This past spring, scientists, journalists, and policy makers from around the country came together at this year’s annual science communication conference, Science Talk 2025, which took place both online and in Raleigh, North Carolina. Virginia Tech’s Center for Communicating Science was well represented and made exciting contributions to this year’s theme of Science with Society. The theme centered around the importance of “ecosystem building” by bringing together the various areas of science communication — whether through workshops, research, or outreach programs — to solve problems and benefit society.

    Co-director of research at the Center for Communicating Science and assistant professor of applied theatre, Jon Catherwood-Ginn, started off the center’s contributions to the conference on March 24th by facilitating an online workshop titled “Improv Skills for Science Communicators.” The workshop centered around using storytelling, movement, and role-play — all elements of improv theatre — as a way to foster a reciprocal and collaborative relationship between science communicators and the public. Catherwood-Ginn, who later attended the conference in person, commented, "I learned a lot at SciTalk! One theme under discussion was what it will take to create a more sustainable, resilient science communication community."

Image contains details about the workshop, sponsors for the event, and a photo of Jon, the facilitator.
CCS's Jon Catherwood-Ginn facilitated an improv workshop for science communicators at this year's Science Talk conference.

    Conference participants also learned about Virginia Tech’s ecosystem of science communication through a panel discussion on SciTalk’s online platform. The panel, moderated by Carrie Kroehler, associate director of the Center for Communicating Science, generated audience questions for all panelists. Panelists discussed the breadth of the university’s communicating science ecosystem, which includes the graduate-level communicating science course, the graduate certificate program in policy for STEM students, the university’s active outreach programs, and other university-wide collaborations. The panel featured perspectives from various roles in the Virginia Tech community, including:

  • Patricia Raun, director of the Center for Communicating Science,
  • Todd Schenk, chair and director of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning,
  • Phyllis Newbill, associate director of the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts, and
  • Amy Hagen, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geosciences and member of the Science on Tap organizing committee.

    The in-person portion of the conference not only emphasized the importance of coming together as a community of science communicators, but embodied it, too, according to Virginia Tech participants. 

    "It was a very welcoming conference,” said Mika Pagani, a Ph.D. student in entomology at Virginia Tech. “There were sessions in which the importance of working in communities and building partnerships and collaborations was discussed — and the conference itself created an environment for that kind of community-building." 

    A recurring sub-theme of the in-person session revolved around the ways to incentivize the practice of science communication in academia. In a culture where time and resources are often limited, efforts toward publishing peer-reviewed papers and presenting at conferences — all important metrics for success in academia — are often prioritized over efforts to reach broader, non-academic audiences. As a result, academics miss out on opportunities to share their research with the public, and the public must wait for the science to reach them in other ways.

    This year, conference participants pointed out that it was possible for both scientists and the public to benefit at the same time. 

    “Several folks shared that they turn their public engagement pieces into more 'academic' products like posters or flash talks — something that is more recognizable on a CV [curriculum vitae],” said Maria DeNunzio, a recent Ph.D. graduate of the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise at Virginia Tech.

Image includes a poster titled "Seven Successful years of a Community-Centered Science Outreach Program".
CCS graduate students Maria DeNunzio and Amy Hagen presented a poster on the Science on Tap New River Valley outreach program as part of the science communication "ecosystem" at Virginia Tech.

    In fact, DeNunzio and co-author Amy Hagen, who had also served on the panel, presented a poster on how Science on Tap New River Valley does just that. The monthly outreach program features engaging and interactive talks provided by scientists from the New River Valley community. Not only does this program give speakers the opportunity to practice sharing their research in a fun and accessible manner (as well as a public-facing talk that can be listed on their CVs), it also gives audience members an opportunity to learn something new and to see scientists as members of the community.

    “At the conference, we also discussed power structures and how senior leadership needs to legitimize and incentivize this work for people with less career stability,” DeNunzio said. “Concurrently, academia needs new ideas and fresh perspectives, and these often come from folks earlier in their careers.” 

    Science Talk, created by the Association of Science Communicators (ASC), began as a small group of science communicators in 2015. Since then, ASC has grown into a hub for the science communication community where everyone — from early career scientists and outreach professionals to park interpreters and podcasters — is welcome, according to the organization’s website. More information about the non-profit group and the annual conference can be found online at ​​https://www.associationofsciencecommunicators.org.

By Sara Teemer Richards, Center for Communicating Science editorial specialist