EKB Sci-Comm 1 Print

1
Jeffrey Robens, PhD

Editorial Development Manager
Communicating Science to the Public
In collaboration with the Egyptian Knowledge Bank
This content is not to be shared or distributed without the expressed consent of Springer Nature © Springer Nature Limited 2021
2
Who is Springer Nature?
Home of the world’s leading Springer publishes One of the world’s leading
international science academic journals and open access publishers,
journal, Nature (founded in books in all areas of founded in 2000, BMC
1869), Nature Genetics, academic research now publishes around
Nature Cell Biology, Nature including fundamental 300 scientific journals in
Materials, Nature Physics, science, engineering, biology, medicine, and
Nature Communications, mathematics, humanities, beyond, including
Scientific Reports, Scientific social science, economics Genome Biology, BMC
Data and more. and more. Biology & BMC Medicine.
We publish >3000 journals Operational >150 years
3
Be an effective science communicator

You will increase public awareness
and your research impact
What makes a newsworthy story
Understanding public expectations
Properly structuring science stories
4
Benefits of science communication
• Public money (taxes) pays for research

Better informed
• More support for scientific research
public • Improved public/environmental health
Better informed • Control scientific funding!

policymakers • Improved public/environmental health
Improves the visibility of your research

Also improves your and your institute’s reputation
5
Benefits to researchers
https://www.ukri.org/files/legacy/scisoc/rcukbenefitsofpe-pdf/
6
https://www.ukri.org/files/legacy/scisoc/rcukbenefitsofpe-pdf/
7
Newsworthy Stories
Which studies should you share?
8
When should you communicate to the public?
When you have something important to say!
But what is important or relevant to you

may not be interesting for the public
9
Nature’s approach to what makes good news
10
Relevance
News that will affect

people’s lives
E.g., new drugs or climate change
Arturo de FriasThis
Marques / CC
content is BY-SA
not to 4.0
be shared or distributed without the expressed consent of Springer Nature © Springer Nature Limited 2021
11
Interest
Results that are unexpected,

unusual or amazing
Astrophysics and dinosaur

stories often fall in this category
NASA / Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory / Southwest Research Institute / CC0
12
Uniqueness
Firsts make news

E.g., first findings from Mars mission or
first sequence of species genome
NASA/JPL/Cornell
This content is not to be shared or distributed without University,
the expressed consentMaas DigitalNature
of Springer LLC / CC0 © Springer Nature Limited 2021
13
Topical
Research that relates to

emerging or topical news
This/ content
Felipe Esquivel Reed CC BY-SAis4.0
not to be shared or distributed without the expressed consent of Springer Nature © Springer Nature Limited 2021
14
Images
A good picture can sell a

story, or even be the story
ESA/Hubble / CC BY 4.0
15
Consider the general interest of your study
Relevance Unique Images
Interest Topical
16
Let’s look at an example

Wang et al. Nature. 2020; 582: 55–60.
First time a superhydrobic surface was designed that could be used in practical settings
“We suggest that this transparent, mechanically robust, self-cleaning glass could help to negate the dust-contamination
issue that leads to a loss of efficiency in solar cells. Our design strategy could also guide the development of other
materials that need to retain effective self-cleaning, anti-fouling or heat-transfer abilities in harsh operating
environments.”
17

Wang et al. Nature. 2020; 582: 55–60.
Discussed on 12 different news sites

in English, Korean, and Russian
18

Wang et al. Nature. 2020; 582: 55–60.
Why was this newsworthy?

“We suggest that this transparent, mechanically robust,
self-cleaning glass could help to negate the dust-
contamination issue that leads to a loss of efficiency in
solar cells.”
Relevance Solar energy

Affects people’s lives
19

Wang et al. Nature. 2020; 582: 55–60.

“It has therefore been assumed that mechanical robustness
and water repellency are mutually exclusive surface
properties. Here we show that robust superhydrophobicity
can be realized by structuring surfaces at two different
length scales, with a nanostructure design to provide water
repellency and a microstructure design to provide
durability.”
Uniqueness
First time superhydrophobic materials
have shown practical use
20

Wang et al. Nature. 2020; 582: 55–60.

