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You probably landed here because you’re much like us:
Maybe you already started diving into the science communication world and realized you enjoy it and are even kinda good at it. Probably, you want to explore it a bit more now and even consider a career in this exciting field.
Or maybe you love what you do in science and want to better explain your own work to help others or bridge the gap between science fields.
But at the same time, you might be struggling with a few things:
So, this leaves you wondering, “where do I start?”
In the beginning, we also struggled with the same issues.
When we decided to dive into the exciting field of science communication, our first questions were:
How do I get started in science communication?
How can I get people to listen to my scientific expertise?
Should I start a blog, podcast, or YouTube channel?
What tools do I use?
How can I make this science blog successful?
How does SEO work?
Is there anyone out there who appreciates good science writers?
Can I make a living of it?
Uff, it was frustrating and overwhelming.
We both went through the laborious process of digging through the massive amounts of resources, reading tons of books and blogs, and watching videos. And thankfully, we had each other as accountability partners, sounding boards, and friends. So we often came up with helpful solutions to our struggles together.
But we realized that if you don’t have that support system, it can be a lot to handle on your own.
So, we decided to become the same kind of accountability partners, sounding boards, and mentors to people struggling with these exact things.
We want to help you find your science communication voice, break out of the science bubble, and become a known expert in your scientific field. That way, you can get people to “buy into” the importance of science and ultimately help them make better, science-based decisions. In the end, we — as scientists — want to improve people’s lives and well-being.
And while we know that the journey into science communication is completely different for everyone, we want to share our story with you here. Maybe you will find some inspiration for your own science communication goals.
We’ve actually never met, but thanks to digital communication, we’ve been talking since 2019. Our friendship began around the time when Sarah started her blog BacterialWorld during her postdoc in Spain. And she found Justine on Twitter since she also had just started her blog Joyful Microbe.
Both blogs had similar goals: Share the fascination for bacteria and microbes with people outside of science. Both blogs explain topics concerning bacteria and microbes for anyone who is interested in this exciting field.
So, we connected and started talking regularly, sharing ideas for our blogs, helpful tools, and resources. We also became each other’s sounding boards for any blog-related questions. And over the years, we became friends and realized more and more how much our blog- and career-related goals aligned.
Justine launched her science writing business in 2019 so she could use her PhD doing something she loved and have the freedom to work from anywhere. Her husband’s work in agricultural aviation allows for several months off in the winter, so she wanted to be able to enjoy that time with him, especially traveling in their camper with their cat Clover. She mostly works with life science companies, creating their content marketing blogs and articles.
When the pandemic hit and Sarah’s postdoc contract didn’t get extended, she also decided to swap the bench for the beach. Her dream was to become a science writer and digital nomad so that she could play beach volleyball on Spain’s beautiful coast and explore cool places. She is now working for professional societies and life science companies writing about exciting microbiology research.
Then we had even more topics to talk about: business-, clients- or finance-related questions, helping each other find work or how to approach bigger projects, and we also became each other’s accountability partners.
With time, we realized we both had one overarching goal for our businesses, for science, and for society.
Scientific knowledge must be shared, so the public understands its importance.
But they shouldn’t have to become experts to gain this knowledge.
So, it’s our duty as science communicators to help the public understand science, which ultimately improves their lives and well-being.
Yet, we both had similar experiences from our times in academia and were terribly frustrated by the same picture: Scientific experts talking about their research projects in overly complicated ways, making it super difficult to follow, understand, and appreciate their work.
Unfortunately, not many scientists know how to talk to people that are not experts in their fields. They use too much jargon, don’t explain what is needed, and have a tunnel vision onto their own projects.
Yet, we both knew that the lack of efficient science communication was not due to a lack of excitement or motivation but only due to a lack of skills.
Skills that can be learned!
So, in January 2022, we finally came to the conclusion that we want to help scientists acquire and master their science communication skills. And so, the idea of SciComm Society was born.
We want to create a community for you, as scientists, to get the right tools to reach your science communication goals. At the same time, our goal is for you to share your scientific knowledge with the world and help society make better decisions.
And we know that you’re busy and that everyone prefers to learn in different formats and at a different pace. This is why you can choose your way of learning according to what you prefer.
If you also want to become an excellent science communicator, you’re in the right place. Maybe you’re also thinking about leaving academia for a career in science communication. And how about starting your own science-communication-focused online business so that you can work whenever and wherever? Maybe, you’re just like Sarah, craving the beach and the sun during the day and hammering in words when it’s dark. Or you’re like Justine and need flexible, remote, contract-based work that allows you the freedom to work from anywhere.
We’re here to share what we learned on our adventures and accompany you through every step of this exciting journey.
So, define your own SciComm journey now and check out how we might be able to help you:
