Professor Sophie Scott talking about science communication at the OpenUP Final Conference. Professor Sophie Scott FMedSci is at University College London (UCL), where her special interest is in researching the neuroscience of voices, speech and laughter. Sophie is known for her public engagement work. She has been awarded a UCL Provost’s Award for Public Engagement. A few words about OpenUP Final Conference - Review | Assess | Disseminate OpenUP Final Conference is the final conference of the EU funded H2020 project OpenUP. In OpenUP Final Conference, key aspects and challenges of the currently transforming science landscape were showcased in different interactive sessions, including an Open Science Cafe and Marketplace for new and innovative tools, methods and ideas. Different Motivate and Meet sessions fostered interaction and exchange in the context of Open Science. It brought together different stakeholders who have a "stake" in the researcher lifecycle and helped them to learn about innovative methods for peer review, dissemination of research results and impact measurement, and get involved in shaping open science policies meeting their needs. More information about OpenUP Website: http://openup-h2020.eu OpenUP Hub: https://openuphub.eu Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProjectOpenUP Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/projectopenup/

1. Science communication – why
bother?
Sophie Scott
@sophiescott

2. “Science isn’t finished until it’s
communicated”
Mark Walport, 2013

3. What is science communication?
• Writing papers/coursework/thesis
• Giving talks/posters
• Using social media
• Making videos
• Blogging
• Science fairs
• Science stand up comedy
• Science busking
• I’m a Scientist Get Me Out of Here

4. What is it?
• Not just getting your sweet face on the BBC
website
• Getting everyone in the lab involved

5. With whom are you communicating?
• There is no one audience!
• Your peers
• Your research community
• People higher up the ladder
• Grant reviewers/paper reviewers
• Interested people
• Clinical groups
• School groups
• People who don’t know they’re interested yet
• Other professionals

6. Why does it matter?
• Because if no one understands your talks
• Or can bear to sit through them
• They won’t read your papers
• And if your papers are impenetrable
• Or repetitive, or boring, or wrong
• People won’t cite them
• Or incorporate your ideas into their own
research

7. Why does it matter
• Because if your talks are good, and clear
• Then people might want to read your papers
• Or offer you jobs/grants
• And if your papers are clear and easy to read
• There’s a chance people will read them
• And there’s a chance that they’ll engage with
your ideas.

8. Why do it?
• Moral duty
• Funders require it more and more
• It is immensely rewarding

9. What’s in it for me?
• Rewarding
• Meet people whom you would simply never
get to meet otherwise
• Expand research horizons
• Expand network

10. Seriously, what’s in it for me
• Make you better at writing, communicating,
speaking
• Takes you straight back to your science
communicaton

11. Do good science
• That’s got to be your starting point

12. Do good science
• And take your communication of your good
science seriously
• Doesn’t matter how good your science is. If
you cannot communicate it, you will miss
opportunities for people to engage with it.

19. Duncan’s brain when he’s speaking
normally
Duncan’s brain when he performs
impersonations

20. When we speak
• We say words, but we also reveal our
• age,
• sex,
• health,
• mood,
• socio-economic status,
• geographical origins,
• aspirations, affiliations…

21. Speaking aloud
Speaking normally Vs Silent rest
L

22. Our voices change all the time
• Because of background noise
• Because of who we’re talking to and where we
are
• Because of our health, our age, our mood

23. Voice change

25. 25ICA 17th February 2011

26. Results
BEATBOX > COUNTING
p < .001, k = 40 voxels
Reeps One ‘Novice Beatboxer’

29. The Evolution of Speech
Upright gait – Breath Control – Lowered Larynx
- Domed Palate – Flattened Muzzle

31. In 1991 Brian Johnson and John
Agnew were reporting on a cricket
match at the Oval

42. Neuroscience in the media