“The ability of superhydrophobic surfaces to stay dry, self-
clean and avoid biofouling is attractive for applications in
biotechnology, medicine and heat transfer1–10.”
Biofouling: accumulation of microorganisms,

plants, algae on wetted surfaces
Topical
Useful for antimicrobial coatings (COVID-19)
21
Topical role emphasized in press release
First two sentences of the press release

“Superhydrophobic surfaces repel water like nothing else. This makes
them extremely useful for antimicrobial coatings - as bacteria, viruses
and other pathogens cannot cling to their surfaces. However…”
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-06/au-swm060120.php
Conclusion in the article

“We used this strategy to create a robust and transparent self-cleaning
topcoat for solar cells. This topcoat enables high energy-conversion
efficiency to be maintained through the passive removal of dust
contamination, which could lead to large savings in terms of freshwater,
labour and cost compared with the traditional cleaning process30…”
Wang et al. Nature. 2020; 582: 55–60.
22
Topical role emphasized in press release
Why did the authors focus on solar cells?

Authors were from:
• University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
• Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering (Finland)
❖ Press release from Aalto University focused on antimicrobial

properties (topical)
❖ When deciding newsworthiness, consider what is most
relevant for the public now
23
Understanding the reader

Public expectations
“How much do you 24
know about science?”
58%
Not much or
nothing at all
https://wellcome.ac.uk/reports/wellcome-global-monitor/2018
“Do you want to know 25
more about science?”
62%
Yes
26
“Does science benefit you?”
69%
Yes
Regional variability
Africa, Latin America, and Eastern
Europe lower than other regions
27
“Do you trust scientists?”
18% High
54% Medium
14% Low
28
The human element
Make your research and your ideas more

approachable to the public
Ian MacKenzie (Flickr: Old Couple) / CC BY 2.0
29
Public attitudes toward science
Public knows science is important, but they

aren’t getting enough information
Importance of science communication
Sage Ross / CC BY-SA 3.0
30
Definition of science communication
“The process of translating complex

science into language and concepts
that are engaging and understandable
to non-scientific audiences.”
Mercer-Mapston & Kuchel. Int J Sci Ed B. 2017; 7: 181-201.
31
Structuring a science story

Engaging the public
32
Know your readers

• Other researchers
• Lay public
• Policymakers
• Educators
What do they
want to know?
What do you want

to tell them?
33
Understanding your readers
What are the important questions regarding your topic?
It’s not about what you think they should know
It’s about what they want to know
34
We just discussed this…
Solar cells
Antimicrobial surfaces
People will only read the story if it’s interesting to them
35
Make your research interesting
Scoping Planning
Framing
36
What are the current opinions?
Scoping Planning
Framing
37
Scoping
What is currently being said about the topic?

What are the What are the
reader’s concerns? assumptions?
Conflicting Are there influential

information? events/stories?
What terminology
is being used?
38
Scoping Planning
Framing
39
Framing your research
Public understanding vs. public engagement
Fact-based model to teach

Understanding principles to readers
Dialogue-based model to
Engagement facilitate interaction and action
40
Framing your story
Public understanding vs. public engagement
Fact-based model to teach

Understanding principles to readers
Dialogue-based model to
Engagement facilitate interaction and action
41
Framing your story
Better engagement
Help them see the connections between
research and their own lives
Commonly used frames in science communication

• Social progress (e.g., improve quality of life or sustainability)
• Economic development (e.g., job security, financial stability)
• Morality and ethics, public accountability
Groffman et al. Front Ecol Environ. 2010; 8: 284 - 291.
42
Scoping Planning
Framing
43
Planning
You’ve identified You know the key

the audience issues/concerns
How will your research address these

issues for these people?
Most people only care about the “so what”
44
Journals articles
Broad background
Specific background
Problem/motivation
Methods
Results
Context of finding in the field
Conclusion
Implications
45
Presenting your research
Researchers like facts

Fact-based model
• There is a gap in the knowledge related to topic
• You have facts that fill that gap
• You publish your article to spread this knowledge
Don’t present your ideas to the public like this!
46
General structure for science stories

Section 1
Why the audience should care about this study
Setting the scene
Section 2
Where published and the key findings (technical)
Introduce the study
Quote from the author Humanize the research to make appealing
Section 3
How this study fits in to the field (technical)
Background info
Quote from researcher Humanize the research to make appealing
Section 4
Where do we go from here?
Future applications
47

Wang et al. Nature. 2020; 582: 55–60.
Design of superhydrophic surfaces with practical applications
48
Why it’s important for the public

Section 1: Setting the scene

Superhydrophobic surfaces repel water like nothing else. This
makes them extremely useful for antimicrobial coatings - as
bacteria, viruses and other pathogens cannot cling to their
surfaces. However, superhydrophobic surfaces have one major
flaw - they are extremely
Topicalsusceptible
relevance to cuts, scratches or dents.
(2020)
If a superhydrophobic surface gets damaged, the damaged area
can trap liquids and the benefits of the coating are lost. Now,
however, a collaboration between researchers in China and
Finland has developed an armour-plated superhydrophobic
surface which can take repeated battering from sharp and blunt
objects, and still repel liquids with world-record effectiveness.
49


flaw - they are extremely susceptible to cuts, scratches or dents.
If a superhydrophobic surface gets damaged, the damaged area
Finland has developed Problem in the field
an armour-plated superhydrophobic
50


flaw - they are extremely susceptible to cuts, scratches or dents.
If a superhydrophobic surfacetogets
Solution the damaged,
problem the damaged area
Finland has developed an armour-plated superhydrophobic
51
What they achieved

Section 2: Introduce the study
The research - which is the cover feature of this week's issue

of Nature - has designed superhydrophobic surfaces that can be
made out of metal, glass, or ceramic. The superhydrophobic
properties of the surface come from nano-sized structures
spread all over it. The trick is to pattern the surface of the
material with a honeycomb-like structure of tiny inverted
pyramids. The fragile water-repellent chemical is then coated on
the inside the honeycomb. This prevents any liquid from sticking
to the surface, and the fragile chemical coating is protected from
damage by the pyramid's walls.
52
Humanize the story
Quote from the author

"The armour can be made from almost any material, it's the
interconnection of the surface frame that makes it strong and
rigid," says Professor Robin Ras, a physicist at Aalto University
whose research group was part of the project. "We made the
armour with honeycombs of different sizes, shapes and
materials. The beauty of this result is that it is a generic concept
that fits for many different materials, giving us the flexibility to
design a wide range of durable waterproof surfaces.”
53
Context of the study

Section 3: Background
As well as their useful antimicrobial properties for biomedical

technology, superhydrophobic surfaces can also be used more
generally in any application requiring a liquid-repellent surface.
One example is photovoltaics, where the build-up of moisture and
dirt over time blocks the amount of light they can absorb, which
reduces electricity production. Making a solar panel out of a
superhydrophobic glass surface would maintain their efficiencies
over long periods of time. Furthermore, as solar cells are often on
roof tops and other difficult to reach locations, the repellent
coatings would cut down the amount of cleaning that is needed.
54
Humanize the story

"By using the decoupled design, we introduce a new approach
for designing a robust superhydrophobic surface. Our future
work would be to push this method further, and to transfer
robust superhydrophobic surfaces to different materials and its
commercialization" said Professor Xu Deng, the leader of the
group at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of
China in Chengdu who took part in this research.
55
Relevance for the public

Section 4: Future applications

Other desirable applications for superhydrophobic surfaces include in
machines and on vehicles, where conditions can be very tough for brittle
materials for long periods of time. To simulate these working
environments, the researchers subjected their new surfaces to extreme
conditions, including baking them at 100 °C nonstop for weeks, immersing
them in highly corrosive liquids for hours, blasting them with high-pressure
water jets, and subjecting them to physical exertion in extreme humidity.
The surfaces were still able to repel liquid as effectively as before.
Now that the strengths of this new material design have been
demonstrated, future research will explore its broad potential in real-
world applications.
56
Press release for this story

