As part of COSEE's commitment to "serve as a window to ideas, information, and resources that connect and celebrate ocean sciences teaching, learning, and scientific discovery at all levels", many Centers have developed training opportunities for researchers to help them better communicate their science. Such professional development is a rarity given that scientists’ traditional role is typically limited to delivering content.
COSEE scientist training includes:
- Tools and techniques for deconstructing complex science
- Sharing research effectively and addressing barriers to participation
- Programs on topics related to broader impacts and engagement
- Planning and preparing presentations that communicate messages more clearly and effectively
COSEE professional development opportunities consist of conferences, workshops, and forums.
COSEE Highlights
The Be Inclusive workshops introduced tools and techniques to help research scientists communicate their science, addressed preconceptions towards science with an eye toward communicating information to various audiences, and identified the positive factors that research indicates support success in STEM.
COSEE Ocean Learning Communities, in collaboration with Washington Sea Grant, developed this series of one day conferences, workshops and programs on topics related to broader impacts, engagement and communicating science to broader audiences.
The Gears workshops explore a variety of communication techniques organized into four interconnected areas: Deconstruct Your Science, Understand How People Learn, Build Effective Communication Techniques, and Broaden the Reach of Your Science. Attendees participate in hands-on activities focused on learning how people understand science, sharing their message with a non-science audience, and constructing broader impact statements.
COSEE Florida's Presentation Boot Camp provides training in preparing presentations that communicate messages clearly and effectively while creating a lasting impact on audiences. Topics include knowing and identifying the needs of the audience, highlighting big ideas and take-home messages, decoding complex concepts with diagrams, and displaying data in meaningful ways.
The primary purpose of COSEE SouthEast's Research Educator Exchange Forum is to provide professional development and establish communities of practice composed of scientists, educators and communication professionals who share the common goal of broadly disseminating ocean science research.
