Ignite Science Communication Sparkles in NYC
Yue Liu, Biology
Project Website: Ignite Science Communication Sparkles in NYC
This New Media Lab project aims to build a website as a gateway to promote science literacy of the public, to provide educational resources to sharpen the speaking and writing skills of scientists, and to enhance the accessibility of professional guidance to students interested in communications.
More specifically, the proposed website will feature, but not be limited to, the following:
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Science Blogs
To target various audiences to enhance the access of complicated scientific ideas and promote the exchange of ideas among scientists.
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Educational Videos
To bring jargon-free scientific concepts to life and make them digestible for the public. For example, simplifying sophisticated doctoral research in animated videos may not only promote science literacy of the public but also lead to collaborations among peers.
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Interviews with Professional Insiders
To share career trajectories and provide professional guidance for students pursuing a career in the field of science communications, science writing, medical writing, or as a medical science liaison.
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Quality Resources
To provide links to useful educational resources, such as AMWA, Toastmasters, and free online writing classes.
Educational video series: the project researcher Yue Liu will create the first video to explain her doctoral research on epilepsy. Epilepsy, also known as a seizure disorder, is triggered by the disturbances of electrical activities in the brain. 1% of the global population is afflicted with epilepsy; however, one third of the patients live with untreatable seizures. One reason is that the cause of epilepsy in 60% of the patients remains unknown. Therefore, studying mechanisms of epilepsy may provide significant diagnostic and therapeutic values for patients, and relieve the emotional and economic burden of affected families and the whole society. One of Yue’s doctoral research projects is a collaborative work that has cracked a molecular mechanism of epilepsy that afflicts infants and children, and this work was published in the journal of Neurology and featured on the cover. Yue proposes to create a video to bring basic knowledge about epilepsy and main findings of this collaborative work to more scientists and the public. Yue hopes that her efforts will inspire more scientists to share their research and ignite science communication sparkles across New York City.