A collage. From top left, clockwise: a screenshot of the communicating and engaging with science minor, a screenshot of the CCS YouTube, the front cover of Getting at the Heart of Science, a screenshot from xkcd's Simple Writer, a screenshot from the National Academies' Misinformation portal, a screenshot of a public engagement with science brief, and the front cover of Science Communication for Scientists
A collage showing a selection of the new resources on the Center for Communicating Science's Resources page. Image composite by Bria Weisz for Virginia Tech.

Despite the freezing weather outside, spring cleaning came early at the Center for Communicating Science! For us, that means revisiting our website. Specifically, we've updated our Resources page to better reflect the various resources offered by the CCS, Virginia Tech, and externally.

    We list many books on writing, presenting, and improvisation that have informed our work over time under “Center for Communicating Science Resources,” but we’re always learning and growing our own skills! As a result, our reading list has grown to include Faith Kearns’s terrific guide Getting to the Heart of Science Communication and the 2025 Science Communication for Scientists: Linking Strategy with Creativity, Practice, and Respect (by Laura Lindenfeld, John C. Besley, Xia ZHeng, Anthony Dudo, and Todd P. Newman). Both books are valuable to science communicators looking to learn more about writing, presenting, and connecting with communities.

     We highlight the various playlists on our YouTube channel in a new section under that “Center for Communicating Science Resources” heading, called “Innovation in action: Video resources,” including topics such as science communication best practices and science-art collaborations. You’ll also find science education resources in our “K-12 (and beyond!) education” section, including science videos appropriate for early elementary school kids and the Nutshell Games videos, useful for middle and high schoolers.

    Looking for credit-earning courses? “Virginia Tech Resources” includes lists of relevant communicating science courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Communicating science-related offerings at the university have expanded over the past few years, and we’ve tried to capture the most relevant coursework. Both graduate and undergraduate courses on the lists span several of Virginia Tech’s colleges — you may even learn about a course offered in your own department! Of course, we couldn’t have left out a mention of the new Communicating and Engaging with Science minor open to undergraduates.

    In our “External Resources” section, you’ll find lots of websites with tools for crafting approachable and engaging language. Our newest additions are the Long Term Ecological Research Network’s framework for great public engagement with science and XKCD’s Simple Writer. The former offers short briefs that outline the qualities of great public engagement with science, and the latter highlights words that are not one of the 1,000 most common English words, allowing you to determine where your writing may need more accessible language. These additions to our external resources complement longstanding offerings such as SciLine, which connects scientists with journalists, and the CDC’s clear communication index.

    If you haven’t checked out our Resources page yet, now is the time. It is chock-full of websites, book titles, and Virginia Tech offerings — even if you are a seasoned science communicator, you are bound to find something new!

By Bria Weisz, Center for Communicating Science graduate assistant