The Center for Communicating Science:
The art of connecting across difference
The Center for Communicating Science creates and supports opportunities for scientists, scholars, health professionals, and others to develop their abilities to communicate and connect. Our differences, whether they be racial, cultural, religious, education level, academic discipline, or research specialty, can divide us. But such differences also enrich our lives, broaden our perspectives, and strengthen our collaborations. Arts tools and practices can be used to bridge these divisions, helping participants to learn to listen deeply, interact personally, directly, spontaneously, and responsively, and express themselves vividly. It is our intention to deepen human interaction, strengthen empathy and awareness of others, and develop collaborative team and leadership capacities in students, faculty, and industry and community partners.
A message from Alan Alda on the opening of the Center: "I'm delighted to know that the founding of the Center for Communicating Science at Virginia Tech is inspired by the work we do at the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University. It's my dream that innovative techniques for teaching communication will make the relationship between science and the public one that's close, warm, and exciting. I congratulate Virginia Tech as it strikes out on that path."
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Graduate researchers to be joined by Miss Virginia 2019 at 4th annual Nutshell Games
Where can you hear 30 great research presentations in 45 minutes? At the Nutshell Games, our annual presentation competition! Thirty graduate students will each have a mere 90 seconds to explain their research from onstage at the Moss Arts Center.
Upcoming Events
Ruoding Shi: "Understanding Differences in Respiratory Health in Coal-Mining Counties"
5:30 p.m. Thursday, November 14
Rising Silo Brewery
2351 Glade Road, Blacksburg
Our annual research presentation competition! Thirty graduate students each get 90 seconds to explain their research to a panel of judges and a public audience. Join us! It's fun!
4:30 p.m. November 16
Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, Moss Arts Center
Skype a Scientist founder and squid researcher Sarah McAnulty will speak about her experiences with Skype a Scientist, a program that matches researchers with school classrooms.
3 p.m. November 15
Fralin Hall Auditorium, 360 West Campus Drive
Skype a Scientist founder and squid researcher Sarah McAnulty will give a talk for science festival presenters, graduate students, and other interested persons.
6 p.m. November 15
Fralin Hall Auditorium, 360 West Campus Drive
Reception at 5:30 p.m., Fralin Atrium
Recent Events
Communicating Science Intensive for NatureNet Fellows and other TNC scientists at the annual NatureNet Science Fellows meeting and research symposium
October 22 and 23, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Charlottesville, Virginia
"Distilling Your Message" workshop for members of the Organization of Fish and Wildlife Information Managers, National Conservation Training Center, October 10, 2019
Center director Patty Raun gave the keynote address, "Let Your Life Speak: The Art of Connecting Across Difference," at the Voice and Speech Trainers Association annual conference, August 4-7, Orlando
At CESTEMER 2019, The Power of Connection: Performance, play, and creativity:
Associate director Carrie Kroehler facilitated an interactive workshop, "Who, what, when, where, how, and why, why, why? Exercises for distilling your message"
Center Faculty Fellow Cassandra Hockman gave a lightning talk, "Scientists and writers: How a university collaboration (and beyond) shows they're good friends"
Center Faculty Fellow Daniel Bird Tobin performed "Laser"
Todd Nicewonger, Patty Raun, and Carrie Kroehler presented "Communicating Science: An ethnographic study"
New York Institute of Tecnology, New York City
June 20-22
Introduction to Improvisation for Scientists workshop for visiting faculty and scholars, June 12, 2019
San Diego, California
BioXFEL 2019 (a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center international conference)
Center director Patty Raun provided the keynote address and engagement: "What's in a Nutshell? Brief Compelling Interactions with the Public"
San Diego, California
February 12, 2019
Celebrating Women in Science! Members of the local Blacksburg-Radford pod of 500 Women Scientists gave flash talks about their current research.
October 24, 2019
Sara Peach: What to Expect When You're Expecting Climate Change
September 26, 2019
Maddy Grupper: Public Trust in Drinking Water
August 22, 2019
Carol Davis: "Individual actions or systemic change?"--Thoughts about creating a more sustainable world.
July 25, 2019
Derek Hennen: Millipedes of Virginia
June 27, 2019
Susan Chen: Let's Talk Trash: Why Food Waste Matters
April 25, 2019
James Costa: Darwin's Backyard "Experimentising"
March 25, 2019
Brenen Wynd: "Almost all my friends are dead": What does paleontology tell us about extinction?
February 25, 2019
Sihui Ma: The Science of Fermented Drinks
January 28, 2019
Rajesh Bagchi: What's the Better Deal? The Science of Purchasing Decisions
November 26, 2018.
Michelle Stocker: Detectives at Work--The Case of the Embedded Tooth
November 1, 2018
Erica Feuerbacher: Dog Behavior
September 27, 2018
Debby Good: Is "23andMe" for You? The Promise and Peril of Genetic Testing
August 23, 2018
Tom Ewing: Booze and Flu(s): Science and Spirits in the 1918 Spanish Influenza
July 26, 2018
Brynn O'Donnell and Robin Scully: Ghost Streams and Painting Water
June 28, 2018
Nick Caruso: "Beyond Blaming the Dog: The Science of Animal Farts"
May 24, 2018
William Rhoades and Sid Roy: Lessons from Flint
April 23, 2018
James Wilson: Honeybees and Beekeeping
March 26, 2018
Brian Malow: "An Evening of Humor with Science Comedian Brian Malow"
February 26, 2018
Kwame Harrison: "Experiencing Blackness in Defiantly White Spaces--in a Car"
January 22, 2018
Jake Socha: "Flying and Gliding: An Evolutionary Advantage"
November 27, 2017
Marcella Kelly's research group: "Catching Carnivores Creatively: Using Poop and Cameras to Capture Clues about Elusive Animals"
October 23, 2017
Abi Tyson: ""Transforming Football Helmet Design"
September 25, 2017
Marc Stern: "How to Build Trust"
August 28, 2017
Nutshell Games winners Caitlin Colleary, Anza Mitchell, and Max Ragozzino
May 6, 2017
William Hopkins: Hellbenders in the New River
April 24, 2017