Recently, Cham conducted an interactive science communication workshop at UC Merced for graduate students and researchers. During the workshop, he emphasized the importance of simplifying research topics to effectively communicate with individuals outside their field of study.
One of the participants, Marie Buhl, a third-year Ph.D. candidate in environmental systems from Germany, found the training to be eye-opening. She often struggles to explain her research, especially when translating it for her family. The workshop helped her see the significance of good science communication in reaching a broader audience.
As part of the workshop, Cham assigned an exercise where students had to write a paragraph about their research using only the 1,000 most common words in English. They then paired up to explain their research to each other using these simplified terms. Buhl partnered with a friend who had previously attempted to explain his research to her without success.
Through the exercise, Buhl had a breakthrough moment, realizing that with the right analogies, it is possible to explain complex topics in simple terms. She also learned the importance of finding a balance between making information easy to understand while still highlighting the complexity and novelty of the research.
The workshop was particularly beneficial for Buhl as she often struggled with explaining her research in simple terms. The exercise helped her realize that by breaking down complex concepts into simpler ones and using analogies, she could effectively communicate her ideas to others outside her field of study.
Overall, Cham’s work covers a wide age range and he has recently been focusing on conducting interactive workshops aimed at improving science communication skills for researchers and students alike. The UC Merced workshop was just one example of his efforts in this area.
Buhl felt that participating in the workshop was eye-opening as she realized how important it is to communicate scientific ideas clearly and effectively if they are going to be understood by people outside your field of study. She appreciated how Cham emphasized this point during his presentation and provided practical exercises like writing a paragraph about your research using only common words.
Buhl’s experience at UC Merced was particularly helpful as she struggled with explaining her research in simple terms beforehand but now feels more confident about doing so after taking part in Cham’s workshop.
In conclusion, Cham’s work aims to improve science communication skills among researchers and students through interactive workshops like the one held at UC Merced recently. His emphasis on simplifying complex concepts helped participants like Marie Buhl see how important it is to communicate scientific ideas clearly and effectively if they are going to be understood by people outside your field of study
