Integrating SciComm in the Classroom and Beyond

Marleah Dean Kruzel, PhD¹; Arianna E. Brito, MS³; Alicia Dahl, PhD, MS²; Julia Lechuga, PhD, MA⁴; Crystal Y. Lumpkins, PhD⁵; Lisa Cadmus-Bertram, PhD⁶ - The Public Education Committee

Many academics want to make an impact on improving health but are unsure how to effectively communicate their research with the public that is accessible and impactful. When they do, their messages are often filled with jargon, focus heavily on research design, and stop short of offering actionable steps. One way for academics to address this is to engage in science communication (“SciComm”).  

SciComm is the practice of sharing one’s research with the public. SBM’s Public Education Committee (PEC) is dedicated to supporting members’ ability to share their work with the public in order to improve the public’s access to behavioral science. Below, we list our SciComm Toolkit available for SBM members and its many resources which guide and support their SciComm efforts.

• Social Media Guide 
• Guide to Op-Eds 
• Using Infographics 
• Engaging with Community 
• Connecting with the Media 
• Search Engine Optimization  
• Combatting Misinformation 
• Professional Value 

Beyond reaching SBM members with our toolkit, PEC has seen an increase in requests for guidance around the integration of SciComm training in teaching. This is an important strategy to prepare the next generation with skills to do SciComm well and improve health communication across communities. 

Course Design & Syllabus

First, faculty can be intentional about advocating for science communication coursework across program levels. In some curricula, this might be offered as a 3-credit hour core or elective course, or a 1-credit hour professional development course for graduate students. If adding a new course to the schedule rotation seems unreachable, consider a learning module within an existing course where there may be transferable SciComm skills. For example, a course on health education or community engagement may benefit from a learning module where SciComm best practices are taught. In any format, learning objectives and assignments would ideally provide application opportunities so that the practice of SciComm and feedback on products is part of the training. Even the most skilled SciCommers find room to grow!

Engaging with Community

At the core of science communication is the purpose of translating abstract concepts and scientific findings into relatable, understandable and in some cases actionable information. This purpose of the field then speaks to the importance of not only translating important scientific breakthroughs and outcomes through traditional means (e.g. disseminating through mass media, etc.) but gives students the opportunity to observe or participate in community-engaged health communication that is focused on improving bi-directional communication between scientists and those communities who may benefit. Hands-on experiences that students may benefit from could include analyzing or participating in co-designed health communication materials that are a result of research studies and or findings.  These could be in the form of public-facing research briefs and/or stories. Ultimately, engaging with communities should be an opportunity for instructors, students and community members, allowing all parties involved to gain perspectives that allow for shared understanding of important scientific research and findings.

Mentorship

Beyond the classroom, one-on-one mentoring emerges as a highly effective yet underused method for developing SciComm skills. Trainees mainly learn to communicate science through observation, practice, and feedback from their advisors, often undervaluing this influence. A study involving doctoral and postdoctoral mentees showed that those whose mentors attended a single evidence-based coaching workshop on scientific communication displayed increased engagement in speaking and informal discussions, a stronger scientific identity, and were less inclined to leave research due to communication issues, effects that persisted six months post-workshop.¹ Mentors don't need to be expert communicators; the National Academies' report on STEMM mentorship highlights simple, low-effort strategies such as setting clear communication expectations early, offering specific, constructive feedback, and creating regular, low-pressure practice opportunities that embed these habits into ongoing mentoring rather than isolated events.² Near-peer mentoring can further enhance this process: in a cancer research training program, undergraduate and graduate peer mentors helped translate complex research for junior trainees and were rated as highly relatable models of scientific communication and research career pathways by trainees.³ When faculty incorporate these small, consistent interactions into daily mentoring instead of reserving SciComm for special workshops or assignments, they help students see public communication as an integral part of their scientific identity, rather than an optional add-on. 

SciComm Resources and Tools  

Integrating science communication into the classroom is easier than ever with the wide range of accessible tools available at our fingertips. Rather than relying on specialized software, instructors should encourage students to use familiar platforms such as Canva, Piktochart, PowerPoint, Flourish, and Datawrapper to create clear, compelling communication products. These tools pair well with instructional content from SBM’s Science Communication Toolkit, The OPEN Notebook, and the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, all of which offer rich collections of readings, examples, and training materials. A strong foundation also comes from analyzing real-world examples across formats: infographics and data visualization (Information is Beautiful), online articles (The Conversation), and public presentations (TedTalks). Together, these resources make it easy for instructors and students to deepen their science communication skills through exploration, critique, and hands-on creation.  

If you are looking to integrate SciComm in your classrooms and beyond, stay tuned! The PEC will launch our newest SciComm Toolkit product focused on teaching SciComm in the spring.

Affiliations:

1. Department of Communication, University of South Florida; Health Outcomes & Behavior Program, Moffitt Cancer Center; Tampa General Cancer Institute 
2. Department of Public Health and Health Administration, University of North Carolina at Charlotte 
3. Department of Public Health Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 
4. Department of Psychology, Hunter College, The City University of New York, New York, NY 
5. Department of Communication, University of Utah; Cancer Control and Populations Sciences Program, Huntsman Cancer Institute 
6. Department of Kinesiology, University of Wisconsin - Madison 

References:

1. Cameron, C., Lee, H. Y., Anderson, C. B., Dahlstrom, E. K., & Chang, S. (2024). Helping mentors address scientific communication in STEM research training helps their mentees stay the course. International Journal of STEM Education, 11(1), Article 40. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-024-00497-0 
2. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2019). The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25568 
3. Huerta, J. J., Figuracion, M. T., Vazquez-Cortes, A., Hanna, R. R., Hernandez, A. C., Benitez, S. B., Sipelii, M. N., Brooks, T. C., ZuZero, D. T., Iopu, F. M. R. V., Romero, C. R., Chavez, A., Shugerman, S. R., Shannon, J., & Marriott, L. (2022). Interprofessional near-peer mentoring teams enhance cancer research training: Sustainable approaches for biomedical workforce development of historically underrepresented students. Journal of STEM Outreach, 5(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.15695/jstem/v5i2.10