Training the Next Generation in Public Writing

Abstract:

The educational journey most science students experience in their undergraduate careers takes them from a place of general understanding to becoming immersed in their majors in a few short years. Over time their academic cohort narrows as their coursework and research experience pushes them to deeper understanding in their selected field. Students acquire the precise language and communication skills necessary for professionally communicating research in their field through conference posters, talks, and research papers. However, a skill set that is often omitted from their training is how to write on their research for a public audience.

Here I present an undergraduate course offering focused on engaging students in the practice of public writing. The structure of this course was based on the Calderwood Seminars in Public Writing (https://www.wellesley.edu/economics/faculty/lindauer/cspw), and the course development was supported by a grant from the Calderwood Charitable Foundation to the Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon. The course, entitled ‘Chasing Planets,’ was focused on planetary science, but the learning outcomes and structure of the course are topically independent and can be adapted for a wide range of fields relevant to the AGU community. This presentation will outline the teaching pedagogy, virtual classroom implementation and engagement with students, and reflect on the outcomes and lessons learned on this new course development.

The benefit of the course extended beyond the science students as several majors were far from the natural sciences, indicating the importance and impact of teaching public writing courses in the sciences for non-scientists as well. As much scientific public writing is performed in collaboration with journalists who may not have scientific training, these communication skills are all the more valuable for the next generation of scientists and public writers, and a mixed major class may enhance the experience.