A good science presentation

Next week we will focus on how to give a good science presentation, as well as continued work on your audio segment scripts.  To get ready for next week you should:

• Watch this video on Talking Science
• Choose a topic for your 5-minute presentation
• Work with your group on a first draft of your audio project script and bring it to class

Your script should contain a hook in the introduction that will arouse your audience and use the 3-act structure we have talked about in class.

Some audio project research

After a well deserved break we will be jumping back into audio project development when we return to class on March 14th, along with some more discussion of the assessment test.  To prepare for next week you should do the following:

1. Write an approximately 500 word post for your blog related to the topic for your audio project.  The research you do for this post will ideally be of use as you develop your project.
2. Think about possible structure for your audio project.  Your group will spend some time in our next class planning out the scripts for your projects.
3. Select three questions from the assessment test that you would like to discuss in class.  These can be questions on topics that you would like to review, questions that you think did not fairly assess your knowledge of biology, or areas that you think the Department can do a better job covering.
4. Bring your scantron to class.  I will need to collect these from you.

Spring Break is almost here

Just a couple things left to do before we all get a little downtime:

1. Finish the assessment test and get it to me by the end of Monday.  You can put it in my mailbox in the science office or just slide it under my office door.  Bring your copy of the test questions with you to class.
2. Talk to the members of your audio project group about the scope of your project and be ready to present your ideas in class this coming Wednesday.

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

Presentations and videos

We have two primary projects left this semester - your group videos and individual powerpoint presentations.  We will not meet in class this coming Wednesday because of the student research and scholarship symposium going on all day that day, but I would like you to do some preparation for both of these projects prior to our next class on April 6th:

1. Write one blog post on some topic that challenged you on the assessment test.  Use this as an opportunity to learn more about a topic in Biology that you think you should know better.  This post is due on April 1st.
2. Check out the science communication page on our AU wiki, and watch the Talking Science video by April 6th.  There are also lots of other good resources on this page for designing powerpoint and poster presentations.
3. Take notes on two presentations from the CAS symposium on March 30th indicating what you thought was done well and what could be done better.  The talks you critique can be from any discipline - they do not have to be science talks.  Be ready to discuss your observations when we are back in class on April 6th.  You can find the schedule for symposium talks here.
4. Work with your video project to decide on a topic for your project and discuss initial plans.  Be prepared to discuss this on April 6th.

See you at the Symposium.

Get busy recording

Here is a quick reminder of your upcoming assignments:

• Email me a current script/outline/plan for your audio recording by this Friday
• Fill in a title for your project on the google doc sign up page
• Sign up for a time when you need a recorder as well

Audio projects are now due on Wednesday, March 23rd.  You should have all of your needed audio by March 16th and have tried some editing so that we can discuss any technical issues.

Good luck and have a great break.  Check back with the blog over the next week or so as I may throw some reading/listening at you.

Let's start recording some audio

In this week's class we will be touching base briefly about your audio projects and then spending most of our time learning how to tell stories with video.  Tim McCarty from the Journalism/Digital Media Department will be joining us again to conduct a workshop on camera technique.

You should come to class with a script for your audio project.  And when you are ready to record some audio use this link to reserve a time with one of our TEAC recorders.  I will post a short video soon showing how to record and download your video to a computer.  You'll find that the TEAC's are very easy to use.

Our assessment test will be available on Angel for you to take soon.  This will include 75 multiple choice questions and you will need to complete it by midnight on Tuesday, March 15th.

Story structure analysis, planning audio projects

Script from Office Hours

In this week's class we will take some time to talk more about story structure and plan for your audio projects.  To prepare for class:

• Choose one of the class blog posts from the past week that you think did a good job of following the three act story telling structure we talked about in class (do not pick your post).  Take notes on how that specific post followed this story structure and be ready to share this information with the class on Wednesday.  Your notes should explain how each act is reflected in that post.  I will not collect these in class, but be sure they are detailed enough for you to walk the class through the post you are analyzing.
• Work with your audio project partner to come up with your project idea, or at least develop a short list of ideas.  Be ready to share this in Wednesday's class.
• If you have not emailed me with the name of your audio project partner, add this information to the audio project sign-up google document using the link that I emailed to you.

I would like to push the final audio project due date to after spring break - March 16th.  We will talk more about the technical aspects of doing this project in this week's class.

Blogs by AU biology grads

A handful of our biology alums have made a valiant effort to maintain their science blogs or start new blogs after graduating from AU.  Here are a couple to check out and encourage:

• Successors of Solomon
• En route to Professional Gas Passing

And while you are at it you may want to add AU's new environmental science blog to your Google Reader accounts.

New posts and planning your audio projects

Storyboard panel by Jay Hosler
for Office Hours.

I hope that today's discussion with Jay Hosler and Tim McCarty provided some background for thinking about story structure in your writing.  As I mentioned in class, we will not be meeting next week since a number of us will be in Columbus presenting research posters at the Statehouse.  But I have some assignments for you nonetheless:

• Add a new post to your blog that uses the three act structure we talked about today, and that Randy Olson describes in chapter 3 of his book.  As you think about this classic story-telling structure, see if your first post used it, and whether the science blogs you read utilize this structure.  Your new post should be between 300 and 500 words and once again convey something in science.
• Identify the person you will collaborate with on your audio project.  Ideally you will be working in pairs, but if needed you can work in groups of three.  Four is too many.  Email me if you need help identifying a partner/partners.
• Once you have an audio project collaborator, think about potential topics for a one-minute audio segment.  What ideas/information do you want to convey?  How will you do it?  What will be the structure of your segment?  What is the story?  Perhaps you could use our list of what biologists should know to find a general area of interest, but then you will need to focus in on specific content? Is there an interview you could line up?  A faculty member on campus, or a scientist somewhere else?  Phone interview?  Your goal for this week is to develop ideas for potential projects.  Next week we will focus on fine-tuning those ideas into something more concrete.  Your audio segment will be due March 2nd.
• As always keep on eye on your Google Reader account and this blog.  You may find some good project ideas by keeping tuned into the science blogosphere.  And keep commenting on each other's posts (and posts from blogs in the real world if you dare).

Want to hear how your audio compares?

Here is a sample of the re-mix submissions I received.  As you listen to them think about how the edits change the story being told.  For the next few weeks one of our topics of discussion will be story structure.

• 1
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Science blogs as a communication tool

Kevin Zelnio has a great editorial on his Deep-Sea News blog on the value of blogs and other social media for engaging non-scientists with science.  His comments tie directly into the ideas we have discussed in class and are worth reading.

Seriously though . . .

if you are heading off to graduate school next year or thinking about it for the future you should check out a free guide from the journal Science about career steps from undergraduate degree through post-doctoral positions.

You will need to sign up for Science's free career service when you request the booklet.

Thinking about graduate school?