISTS IN THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY SAY VOLUME, VELOCITY AND VERACITY. SO THINKING ABOUT THE SHEER AMOUNT OF DATA THAT THEY HAVE TO COLLECT AND HOW YOU MIGHT MANAGE THAT, THE SPEED AT WHICH THE VELOCITY REFERS TO THE SPEED AT WHICH THAT DATA IS COMING IN, AGAIN, KIND OF THE STRATEGIES YOU MIGHT USE TO MANAGE THAT, AND THEN THE VARIETY. SO AS YOU'RE KIND OF ASSAULTED WITH ALL THIS DATA, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO MANAGE ORGANIZING IT IN A WAY THAT IS RESPONSIVE TO THE HUGE AMOUNT OF VARIETY THAT YOU'RE GETTING. SO HOPEFULLY THAT HELPS YOU START TO IMAGINE HOW YOU CAN TAKE THIS 3 M'S CONCEPT AND TURN IT INTO A FRAMEWORK FOR YOUR OWN RESEARCH. SO I SAID WE WOULD TALK ABOUT JARGON. WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT IN THE CONTEXT OF ROCKETS. IF YOU -- THERE ACTUALLY IS NOW AN UP GOER FIVE ROCKET, A ROCKET THAT N NASA HAS USED TO TAKE THINGS INTO SPACE. IF YOU GOOGLE UP GOER FIVE, YOU WILL FIND A WEBSITE THAT WILL TRANSLATE ANY WORDS YOU PUT IN INTO LANGUAGE THAT USE THE 1,000 MOST COMMON WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, WHICH IS PERHAPS IN MANY CASES AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, BUT JARGON, WHICH ARE THOSE TECHNICAL TERMS WHICH ARE EFFICIENT AND HAVE MEANING TO YOU AND YOUR TECHNICAL PEERS, AND HELP YOU GO ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS IN A WAY THAT ALLOWS YOU TO BE PRETTY EFFICIENT AND PRECISE IN THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING, THAT JARGON CAN BE REALLY OFF-PUTTING TO AUDIENCES THAT AREN'T FAMILY WITH THOSE TERMS. THERE CAN -- IN MANY CASES TOO, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE COMMUNICATING WITH ADULTS, FOR THEM TO HEAR JARGON, THEY MAY FEEL THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE WORDS ARE SO THEY'RE EVEN MORE EMBARRASSED -- I FIND THE EASIEST WAY TO DO THIS IS SIMPLY TO TAKE ALL OF THE JARGON OUT OF YOUR TALK, WHICH AGAIN, IT CAN BE EASY TO DO IF YOU FIND A COLLEAGUE OR A FRIEND OR A COUSIN AT THANKSGIVING WHO'S NOT IN YOUR FIELD AND HAVE THEM LISTEN TO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND LET THEM REALLY POKE AT THE WORDS THAT YOU'RE USING. ONE QUESTION THAT I HEAR OFTEN FROM SCIENTISTS IS THAT WHEN YOU'RE MOVING FROM THE TECHNICAL TERMS THAT YOU'RE USED TO USING TO DESCRIBE YOUR RESEARCH INTO MORE WHAT I WOULD CALL CLEAR AND CONCISE LANGUAGE, YOU SOMETIMES -- THERE'S A TRADEOFF THERE BETWEEN THE PRECISION OF THE TECHNICAL TERMS WITH THE RELATABILITY, IF YOU WILL, OF THE CLEAR AND CONCISE LANGUAGE. WE CAN TALK MORE AFT TALK IF YOU WANT ABOUT SPECIFIC EXAMPLES. BUT SOMETIMES THE TRADEOFF IS WELL WORTH IT. IN OTHER CASES, SCIENTISTS WILL, WHERE THERE'S A TERM THAT THEY SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE CLEAR AND CONCISE LANGUAGE TO USE, THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN DEFINE IT IS USING A 10-WORD SENTENCE, IT HELPS TO REALLY STATE THE WORD, DEFINE IT IN THE FIRST USE AND THEN KIND OF COME BACK TO IT NOW AND AGAIN. ALL RIGHT. SO NOW I WILL CHALLENGE ALL OF YOU TO TAKE JUST A MINUTE OR TWO AND THINK ABOUT YOUR RESEARCH, THINK ABOUT THE GOAL THAT YOU HAVE FOR COMMUNICATING YOUR RESEARCH OUTSIDE OF THE SCIENTIFIC AUDIENCES AND THE AUDIENCE THAT YOU HAVE IN MIND, AND JOT DOWN SOME NOTES ABOUT