Superhydrophobic surfaces repel water like nothing else. This makes them ex tremely useful for antimicrobial coatings - as bacteria, viruses and other
pathogens cannot cling to their surfaces. However, superhydrophobic surfaces have one major flaw - they are extr emely susceptible to cuts, scratches or
dents. If a superhydrophobic surface gets damaged, the damaged area can trap liquids and the benefits of the coating are lost. Now, however, a
collaboration between researchers in China and Finland has developed an armour-plated superhydrophobic surface which can take repeated battering from
sharp and blunt objects, and still repel liquids with world-record effectiveness.
The research - which is the cover feature of this week's issue of Nature - has designed superhydrophobic surfaces that can be made out of metal, glass, or
ceramic. The superhydrophobic properties of the surface come from nano-sized structures spread all over it. The trick is to pattern the surface of the
Section 2: Introduce the study
material with a honeycomb-like structure of tiny inverted pyramids. The fragile water-repellent chemical is then coated on the inside the honeycomb. This
prevents any liquid from sticking to the surface, and the fragile chemical coating is protected from damage by the pyramid's walls.
"The armour can be made from almost any material, it's the interconnection of the surface frame that makes it strong and rigid," says Professor Robin Ras, a
physicist at Aalto University whose research group was part of the project. "W e made the armour with honeycombs of different sizes, shapes and materials.
The beauty of this result is that it is a generic concept that fits for many different materials, giving us the flexibility to design a wide range of durable
waterproof surfaces.”
As well as their useful antimicrobial properties for biomedical technology, superhydrophobic surfaces can also be used more generally in any application
requiring a liquid-repellent surface. One example is photovoltaics, where the build-up of moisture and dirt over time blocks the amount of light they can
Section 3: Background
absorb, which reduces electricity production. Making a solar panel out of a superhydrophobic glass surface would maintain their efficiencies over long
periods of time. Furthermor e, as solar cells are often on roof tops and other difficult to reach locations, the repellent coatings would cut down the amount
of cleaning that is needed.
"By using the decoupled design, we introduce a new approach for designing a robust superhydrophobic surface. Our future work would be to push this
Quote from researcher
method further, and to transfer robust superhydrophobic surfaces to different materials and its commercialization" said Professor Xu Deng, the leader of
the group at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Chengdu who took part in this research.
Other desirable applications for superhydrophobic surfaces include in machines and on vehicles, where conditions can be very tough for brittle materials for
long periods of time. To simulate these working environments, the researchers subjected their new surfaces to extreme conditions, including baking them
Section 4: Future applications
at 100 °C nonstop for weeks, immersing them in highly corrosive liquids for hours, blasting them with high-pressure water jets, and subjecting them to
physical exertion in extreme humidity. The surfaces were still able to repel liquid as effectively as before.
Now that the strengths of this new material design have been demonstrated, future research will explore its broad potential in real-world applications.
57
As a scientist, how can you determine

what you should tell your audience?
Jared Tarbell / CC BY 2.0content is not to be shared or distributed without the expressed consent of Springer Nature
This © Springer Nature Limited 2021
58
https://www.compassscicomm.org/leadership-development/the-message-box/
59
The Message Box

https://www.compassscicomm.org/what-is-the-message-box
60
First determine your audience

https://www.compassscicomm.org/audience
Who will benefit from this story?
61
First determine your audience

https://www.compassscicomm.org/audience
Policymakers Does this support my agenda or constituent interests?
Industry What will it cost? How will it increase output or efficiency?
NGOs How does this support our agenda?
Researchers It is groundbreaking? How does it affect my work?
Media Is it news? Will it sell? Is it a good/interesting story?
Foundations Does this fit within our portfolio?
General public How does it affect safety/health, livelihoods, or society?
62
An example…
Pharmaceutical industry (sick people)
63
What is the overreaching issue?

https://www.compassscicomm.org/issue
Keep it broad and concise

(only a few words)
64
An example…
In vitro solutions for

drug toxicity testing
65
What is the problem with this topic?

https://www.compassscicomm.org/problem
What problem is your audience facing?
Keep it broad and concise

