The Pitch

For this coming week's class be ready to give a pitch for your radio segment idea.  You will have up to one minute to explain your idea and to try and convince the class that it should be produced.  Look over the Olson book section on elevator pitches and storytelling as you lay out how you will present your idea.  Think about what science could be presented, what interviews and/or audio could be included, and what would be engaging about your story.

As a class we will select 3-4 of the ideas and then split into production groups to start working on them.

UPDATE
You should also be ready to share with the class the critique you did of one of your classmate's blog posts, and how it followed the 3-act structure discussed in class.

Storytelling structure and radio project prep

Freelance reporter Gretchen Cuda,
our next class visitor

No new blog posts required for this week (but feel free to add one if you like), but I do have some reading, listening and thinking for you to do for next week's course:

• Read over your fellow students' posts from this past week and see how well they fit the 3-act structure you read about in Olson's book, and that we talked about in class this week.  Pick at least one post that used 3-act structure and take notes on how it did so.
• Listen to some science radio segments on NPR's website.  Look for stories that are about 3-4 minutes in length, like those played on All Things Considered or Morning Edition.  Think about the structure of these stories as you listen to them.  Do they follow 3-act structure?  Do they have interviews?  What sound effects are used?
• In preparation for our visit next week by Gretchen Cuda, check out her profile on LinkedIn.  Also listen to her radio segments on allergy treatments and kids' sugar cravings, and herbal relaxation drinks.  You can search the NPR or WCPN sites for additional samples.
• Start brainstorming some ideas for your own radio segments and bring your thoughts and notes to class.

Time for some science stories

Over the next week I would like you to write a new post for your blog that presents something scientific for a non-science audience.  Use this assignment to practice some of the techniques we talked about in class today, as well as advice from Randy Olson's book, pages 81-118.  This chapter covers storytelling.  You can choose any science related topic you like, and your post should be approximately 500 words in length.

At the bottom of your post include a paragraph reflecting on how you incorporated the ideas we have talked about or you have read about for presenting science.

There are two more things I would like you to do for next week:

1. Add some science blogs to your Google Reader account, including the new course blogs.  You can find Google Reader under the "More" tab on any Google page.
2. Add at least one comment to a post from one of the three course blogs.  Feel free to also leave comments on any science blog posts you read over the week.  This will leave a hyperlink back to your own blog, and will generate some traffic.

Let the blogging begin

www.flickr.com/photos/martincanchola/3101647834/

Now that you have set up your blogs it's time to add some content.  Before you practice the art of communicating science to the public I would like you to do some exploring on the science blogosphere.  Your assignment for next week is to identify the two best science blogs that you find during the week and add a post to your own blog with links to these sites and descriptions of what you liked about them.  How does each blog handle the tension between accuracy and style that we discussed in class today?

How do you find science blogs?  You can start with the blogroll on the right of this page, and then use the links on successive blogs to find even more.  Be sure that at least one of the blogs you use in your post is not currently on the blogroll to the right.  This is an individual assignment, so each of you should add your own post to your group blogs.

Now for the technical stuff:

• Here is a YouTube video on posting to Blogger.
• Be sure to proof your posts.  There is no reason for typos.
• Use hyperlinks to link directly to other webpages.  The video above will show you how.
• Got questions?  Leave them as a comment below to this post and I will answer them here.  Be sure to check back for the answers.

We will be looking over your posts in next week's class and discussing the following readings:

• Don't Be Such a Scientist pages 49-80
• Pages 26-30 in Deborah Blum's A Field Guide for Science Writers (this was the handout you received in class today)
• A recent post on science writing by prominent science writer Carl Zimmer

Good luck and contact me if you are having technical issues.

Welcome to Senior Seminar

"Why are you here?", you might ask.  Hopefully today will answer all of your burning questions about Bio 495.

Of course the easy answer is this class is required.  But it is required for a reason (we hope).  One purpose for this course is to discuss and practice a vital skill not just for biologists, but really for any professional field - the ability to communicate.  To get us started read the following for next week:

• pages 1-47 in Don't Be Such a Scientist
• this article from the Chronicle on Science Communication

Please also take this Zoomerang survey by the end of this week.  And add at least two items to our Google Docs list of what we think every biologist should know.

And lastly, check out this short video made by Randy Olson, whose book we will be reading this semester:

Wrapping up the semester

With less than three weeks left in the semester I wanted to sum up the projects left for our class:

Video Projects
We will have popcorn and movies for our last class on Wednesday, April 27th.  You will need to submit your video to me before that class, or bring it on a thumb drive that morning.  Because of the size of video files, do not depend on emailing it to yourself.  Next week we will spend some time in class dealing with any technical issues you may be having with your video.

Powerpoint slides
Your individual Powerpoint slides will be due on Friday, April 29th.  You should have 3-5 slides that tell some story about a topic covered in our assessment test that you want to learn more about.  Your slides should be useable for a 5-minute presentation on that topic.  Use this project to practice some of the Powerpoint slide design techniques you have read about or that we have talked about in class.  And remember the story telling tips we have covered in class this semester.

In addition to your slides, you should add a final blog post that describes what you would say if giving a presentation using these slides.  You can use your slides as images in your blog post, or deposit your slides as a Powerpoint file on our course Angel page.

As always, let me know if you have questions.  I can't wait to see your videos.

Start drawing those storyboards

Here is a quick reminder of your assignments for next week's class:

1. Develop the concept for your group video project and be ready to pitch it to the class
2. Start working on your storyboards, which will diagram the shots for your video
3. Read appendix 2 in Randy Olson's book
4. Decide on a topic for your powerpoint slides
5. Read over these "Top Ten Slide Tips"
6. Be sure to read and comment on each other's posts.  And listen to those audio projects

See you Wednesday