WHAT YOU MIGHT SAY, WHAT YOUR FRAMEWORK MIGHT BE. OR JUST MAKE MENTAL NOTES TO YOURSELF. AND OF COURSE I'D LIKE TO WELCOME ANY VOLUNTEERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO SHARE THEIR MESSAGES WITH THE GROUP. OR YOU CAN EMAIL THEM TO ME AFTERWARDS. WHEN WE DO WORKSHOPS, WHICH ARE MUCH LONGER VERSIONS OF THIS TALK, WE ACTUALLY HAVE PEOPLE DEVELOP THEIR MESSAGES AND THEN WE TURN THEM INTO SHORT TALKS, SORT OF TWO-MINUTE TALKS IF YOU WILL, AND WE FILM PEOPLE BECAUSE THEN CAN YOU REALLY SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING YOURSELF, SO I'D ENCOURAGE YOU, WE'VE GOT YOUR THREE Ms, TO TRY TO EXPAND THAT INTO A SLIGHTLY LONGER FORMAT, AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY JUST USE YOUR PHONE OR HAVE A FRIEND FILM YOU, THEN YOU CAN GET A REALLY GOOD SENSE OF WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE. AND IN GENERAL, I FIND THAT THE REACTION TO SEEING YOURSELF ON NOT ACTUALLY FILM BUT CAMERA FOR MOST SCIENTISTS IS THAT THEY DREAD THAT INITIAL VIEWING BUT THEN THEY'RE QUITE PLEASED TO SEE THEY'RE NOT NEARLY AS TERRIBLE AS I THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE. I WOULD SAY MOST OF THEM DO A PRETTY GOOD JOB BUT YOU CAN KIND OF TAKE THAT DOUBLE NEGATIVE MODE. SO ONCE YOU HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT YOUR GOALS FOR COMMUNICATION, YOUR AUDIENCE, AND WHAT IT IS YOU'RE TRYING TO COMMUNICATE, THAT BRINGS US TO FINDING AN OUTLET FOR THIS FANTASTIC COMMUNICATION. WHERE CAN YOU ENGAGE WITH THE PUBLIC. THERE ARE SORT OF THREE MAIN DOMAINS. THERE'S TRADITIONAL MEDIA, WHICH WOULD BE NEWSPAPERS, RADIO, PRINT PUBLICATIONS, THEN WE HAVE OUR ONLINE SPACE, WHICH IS ALL THE NEW MEDIA, IF YOU WILL, AND FACE TO FACE COMMUNICATION OR IN PERSON. SO I'M GOING TO TALK JUST BRIEFLY ABOUT TRADITIONAL MEDIA. THIS IS THE PART OF THE TALK THAT I TYPICALLY THINK OF AS NEWSPAPERS ARE DYING. IN GENERAL TRADITIONAL MEDIA HAS THE BENEFITS OF HAVING A VERY BROAD REACH. YOU CAN REACH A HUGE AUDIENCE WITH TRADITIONAL MEDIA. ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IS THAT IT'S DECLINING AS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE COME TO GET INFORMATION AND PARTICULAR INFORMATION ABOUT SCIENCE OR SPECIFIC AND EVEN MORE SO WITH SPECIFIC SCIENTIFIC TOPICS. IN GENERAL, WE FIND THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR INFORMATION OF SPECIFIC SCIENCE TOPICS TEND TO LOOK TO THE INTERNET, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE ONLINE VERSIONS OF MAJOR NEWSPAPERS OR OTHER TRADITIONAL MEDIA SOURCES. JUST A NOTE AS YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH NEWSPAPERS, RADIO OR OTHER TRADITIONAL MEDIA SOURCES, YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT BOTH OF YOUR AUDIENCES WHEN YOU'RE WORKING IN THOSE CASES, SO YOU HAVE THE REPORTER THAT YOU'RE SPEAKING WITH AND THEN THE AUDIENCE THAT THEIR PRODUCT REACHES. SO YOU WANT TO KEEP BOTH OF THOSE IN MIND AS YOU'RE PLANNING YOUR COMMUNICATION WITH THEM, AND I'D BE HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT THAT MORE IF PEOPLE HAVE QUESTIONS. THE SECOND DOMAIN WOULD BE THE ONLINE PLATFORMS OR NEW MEDIA. THERE ARE A WHOLE HOST OF DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN COMMUNICATE ONLINE. AGAIN THEY'RE TRADEOFFS WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT ANY OF THESE COMMUNICATION VENUES. IN GENERAL, WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT ONLINE PLATFORMS, YOU OFTEN CAN GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE USERS OF THOSE ONLINE PLATFORMS. JUST TO GIVE YOU THE START OF A LAUNDRY LIST OF PLACES YOU CAN COMMUNICATE ONLINE, YOU HAVE YOUR OWN WEBSITE, IF YOUR LAB HAS A WEBSITE. I SEE AN INCREASING NUMBER OF LAB OR RESEARCH WEBSITES THAT HAVE AT A MINIMUM OF KIND OF A SHORT PARAGRAPH ON THE FRONT THAT EXPLAINS IN PLAIN LANGUAGE WHAT IT IS THEY'RE DOING SO IF A PERSON IS INTERESTED, THEY'RE ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT YOU MIGHT BE SOMEONE WHO COULD REALLY HELP THEM DIG INTO THAT TOPIC. SOCIAL MEDIA IS GROWING AS A PLACE WHERE SCIENTISTS DO DO COMMUNICATION. NIH HAS A LOVELY TWITTER ACCOUNT, THE NIH BEAR, I THINK IS STILL TWEETING. I DO FIND IN PRACTICE THAT MOST SCIENTISTS ARE USING TWITTER AS A WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER OR TO SORT OF SEE TRENDS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE FIELD AS OPPOSED TO A PLACE WHERE YOU'RE REALLY COMMUNICATING WITH NON-SCIENTISTS. IN PARTICULAR, AROUND MEETINGS OR CONFERENCES, THERE TENDS TO BE A BIG KIND OF UPSWING AROUND SCIENTISTS USING TWITTER TO COMMUNICATE ABOUT THEIR WORK. BUT SOCIAL MEDIA IS A FANTASTIC PLACE A LOT OF REPORTERS USE TWITTER AS A PLACE THEY GO TO LOOK FOR NEW STORIES OR TOPICS TALKING ABOUT A SPECIFIC ISSUE. ONLINE PUBLICATIONS INCLUDE THE ONLINE VERSION OF THE TRADITIONAL MEDIA THAT I MENTIONED, BUT I'LL ALSO MENTION BLOGS WHICH ARE SORT OF GROWING AS A FORUM FOR ONLINE COMMUNICATION. AGAIN IT CAN BE A MORE TARGETED WAY TO REACH YOUR AUDIENCE. IT GIVES YOU A CHANCE AS WELL, WITH BLOGS YOU'RE TYPICALLY WRITING THE CONTENT YOURSELF SO IT GIVES YOU A CHANCE TO EXPRESS YOUR MESSAGE IN YOUR OWN WORDS AS OPPOSED TO IF YOU'RE WORKING WITH A REPORTER, THEY DO HAVE ULTIMATE EDITORIAL CONTROL OVER THE CONTENT. THERE ARE A WHOLE HOST OF OTHER WAYS YOU CAN COMMUNICATE, PARTICULARLY IN HEALTH, THERE ARE A LOT OF MOBILE APPS THAT ALLOW PEOPLE TO COLLECT DATA. YES. >> COULD YOU SPEAK TO RESTRICTIONS GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES HAVE -- [INAUDIBLE] >> SURE, I CAN'T SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO ANY ONE AGENCY'S POLICIES. I WILL SAY IF YOU ARE A FEDERAL EMPLOYEE, YOU SHOULD CERTAINLY CHECK WITH YOUR COMMUNICATIONS OFFICERS TO SEE WHAT THOSE POLICIES ARE, AND IN MOST FEDERAL AGENCY, THERE'S A DISTINCTION BETWEEN -- THERE CAN BE A DISTINCTION BETWEEN IF YOU COMMUNICATE ON THEM AS YOUR PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTIONAL SELF AS OPPOSED TO IF YOU MAKE CLEAR THAT YOU'RE COMMUNICATING AS YOUR PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL SELF. DOES THAT HELP? I DON'T WANT TO EAPS THAT INCORRECTLY SO I'M GOING TO SUGGEST THAT YOU SPEAK WITH A COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER AT NIH. I THINK THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN USE SOMETHING LIKE TWITTER, THOUGH. YOU CAN SPEAK ABOUT THE RESEARCH THAT YOU DO IN PARTICULAR OR YOU CAN SPEAK ABOUT RESEARCH KIND OF GENERALLY. I DON'T THINK I'VE MENTIONED YET THAT MOST INSTITUTIONS INCLUDING NIH HAVE A STAFF OF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICERS OR PRESS OFFICERS WHO ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF GETTING THE WORD ABOUT YOUR RESEARCH OUT THERE AND CAN OFTEN HELP YOU THINK THROUGH THESE SPECIFIC ISSUES. ANOTHER ONLINE FORUM FOR COMMUNICATION THAT CAME UP RECENTLY IN CONVERSATION JUST TODAY IS ONLINE FUND-RAISING SITES, SO IF YOU ARE USING AN ONLINE FUND-RAISING SITE, THAT AGAIN GIVES YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO REACH AUDIENCES WITH A VERY SPECIFIC GOAL IN MIND, WHICH IS BUILDING THE CASE FOR FUNDING YOUR RESEARCH. AND AGAIN, THERE'S CONTENT THAT YOU CAN PUT IN THERE YOURSELF, AND THEN BOTH WITH SITES LIKE THAT AS WELL AS BLOGS AND TWITTER, ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS IS THE COMMENTS THAT PEOPLE CAN MAKE BACK, SO THINKING THROUGH A STRATEGY AHEAD OF TIME ABOUT HOW YOU WANT TO EP GAUGE WITH PEOPLE WHO RESPONDED DIFFERENTLY. WE'LL MOVE ON TO IN-PERSON COMMUNICATION. THERE ARE A WHOLE SUITE OF POSSIBILITIES FOR COMMUNICATING FACE TO FACE WITH INDIVIDUALS. IN GENERAL, THEY'RE OFTEN FACILITATED OH SORT OF THINGS LIKE SCIENCE MUSEUMS OR SCIENCE CAFES THAT HAVE PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE COMMUNICATION EXPERTS WHO CAN INVITE YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN THOSE AND CAN ALSO GIVE YOU SUPPORT IN DOING SO. I DO BELIEVE THERE'S A SCIENCE CAFE IN ROCKVILLE, THERE'S ALSO ONE IN ROSALYN. ORGANIZATIONS LIKE SCHOOLS AND SUMMER CAMPS, SCIENCE MUSEUMS ARE OFTEN REALLY HUNGRY FOR SCIENTISTS TO HELP THEM OUT, WHETHER IT'S DIRECT FACE TO FACE WITH THEIR CONSTITUENCY OR INFORMING THE PROGRAMS OR EXHIBITS THAT THEY MIGHT BE DEVELOPING. AGAIN THIS WILL DEPEND ON THE CONTEXT IN WHICH YOU'RE DOING THE COMMUNICATION BUT THERE'S COMMUNICATION WITH POLICY MAKERS, SO THAT CAN BE SIMPLY INFORMING POLICY MAKERS ABOUT THE WORK THAT YOU DO AND THE IMPLICATIONS THEREOF, AND OFTENTIMES IT'S THEIR STAFF AS WELL. AND YOU MAY GET INVITED TO GIVE A PUBLIC LECTURE ABOUT YOUR WORK, YOU MIGHT GET INVITED TO GRAND ROUNDS SOMEDAY TO TALK. AND THEN THE ONE THAT OFTEN IS NOT THOUGHT THROUGH IN A STRATEGIC SENSE IS THE IDEA OF THE OVER THE NEIGHBOR'S FENCE COMMUNICATION, WHICH IS THE WE'RE ALL PEOPLE THAT NAVIGATE DAY TO DAY LIFE, WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE WOMAN WHO SITS DOWN NEXT TO YOU ON THE AIRPLANE AND ASKS YOU WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU'RE ON YOUR WAY TO A CONFERENCE OR LITERALLY YOUR NEIGHBORS KIND OF ASKING YOU WHAT YOU DO AND WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. SO THOSE MICRO OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL CAN REALLY BE OPPORTUNITIES TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY. SO THIS HAS BEEN THE VERY NUTSHELL VERSION OF SCIENCE COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. I THINK I SPOKE A LITTLE FASTER THAN PLANNED. I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU ON AAAS'S WEBSITE, WE HAVE A HOST OF RESOURCES THAT CAN HELP YOU THINK THROUGH MORE CLEARLY HOW TO COMMUNICATE SCIENCE AND HOW TO ENGAGE THE PUBLIC AND THAT'S AAAS.ORG/COMMUNICATINGSCIENCE. IN PARTICULAR, THERE'S QUITE A NUMBER OF RESOURCES ON HOW TO WORK WITH MEDIA AND REPORTERS AT THAT SITE. I WOULD WELCOME YOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR THINGS THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE ON THERE AS WELL.