I appreciated having had the opportunity to discuss our breakout topics with people with different areas of experience
Jessica X. Wright-Lichter, 2021 workshop participant
The Communicating Scientific Knowledge series of workshops (three stand-alone, but related workshops)
Overview
Scientists need to communicate their research, but effective communication is rarely taught in science courses. Like any other skill, communicating science is best learned and refined through practice, feedback and critique, and more practice. The three workshops in the Communicating Scientific Knowledge series introduce participants to three key types of formal scientific communcation: writing abstracts, creating and delivering posters, and creating and giving oral presentations. Participating in one or more of these intensive, hands-on workshops will provide you with practical and effective pointers and tools that you can use to develop your skills in communicating the exciting results of your research.
The three workshops in the Communicating Scientific Knowledge series are:
- Fundamentals of Writing Abstracts
- Creating Scientific Posters
- Crafting Oral Presentations
These workshops can be taken alone in any order or as a set of three.
Descriptions of the workshops
Fundamentals of Writing Abstracts
This two-hour workshop focuses on writing abstracts for technical reports, journal articles, and books, and workshops, synthesis groups, meetings and conferences. This workshop is open to anyone interested in learning formal skills of writing scientific research. If you are currently working on a research project or plan to present your work in the near future, you will be able to immediately apply the skills you will learn in this workshop.
The topics covered in this workshop include the value of an abstract and what others expect from it; identifying the key elements of your research project or program; and summing up your work in 200 words (or less). During the workshop, participants will have opportunities write a draft abstract and receive constructive feedback on it.
Creating Scientific Posters
This two-hour workshop is a hands-on introduction to creating posters for meetings, symposia, and conferences. This workshop is open to anyone interested in learning the formal skills of crafting a scientific research poster. If you are currently working on a research project or plan to present your work in the near future, you will be able to immediately apply the skills you will learn in this workshop.
The topics covered in this workshop include: Understanding your audience; getting your message seen and understood; and the elements of a successful poster. During the workshop, participants will have opportunities to create a draft poster and receive constructive feedback on it.
Crafting Oral Presentations
This two-hour workshop focuses on crafting oral presentations for meetings, conferences, symposia, workshops, and synthesis groups. This workshop is open to anyone interested in learning formal skills of putting together a scientific presentation. If you are currently working on a research project or plan to present your work in the near future, you will be able to immediately apply the skills you will learn in this workshop.
The topics covered in this workshop include types of oral presentations and talks; creating oral presentations based on your audience; and elements of an engaging talk.
When will they be offered?
Each of the three Communicating Scientific Knowledge workshops will be offered in 2023. Please check back in early 2023 for more information.
How do I register?
Registration will be managed by Eventbrite. Please check back in early 2023 for details on how to register.
The Data Analysis Workflow series of workshops (three stand-alone, but related workshops)
Overview
Scientists make observations, conduct experiments, and collect data in very different ways, and all of these data need to be visualized and analyzed. General principles of and tools for data visualization and analysis transcend individual disciplines and specific studies. The three workshops in the Data Analysis Workflow series introduce participants to three important elements of the data visualization and analysis pipeline: principles of scientific computation, exploratory graphics and data visualization, and data management and archiving. Participating in one or more of these intensive, hands-on workshops will provide you with a clearer understanding of methods and software tools you will can use to work up and publish your data now.
The three workshops in the Data Analysis Workflow series are:
- Introduction to Scientific Computation
- Fundamentals of Data Visualization
- Basics of Data Management
These workshops can be taken alone in any order or as a set of three.
Descriptions of the workshops
Introduction to Scientific Computation
This two-hour workshop introduces concepts of object-oriented programming and current open-source platforms and tools for implementing reproducible analysis. Having these concepts and tools in hand as you embark on your research project will let you immediately apply the skills you will learn in this workshop.
The topics covered in this workshop include the basics of object-oriented programming; writing clean clode; and an introduction to useful tools such as Julia, Python, R, markdown, and Jupyter notebooks. During the workshop, participants will have opportunities to download and use the tools, work through structured assignments, and receive constructive feedback on them.
Fundamentals of Data Visualization
This two-hour workshop introduces concepts essential for informative and accurate illustration and presentation of scientific data. Having these concepts and skills in hand as you embark on your research project will let you immediately apply the skills you will learn in this workshop.
The topics covered in this workshop include: Exploratory graphics for recognizing patterns in your data; essential elements of accurate, interpretable, and reproducible graphics, and an overview of key software tools for data visualization. During the workshop, participants will have opportunities to use the tools to create data visualizations and receive constructive feedback on them.
Basics of Data Management
This two-hour workshop focuses on how to manage and archive Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (“FAIR”) data that can be used and assessed by other scientists. This workshop is open to anyone interested in learning the FAIR principles and how to manage and publicly archive their own data. Because most peer-reviewed journals now require that the data used and analyzed in any manuscript is publicly archived, you will be able to immediately apply the skills you will learn in this workshop.
The topics covered in this workshop include: Why reproducibility matters for science and how everyone can be a part of and contribute to the culture of “open science”; an introduction to the FAIR principles and why they matter; and how to access and fairly use archived data and how to archive your own data. During the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to organize and document a dataset so that it conforms to the FAIR standards and receive constructive feedback on process of data documentation and archiving.
When will they be offered?
Each of the three Data Analysis Workflow workshops will be offered in 2023. Please check back in early 2023 for more information.
How do I register?
Registration will be managed by Eventbrite. Please check back in early 2023 for details on how to register.
Writing Research Proposals (one-session workshop)
In development… Details coming soon!
Sound Solutions for Sustainable Science 