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.