SpotOn London Video: Juggling jobs: Balancing a research career with SciComm -- is it a policy issu
Channel: SpotOnLondonPolicy
Date: 11/11/2012

Science communication is rapidly becoming an essential part of any research career. Many funding bodies are now insisting that a portion of the costs allocated to research are spent on communicating findings from the project to the public. But how do researchers find the time to take part in public engagement projects between lab research, grant proposals, teaching, examining and publishing papers? This session will take a look at science communication at all stages of the research career, how it can make you more valuable as a researcher and why it is key to the future of scientific advancement. We will examine the changes in public expectations from science that have arisen in line with online media and explore what this means for scientists in academia and industry.  We will take a look at a number of different projects and show pioneering examples of where policy has changed to enable, and reward, researchers that take part in public engagement activities, but will also identify areas where there is further room for improvement in science policy and support for outreach activities. Includes some discussion of projects including student science magazines, STEM ambassadors and Sense about Science.