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Science Outreach & Communication Initiative

The Jefferson College of Life Sciences (JCLS) and the Graduate Student Association (GSA) are dedicated to providing well-rounded experiences and professional development opportunities to the JCLS community, as well as the extended Jefferson community. The research conducted by JCLS students is both important and inspiring. These research studies may profoundly influence the lives of friends and families, as well as policy-makers, school-age youth, taxpayers, future employers, and other constituencies. However, in an effort to become disciplined in communicating with peers, scientists can be caught up in jargon — subsequently losing the capacity to share compelling research with scientists outside of their discipline, as well as with the general public.

To help in these efforts to improve the communication of scientific research by JCLS students to a general audience, the GSA coordinated the first Jefferson 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition for JCLS PhD students in the spring of 2019. Later that year, the GSA partnered with JCLS, the Department of Marketing and Communications, and the Office of Professional Writing, Publishing, and Communication to host a year-long series of monthly workshops, devoted to developing science communication skills and inspiring a passion for science outreach. In the fall of 2023, the series switched to a "do-it-yourself" model, where students, postdocs, faculty, or staff could participate in science communication activities at Jefferson or elsewhere. By attending, presenting, or organizing these events, participants can earn points towards a digital badge through Credly. The digital badge contains metadata specific to each participant and links to deliverables. The badge can be listed on resumes and online profiles to showcase the attainment of science communication skills.

All scientists have a responsibility to communicate their work in a way that ensures the audience understands their research, elaborate its benefits, contributes to the growing body of scientific knowledge, and advocates for advancement support. The ability to convey new and complex research developments — whether person-to-person or through multi-channel social media platforms — is a skill that must be actively cultivated and refined by all.

More information is available by emailing SciCommSeries@jefferson.edu.

The 2024-2025 Science Communication Series micro-credential recognizes Jeffersonians for expanding their communication skills and knowledge, by attending science communication events whether at Jefferson or elsewhere. Points will be awarded for attending, helping to organize, or delivering presentations at events that expand science communication skills. A total of 12 points from the Fall semester until the end of June will merit the micro-credential.

To participant and receive points:
Contact the Science Communication Series at SciCommSeries@jefferson.edu and sign up. Each time you participate in a science communication event, let us know if you attended, organized, or delivered science content at it. It does not have to be at Jefferson, but please send us a description of the event and your role.

Attendance: 1 point
Organizing event: 3 points
Delivering content (speaker/moderator): 3 points

2024-2025 Science Communication Opportunities

The 2023-2024 Science Communication Series micro-credential recognized Jeffersonians for expanding their communication skills and knowledge, by attending science communication events whether at Jefferson or elsewhere. Points were awarded for attending (1 point), organizing (3 points), deliverying presentations (3 points), or moderating a session (3 points) at science communication events. A total of 12 points from the Fall semester until the end of June merited the micro-credential.

2023-2024 Science Communication Opportunities

Full Series Workshop Schedule

BioRender 101 (12/7/22)

JCLS Science Slam Introduction & Training (1/19/23)

There are no supplemental materials for this session.

Research as Art Reception (1/26/23)

Discussion & Keynote with Dr. Britt Wray (1/31/23)

BioRender 201 (2/15/23)

BioRender 301 (3/15/23)

Science Editing and Reviewing Basics (3/16/23)

JCLS Science Slam at Venture Cafe (3/23/23)

BizBio Sci Comm Career Panel (5/22/23)

Full Series Workshop Schedule

Writing for the General Public (11/30/21)

There are no supplemental materials for this presentation.

How to Make a Better Poster (1/26/22)

Science Communication Career Panel (2/14/22)

Science on Social Media (3/25/22)

Arts-Informed Research (4/13/22)

Science Advocacy (5/5/22)

Presentation Skills (5/9/22)

3-Minute Thesis Competition (TBD)

Full Series Workshop Schedule

Kick-off Presentation (10/1/20)

Science Communication Career Panel (10/27/20)

How to Write Better Abstracts (11/12/20)

How to Design a Graphical Abstract (12/08/20)

How to Write About Research for a General Audience (01/12/21)

How to Design a "Better Poster" (02/18/21)

Social Media for Researchers (03/11/21)

Animate Your Science (04/08/21)

Full Series Workshop Schedule

Science Communication Series Kick-off Presentation (9/25/19)

Career Panel Discusion (10/10/19)

Animate Your Science (11/6/19)

Why Twitter is Good for Your Career (12/3/19)

Science Writing 101 (1/16/20)

Podcasting Workshop (2/11/20)

3-Minute Thesis Training (3/13/20)

Pitching a Science Article (4/30/20)

3-Minute Thesis (5/8/20)

Science Advocacy (5/21/20)

Three Minute Thesis Competition

PhD students around the world dedicate years of effort to their thesis project which they defend to their thesis committee before earning their degree. However, this thesis is - by-design - only digestible to people in the student's direct field of study.

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an international competition challenging students to present their thesis in three minutes with one PowerPoint slide and no animation to a general audience. The GSA coordinates a 3MT Competition for our PhD students. There are preliminary heats and then a final competition with non-specialized judges and cash prizes for the first, second, and third prize winners. By participating in the 3MT, students cultivate communication skills critical for scientific presentations, and writing papers, grants, and articles, as well as future job opportunities.

Science Communication: Maiken’s "Scott" the Answers

Science Communication & Outreach Opportunities

Let us know if you do any science communication and outreach.

We love hearing what JCLS students are up to - GSA@jefferson.edu

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