(only a few words)
66
An example…

• Drug hepatotoxicity testing is essential during drug development, but there
are few good in vitro models to test toxicity in hepatocytes (liver cells) early in
the drug development pipeline.
• Hepatocytes, once removed from the liver quickly loose their functionality
that is necessary to test toxicity.
• Current models culture hepatocytes with a collagen top layer to maintain
functionality, but this impedes the drug diffusion of and bioavailability for
testing.
In vitro solutions for

drug toxicity testing
• Drug-induced hepatotoxicity testing is essential during drug development, but there are few good in
vitro models to test toxicity in hepatocytes (liver cells) early in the drug development pipeline.
• Hepatocytes, once removed from the liver, quickly loose their functionality necessary to test toxicity.
• Current models culture hepatocytes with a collagen top layer to maintain functionality, but this
impedes the drug diffusion of and bioavailability for testing.
67
What is the ‘so what’?

https://www.compassscicomm.org/so-what
Why does your

Keep it broad and concise audience care?
(only a few words) Why is it
important for
them?
68
An example…

• Drug toxicity testing is essential during drug development, but there are few
good in vitro models to test toxicity in hepatocytes (liver cells) early in the
drug development pipeline.
testing.
• Drug hepatotoxicity is one of the

major causes of liver damage
after drugs are released in the
market and the #1 reason drugs
are pulled from the market.
In vitro solutions for • This not only results in millions
of dollars of loss revenue for the
drug toxicity testing pharmaceutical company, but
also dramatic impact on public
health and public perception of
the company (including law
suits).
• Drug-induced hepatotoxicity is one of the major causes of liver damage after drugs are released
in the market and the #1 reason drugs are pulled from the market.
• This not only results in millions of dollars of loss revenue for the pharmaceutical company, but
also dramatic impact on public health and public perception of the company (including law suits).
69
What is the solution(s)?

https://www.compassscicomm.org/so-what
Why does your

Keep it broad and concise audience care?
(only a few words) Why is it
important for
them?
What can be done to address the

problem (related to your research)
70
An example…

We are using a novel bioengineering approach to develop a bioreactor that will
•
allow us to stabilize functional hepatocytes in vitro for longer periods of time
Hepatocytes, once removed from the liver quickly loose their functionality
without the need of a collagen
• top layer, and therefore improve drug bioavailability.
Current models culture hepatocytes with a collagen top layer to maintain
testing.
• Drug toxicity is one of the major

causes of liver damage after
drugs are released in the market
and the #1 reason drugs are
pulled from the market.
In vitro solutions for • This not only results in millions
of dollars of loss revenue for the
drug toxicity testing pharmaceutical company, but
also dramatic impact on public
health and public perception of
the company (including law
suits).

without the need of a collagen top layer, and therefore improve drug bioavailability.
71
What are the benefits?

https://www.compassscicomm.org/benefits
If your solution
is implemented, Why does your
how will it help Keep it broad and concise audience care?
your audience (only a few words) Why is it
solve the important for
problems? them?
What can be done to address the

problem (related to your research)
72
An example…
Pharmaceutical
• Being able to more quickly assessindustry drug toxicity in the drug development pipeline
will allow pharmaceutical companies
• Drug toxicity toduring
testing is essential identify saferbutpharmacological
drug development, there are few
therapeutics early in development.
• This will not only better

•
protect public health, but save the company from
Current models culture hepatocytes with a collagen top layer to maintain
potential financial and perception problems after drug marketization.
testing.
• Being able to more quickly • Drug toxicity is one of the major

assess drug toxicity in the drug causes of liver damage after
development pipeline will allow drugs are released in the market
pharmaceutical companies to and the #1 reason drugs are
identify safer pharmacological pulled from the market.
therapeutics early in In vitro solutions for • This not only results in millions
development. of dollars of loss revenue for the
• This will not only better protect drug toxicity testing pharmaceutical company, but
public health, but save the also dramatic impact on public
company from potential health and public perception of
financial and perception the company (including law
problems after drug suits).
marketization.

