Testimonials and Evaluation | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (original) (raw)

Workshop participants complete an activity at the 2019 Biophysical Society Annual Meeting

Participants consider applying effective public engagement strategies to their work. | Photo: Sean Winkler/Biophysical Society

The AAAS Center for Public Engagement with Science and Technology has offered more than 500 workshops, seminars, and other events serving more than 18,000 scientists and engineers at academic institutions, government agencies and research organizations worldwide.

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Workshop Testimonials

"The trainer was terrific. She was able to make the class relevant to our work, using specific work related examples and engaging participants to share examples from their experiences." Jeri Weiss, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 1

"Sometimes the first and hardest step in communicating is to just speak up. In this workshop there were no "wrong questions" and many people chipped in to give feedback to others." Joy Trujillo, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake

"I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. I had never [taken] in to consideration the jargon of my field being a possible barrier to my audience." Tishara Collins, Delaware State University

"This workshop helped re-orient my thinking about communicating in practical ways. I applied the lessons within days of the workshop." Steve Whitney, FDA Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories

We asked workshop participants: “What’s the most valuable idea or skill you took away from the workshop?”

“For me, the main benefit of the course was to think about science communication in a structured way, to be reminded of some things that I may have known but have given insufficient attention to, and to hear the perspectives of other workshop participants.” Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute participant

“Accepting the notion that breaking down complex concepts from my discipline into very simplified explanations for the understanding of the public does not 'dumb down' the work, but in fact gives it greater value, as it can reach more people.” Florida Atlantic University participant

“You really need to understand WHY you're setting a goal not just WHAT you're going to do.” University of Massachusetts, Amherst participant

“I have a new appreciation for the importance of tailoring my message to each specific audience, and meeting people where they already are.” Pennsylvania State University participant

Articles about Our Workshops

Workshop Evaluation

The AAAS Communicating Science program works closely with social scientists whose research addresses science communication and public engagement with science to ensure the program uses empirical evidence to inform best practices and workshop content. Researchers and a professional evaluator have also assisted in development of an evaluation program that measures progress toward goals identified by research, including increasing scientists’ communication skills and confidence in their ability to engage with the public.

Evaluation results show an increase in workshop participants’ self-reported communication skills and confidence as a result of participating in workshop. Participants indicate that they can:

Regarding specific science communication skills, workshop participants report an increased ability to:

Additional benefits of AAAS Communicating Science Workshops include fostering a community for public engagement within an institution and increased awareness of others’ interest in this work.