Envirobites.org: An Online Science Communication Collaborative for Emerging Science Writers

Abstract:

Many science graduate students and early career professionals are interested in science communication, whether it is to distribute their own work to a broader audience or to make science more accessible to the general public. Tools to enter the field of science communication are not always readily available to graduate students and early career professionals as many science curricula are focused on completing basic science coursework. Envirobites.org (https://envirobites.org/) offers a free online collaborative that provides emerging science writers with the tools to enter the field of science communication. Part of the larger ScienceBites (https://sciencebites.org/) collaborative which includes other *bites sites that cover other topics, envirobites focuses on short written summaries of research in the environmental sciences. Therefore topics can range from impacts of air pollution or climate change to wetlands conservation. Posts are written and published in English, but have also been translated to Spanish by envirobites contributors and to French by authors at Papier-Mâché (https://papiermachesciences.org/), a French online science communication resource.

Since its founding in 2017, envirobites has undergone three cycles of author recruitment and has worked with 90 writers. Currently, there are 45 active writers and posts are published nearly each weekday. In addition to regular contributors, envirobites also works with guest writers and undergraduate and graduate science courses to incorporate science writing into the curriculum. To date, envirobites has produced over 600 posts and reached readers in 212 countries. Many envirobites authors also contribute to other science communication outlets, have received job and fellowship offers that require science communication skills, or organized local science communication workshops for other students, further sharing the knowledge gained through this online collaborative.