73
A completed Message Box

testing.
• Being able to more quickly • Drug toxicity is one of the major

assess drug toxicity in the drug causes of liver damage after
development pipeline will allow drugs are released in the market
pharmaceutical companies to and the #1 reason drugs are
identify safer pharmacological pulled from the market.
therapeutics early in In vitro solutions for • This not only results in millions
development. of dollars of loss revenue for the
• This will not only better protect drug toxicity testing pharmaceutical company, but
public health, but save the also dramatic impact on public
company from potential health and public perception of
financial and perception the company (including law
problems after drug suits).
marketization.

74
Activity 1
Turn to page 6 of your Participant Guide
75
Activity 1
Based on the abstract in the Participant Guide, how would you structure the
content to better communicate this study to the public?
The exerkine apelin reverses age-associated sarcopenia
Sarcopenia, the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass, quality and strength, lacks early diagnostic
tools and new therapeutic strategies to prevent the frailty-to-disability transition often responsible
for the medical institutionalization of elderly individuals. Herein we report that production of the
endogenous peptide apelin, induced by muscle contraction, is reduced in an age-dependent manner
in humans and rodents and is positively associated with the beneficial effects of exercise in older
persons. Mice deficient in either apelin or its receptor (APLNR) presented dramatic alterations in
muscle function with increasing age. Various strategies that restored apelin signaling during aging
further demonstrated that this peptide considerably enhanced muscle function by triggering
mitochondriogenesis, autophagy and anti-inflammatory pathways in myofibers as well as enhancing
the regenerative capacity by targeting muscle stem cells. Taken together, these findings revealed
positive regulatory feedback between physical activity, apelin and muscle function and identified
apelin both as a tool for diagnosis of early sarcopenia and as the target of an innovative
pharmacological strategy to prevent age-associated muscle weakness and restore physical autonomy.
76
Activity 1
Based on the abstract in the Participant Guide, how would you

structure the content to better communicate this study to the public?
77
Activity 1
78
Activity 1
Identified new molecule (apelin) that links

Conclusion aging and declining motor function
Apelin reduced in aging & restoring apelin
Key finding(s) activity helps restore motor function
New biomarker or therapeutic agent for
Implications age-associated muscle weakness
Lack of tools/strategies to prevent frailty-
Problem to-disability transition among elderly
Aging associated with loss of
Background muscle mass, quality and strength
79
Be an effective science communicator

You will increase public awareness
and your research impact
What makes a newsworthy story
Understanding public expectations
Properly structuring science stories
80
Any questions?
See you in an hour!
Dr. Jeffrey Robens

Editorial Development Manager
jeffrey.robens@nature.com

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1

Jeffrey Robens, PhD

Communicating Science to the Public

In collaboration with the Egyptian Knowledge Bank

Who is Springer Nature?

We publish >3000 journals Operational >150 years

Be an effective science communicator

What makes a newsworthy story

Understanding public expectations

Properly structuring science stories

Benefits of science communication

• Public money (taxes) pays for research

Better informed • Control scientific funding!

Improves the visibility of your research

When should you communicate to the public?

When you have something important to say!

But what is important or relevant to you

Nature’s approach to what makes good news

News that will affect

E.g., new drugs or climate change

Results that are unexpected,

Astrophysics and dinosaur

Firsts make news

Research that relates to

A good picture can sell a

Consider the general interest of your study

Relevance Unique Images

Let’s look at an example

Let’s look at an example

Discussed on 12 different news sites

Let’s look at an example

Why was this newsworthy?

Relevance Solar energy

Let’s look at an example

Why was this newsworthy?

Let’s look at an example

Why was this newsworthy?

Biofouling: accumulation of microorganisms,

Topical role emphasized in press release

First two sentences of the press release

Conclusion in the article

Topical role emphasized in press release

Why did the authors focus on solar cells?

❖ Press release from Aalto University focused on antimicrobial

Understanding the reader

know about science?”

more about science?”

“Does science benefit you?”

“Do you trust scientists?”

The human element

Make your research and your ideas more

Public attitudes toward science

Public knows science is important, but they

Importance of science communication

Definition of science communication

“The process of translating complex

Structuring a science story

Know your readers

What do you want

Understanding your readers

What are the important questions regarding your topic?

It’s not about what you think they should know

It’s about what they want to know