PHYS/ASTR Colloquium: "Sharing Our Science: Challenges and Opportunities in Communicating STEM" - Prof. Brandon Brown (University of San Francisco)

San Francisco State University

Physics & Astronomy Colloquium Series

Monday, February 5, 2024

Thornton Hall 411, 3:30 PM

Sharing Our Science: Challenges and Opportunities in Communicating STEM

Prof. Brandon Brown (University of San Francisco)

This talk aims to explore twin universal concerns in communicating scientific work, for any audience. For one, we will describe and demonstrate elements of craft: distilled, actionable lessons from professional writers translated and applied to the unique challenges we face in relaying complex technical projects. These elements include familiar obstacles like jargon but also less familiar opportunities like basic narrative tension. For another, we will explore calibration: research from cognitive science and human brain evolution can serve us well in considering our audiences with savvy compassion. In sum, the talk seeks to improve the clarity, impact, and persuasive power of our work, with hopes of benefitting scientists and scientific staff at any stage of their careers.