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Center for Communicating Science - teal and orange logo
Center for Communicating Science - teal and orange logo
Applying collaboration & arts practices to help scientists and others learn to tell their stories and connect across differences:
35,000 people impacted through our courses, workshops, presentations, and outreach.
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At Virginia Tech's Center for Communicating Science, we create and support experiences for scientists, engineers, scholars, and health professionals to build muscles of connection, communication, and collaboration. What sets us apart from other approaches and makes our work effective is that we use the powerful tools of the arts, including embodied learning, deep listening, improvisation, role play, and storytelling.
We believe in the power of play, and we believe that we learn through experience and by reflecting on our experiences.
We aim to help researchers make their communication more personal, direct, spontaneous, and responsive.
Communicating Science Mission Words: Personal
Build trust and learn through connection and engagement. Share stories, values, and emotions.
Communicating Science Mission Words: Direct
Drop your field-specific jargon; avoid acronyms; find a language in common with your audience.
Communicating Science Mission Words: Spontaneous
Learn relaxation and rehearsal techniques to build confidence in your ability to explain your research.
Communicating Science Mission Words: Responsive
Who is your audience? What do they need? What can you learn from them? How do you connect?
What's happening at the center?
Three Faculty Members Named Winners of Nutshell Talks March 4
Sixteen courageous and innovative faculty members stepped into the spotlight at the Moss Arts Center March 4, presenting their research to a lively public audience and a panel of discerning judges, including three 7th graders. With just 90 seconds each to explain their groundbreaking research, all 16 contestants dazzled the crowd during this fast-paced, fun, and informative showcase of the innovative work happening right here at Virginia Tech.
We challenged the judges to select three of the speakers to receive $1,000 each in professional development funding. The winners were
- Abhijit Sarkar, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Seeing the Invisible: The Next Frontier in Remote Health Monitoring
- Bo Zhang, Plant and Environmental Science, Breeding a Better Bean: How My Soybeans Shape Your Food
- Pipiet Larasatie, Sustainable Biomaterials, The Rise of Wooden Skyscrapers!
March 24 — "Improv Skills for Science Communicators." Workshop at Science Talk '25 facilitated by Jon Catherwood-Ginn. 1-2 p.m., online format.
March 27 — "Building a Communicating Science Ecosystem at a Land Grant University: Sharing Lessons." Panel discussion at Science Talk '25, featuring Patty Raun, Phyllis Newbill, Todd Schenk, Amy Hagen, and Carrie Kroehler (moderator).
March 27 — Science on Tap, Rising Silo Brewery, 5:30 p.m. "Fitbits for black bears in Virginia?" Join Ph.D. student Brogan Holcombe to learn more about black bears in Virginia and how her research has provided insight into their behaviors and diet. Using camera collars on black bears allows her to see them move about the landscape and consume a variety of food; her current research is focused on creating a "Fitbit" for black bears. Science on Tap is free and open to the public.
April 3-4 — "Science on Tap New River Valley: A Successful Outreach Program Since 2017," poster presentation at Science Talk '25, Maria DeNunzio and Amy Hagen.
April 14 — "Distilling Your Message for Teaching and Outreach: Brief and Compelling Interactions with the People You Need to Talk to," an online workshop open to faculty, post-doctoral researchers, and graduate students. 12:30 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. Find more information and enroll here.
You can read all about the Center for Communicating Science on our newsletter page. Here's some of what we've been up to recently:
3/5/2025 "Picture a Scientist" and "Reel Talk" panel discussion with Virginia Tech faculty and students about the status of women in the STEM professions
3/4/2025 The Faculty Nutshell Talks!
3/3/2025 Faculty Nutshell Talks preparatory workshop, Part 2
2/28/2025 Fralin Fridays, hosted by the Center for Communicating Science
2/27/2025 Science on Tap, New River Valley (Noel Naughton: How does an octopus control its arms?)
2/14/2025 Tailor Your Message to Your Audience (workshop for Science Outreach course)
2/7/2025 Cultivating Science Communicator Identities (ICAT Playdate)
2/4/2025 The Art of Communicating Science (Virginia Cooperative Extension winter conference workshop)
1/31/2025 Faculty Nutshell Talks preparatory workshop
1/23 Science on Tap, New River Valley (Maria DeNunzio: Food for Thought: How Retail Spaces Shape Our Choices and the Planet)
1/23/2025 Learning to Listen and Listening to Learn (workshop for honors course on developing assistive technologies)
Center for Communicating Science - teal and orange logo
Center for Communicating Science
230 Grove Lane
Blacksburg, VA 24061
(Campus mail code: 0555)
Director Patty Raun
praun@vt.edu
Associate Director Carrie Kroehler
cjkroehl@vt.edu