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Center for Communicating Science - teal and orange logo

Center for Communicating Science - teal and orange logo

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

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

Communicating Science Mission Words: Personal

Build trust and learn through connection and engagement. Share stories, values, and emotions.

Communicating Science Mission Words: Direct

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

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

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?

Kenya Collaboration, Other Projects Bring Spring Travel

Virginia Tech’s Center for Communicating Science (CCS) is extending its work this semester to Kenya, Wales, England, California, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, with center faculty and associates facilitating workshops and intensives, giving presentations, participating in special projects, and exploring collaborative possibilities.

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February 16 through May 12 — Agricultural Productivity Enhancement and Communicating Science Project, a collaborative project between the Center for Communicating Science (CCS), Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Global Program, and Egerton University in Kenya. 

March 28 — Science on Tap: "The Art, Science, and Politics of Breastfeeding." About 140 million babies are born each year, and most of them begin life nourished by a parent's milk. Join us at 5:30 p.m. at Rising Silo Brewery to learn about this essential resource from a panel of breastfeeding experts, including a biochemist, a pediatric nurse practitioner, a lactation consultant, and a researcher who studies the economic and political forces at play in the world of infant feeding. Help us celebrate Women's Month!

June 4-5 — A 2-day communicating science intensive for graduate students at Rutgers University’s Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, part of a National Science Foundation Research Training program anad facilitated by CCS faculty.

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:

03/21/24 "Distilling Your Message: Brief and Compelling Interactions with the People You Need to Talk to," a communicating science workshop for graduate student researchers in Virginia Tech's Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health program; biomedical engineering; the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers; and others.

03/20/24 "Dear Science" pilot project with Carlos Evia's School of Communication senior seminar in science communication. 

03/12/2024 "Communicating Science Beyond Posters, Pamphlets, and Videos," a workshop facilitated by CCS director Patty Raun for members of the Science, Health and Data Communications Research Centre at Bournemouth University in England. 

03/11/2024 “The Art of Connecting Across Difference: Improvisation for Research Communication,” a workshop facilitated by CCS director Patty Raun for members of the Science, Health and Data Communications Research Centre at Bournemouth University in England. 

03/06/2024 “Telling Your Research Story,” a communicating science workshop for researchers at Aberystwyth University in Wales. Facilitated by CCS director Patty Raun, the workshop is being hosted by Aberystwyth’s Dialogue Center.

03/01/2024 "Distilling Your Message," workshop for Virginia Tech's International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry's Global Women Breakfast.

1/26/2024 - 3/8/2024 "Collaborating and Connecting Across Differences," a 7-part series for faculty at California State University Northridge. 

2/26/2024  "Learning to Listen and Listening to Learn: An Experiential Workshop in Understanding," a professional development workshop for graduate students in the Department of History. 

2/24/2024 "Connecting Across Differences: Learning to Listen and Listening to Learn," a communication workshop for the 9th Annual Uplifting Black Men Conference

2/22/2024 Science on Tap (Matthew Reiss of Gnomestead Farm: Mushroom Cultivation in the New River Valley)

2/16/2024 Agricultural Sscience Communication Symposium and APECS Project Launch (a collaborative project with the Center for Communicating Science, CALS Global Program, and Egerton University in Kenya)

2/8/2024 Communicating with Public Audiences (communicating science workshop for the Neuroscience of Drug Addiction undergraduate course, School of Neuroscience) 

2/8/2024 Distilling Your Message (communicating science workshop for the graduate-level microbial physiology course in the Department of Biosciences) 

1/25/2024 Science on Tap (Jason Rutledge and Karen Snape: Hoofin' around: Keeping forestry sustainable with animal power and restorative practices) 

1/9/2024 Learning to Listen and Listening to Learn: An Experiential Workshop in Understanding (communicating science workshop for graduate students at the Northeastern Weed Science Society (NEWSS) meeting , Boston, January 7-11)

1/9/2024 Connecting Across Difference: Building Skills for Communicating with the Public (communicating science workshop for the Northeastern Weed Science Society (NEWSS) meeting , Boston, January 7-11)

11/30/2023 Science on Tap (Jennifer Phillips: What children teach us about our emotions and cognition)

11/30/2023 Distilling Your Message (workshop for the Black Male Excellence Network)

11/11/2023 The Nutshell Games!

11/8/2023 Science Storytelling (workshop for Outreach in Biology course)

11/1/2023 Nutshell Games preparatory workshop

10/30/2023 — Dance Your Research: A Showcase and Celebration

10/26/2023 Science on Tap (Alex Freeze: The science of storytelling: Conservation media and connecting people to the wild)

10/5/2023 — The Power of Story: Building Bridges to Your Research. A Research Development Essential Skills workshop from OVPRI. 

9/28/2023 — Flip the Fair! 20 graduate student research posters judged by school bus loads of elementary school children at the Melrose Branch of the Roanoke Public Library.

9/28/2023 Science on Tap (Erin Ling and Olivia Coutre: What lies beneath us connects us: Geology and groundwater of the Blacksburg area)

9/22/2023 Postdoc Scholars Showcase: Real-Life Research Stories 

9/21/2023 Story Building (workshop for Presidential Postdocs and Research and Innovation Postdocs)

9/11/2023  Learning to Listen and Listening to Learn (workshop for Department of Psychology undergraduate students)

9/8/2023 Communicating Your Research to Kids (workshop for Flip the Fair participants)

9/7/2023 Faculty Nutshell Talks

9/6/2023 Distilling Your Message workshop for Outreach in Biology course

8/23/2023 Science on Tap (Matt Gentry: Sketching in Nature)

7/19-8/12/2023 Communicating Across Disciplines: New Approaches for Applied Sciences — A German Fulbright Undergraduate Program

7/26/2023  Science on Tap (Julia Basso and Rachel Rugh: Moving Minds: Dance and Interpersonal Synchrony)

7/3-25/2023 Communication and Collaboration workshops with the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED) students (a College of Engineering program)

7/17/2023 Online Communicating Science Intensive with Virginia Tech's Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows and Research and Innovation Scholars

7/10/2023 Communicating Science workshop with STEER students (a Department of Chemistry National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program, Students Transforming Energy and Environmental Research)

7/10/2023 Communicating Science workshop with the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) students (a Fralin Life Sciences Institute training program)

6/28/2023 Science on Tap, New River Valley (Megan Steinweg and Danielle Racke: Tick diversity  and ecology in the New River Valley)

6/28/2023 Communication and Collaboration workshops with the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED) students (a College of Engineering program)

6/27/2023 Communication and Collaboration workshops with the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED) students (a College of Engineering program)

6/26/2023 Communicating Science workshop with STEER students (a Department of Chemistry National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program, Students Transforming Energy and Environmental Research)

6/26/2023 Communicating Science workshop with the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) students (a Fralin Life Sciences Institute training program)

6/242023 Communication and Collaboration workshops with the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED) students (a College of Engineering program)

6/21/2023 Connecting Across Differences workshop with faculty from Ecuador's Universidad San Francisco de Quito and other Central and South American universities

6/17/2023 Communication and Collaboration workshops with the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED) students (a College of Engineering program)

6/16/2023 Communication and Collaboration workshops with the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED) students (a College of Engineering program)

6/14/2023 Online Communicating Science Intensive with Virginia Tech's Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows and Research and Innovation Scholars

6/12/2023 Communicating Science workshop with STEER students (a Department of Chemistry National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program, Students Transforming Energy and Environmental Research)

6/11/2023 "How to Effectively Communicate Research" at the 2023 In Vitro Biology Conference in Norfolk, VA

6/5/2023 Communicating Science workshop with the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) students (a Fralin Life Sciences Institute training program)

5/29/2023 Communicating Science workshop with STEER students (a Department of Chemistry National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program, Students Transforming Energy and Environmental Research)

5/19/2023 Communicating Science Intensive with Virginia Tech's Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows and Research and Innovation Scholars

5/15/2023  Superhero Clubhouse "environment lab," a professional development workshop for Center for Communicating Science community members

5/3/2023  Community Kaleidoscope workshop for the Mid-Atlantic PREP and IMSD Research Symposium

4/26/2023 Science on Tap, New River Valley (Gates Palissery, Carol Davis, Tammie Sarver, Bethany Bookout, Emily Reed: Get Outside! Nature Based Education and Civic Engagement)

4/7/2023 Introduction to Communicating Science workshop for visiting Virginia Commonwealth University McNair Scholars

4/6/2023  Science Storytelling workshop for Professional Development and Ethics course, Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health program

4/4/2023 Learning to Listen and Listening to Learn workshop for the graduate student program Mastering Your Future

3/30/2023  Distilling Your Message workshop for Roanoke College

3/28/2023 Introduction to Improvisation for Scientists workshop for Graduate Student Week

3/24/2023 Communicating Across Differences workshop for ACC Meeting of the Minds conference

3/22/2023 Science on Tap, New River Valley (Camilla Hughes: There's No Getting Over It, You Owe Your Life to an Ovary)

3/17/2023 Introduction to Communicating Science workshop for visiting East Tennessee State University McNair Scholars

2/22/2023 Science on Tap, New River Valley (Frankie Edwards: Health Care Research in Harm Reduction)

2/14/2023 Connecting Across Differences workshop for the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry's Global Women Breakfast

2/9/2023 ComSciCon-Virginia Tech 2023 Pop-talk workshop with former Nutshell Games winners Viverjita Umashankar, Jennifer Appiah-Kubi, and Jatia Mills

2/8/2023 The Nutshell Games

2/8/2023 Introduction to Communicating Science workshop for John Matson Lab and visiting scholar collaborators from Israel, part 2

2/7/2023 ComSciCon-Virginia Tech 2023 workshop, Once Upon a Time: Turning Science Into Stories with Dr. Deb Carr

2/7/2023 Leadership Presence: Strengthening Person-to-Person Communication Skills workshop for Minorities in Agriculture and Natural Resources Related Sciences 

2/6/2023 ComSciCon-Virginia Tech 2023 keynote address, Recognizing Science: Anti-racist Science Communication with Dr. Cana Uluak Itchuaqiyaq

2/6/2023 Introduction to Communicating Science workshop for John Matson Lab and visiting scholar collaborators from Israel, part 1

1/31/2023 Nutshell Games preparatory workshop

1/25/2023 Science on Tap, New River Valley (Gretchen Matthews: Defending Against Hackers of the Quantum Future) 

1/12/2023 Communicating Science Intensive for Virginia Tech Innovation Campus faculty

1/10/2023 Introduction to Communicating Science Intensive for the Combating Antimicrobial Resistance NSF Research Traineeship program

     

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    Center for Communicating Science - teal and orange logo

    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