University of Delaware researchers — including faculty, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students — are invited to participate in an exciting program designed to strengthen their ability to explain their work to broader audiences, fostering greater understanding and appreciation of UD research and its impact. 

In a recent survey, many UD researchers expressed keen interest in learning new approaches to communication and exploring tools and methods that can upgrade their efforts. Others want to know how to talk with journalists effectively or to improve their skills in response to expanding federal funding requirements for public engagement and broader impacts. Others said they also want to know how to explain their work better to family and friends.

The free program is a collaboration of the Research Office and the Office of Communications and Marketing, in partnership with the Provost’s Office, Graduate College, Department of Communication, Center for Science, Ethics and Public Policy, IT – Academic Technology Services, and the NSF Accelerating Research Translation (ART) Initiative at UD.

“At a time when public trust in science has been declining, now more than ever, researchers need to be able to connect effectively with a broad range of audiences,” said Miguel Garcia-Diaz, UD’s vice president for research, scholarship and innovation. “This program provides our faculty, postdocs and graduate students — in any discipline — with a great opportunity to improve their public communications skills, as well as to gain new insights and techniques that will serve them well on their future career paths.”

The program kicks off with a half-day, in-person event on Friday, Sept. 27, in Room 501, FinTech Innovation Hub, STAR Campus. Registration is behind a CAS log-in at this weblink. Please register no later than Sept. 24.

The remainder of the training will be delivered online in Canvas, the University’s learning management system, in a self-paced format.

“The power of research to impact and change the world is only as strong as the capacity to share, inform, inspire and invite broader audiences to understand and support its mission,” said Glenn Carter, vice president of UD’s Office of Communications and Marketing. “Communication skills are critical to that endeavor, and this program will fortify UD’s research community with tools and insights to make the relevant goals and outcomes of research more engaging and accessible.”

Two programs that promote communication at the national scale will be part of the kickoff event on Sept. 27, including the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University and The Conversation, an open-access news platform, which now includes the University of Delaware as a member.

Participation in the Sept. 27 event will count toward the program’s certificate of completion. Other requirements include several course modules selected from the following topics and presentation of the participant’s research in a public forum: 

• Communicating Your Research: Make the World Your Audience

• Insights from Research on Communicating Research

• Preparing for a Media Interview

• Social Media for Researchers

• How Visuals Can Help You Tell Your Story

• Ethical Communication

• Writing for The Conversation

• How to Speak So People Want to Listen

Survey results from the first cohort in spring 2024 revealed that the program had a strong impact on participants’ overall self-efficacy in communicating their research, as well as on their self-confidence in using specific communication tools ranging from articles for magazines or websites, to social media.

For questions about the program, contact Tracey Bryant, senior director for research communications in UD’s Office of Communications and Marketing.