Everything I need to know about science communication I learned from local television news

Growing up, my favorite television shows were 3-2-1-Contact and reruns of Mister Wizard’s World. I have always found science to be entertaining and informative. Looking back, it really isn’t surprising that today I am the news director for the American Institute of Physics’s Discoveries and Breakthroughs Inside Science (DBIS ). The program provides 12 90-second news segments each month to local television stations across the US and around the world. DBIS videos cover a wide variety of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics from astronomy to zoology.

What’s in it for me?

One of the first things I had to learn was how to make STEM research relevant to the public. I have to balance explaining the science of a story with holding the attention of a television viewing audience. That has really forced me to try to identify in every story a solution, benefit, or at least some nugget of new information to relate to viewers. I constantly strive to keep that balance, and it is a challenge with every production. If it is too heavy on the science, then television stations won’t air it, but if there isn’t a strong enough science angle, then DBIS isn’t fulfilling its goal to increase the awareness and appreciation of the role that STEM research and STEM researchers play in the public’s daily life.

The segment “Why Can’t Cars Move Like Crabs?” strikes the right balance between good science, in this case how animals move over sand, and how it impacts the public, such as how to make all-terrain cars.

People make a story

Another one of my goals with the DBIS program is to change the stereotype that all STEM researchers are isolated in a lab doing things that no one gets to see. We live in exciting times, and STEM researchers are a big part of that. I like DBIS segments that show viewers all sides of the experts we interview.

In “Physics of Sailing,” a nuclear physicist provides tips on how to make a sailboat go faster.

Another lesson I’ve learned is that it isn’t enough just to feature a STEM researcher. Most of our DBIS segments include either a consumer or a patient who benefits from the research discussed in the video. “Safer MRI Scans for Heart Patients” explains how people with pacemakers and similar devices are now able to have MRI scans; it includes an interview with a woman who is getting her first MRI test.

Make it entertaining and informative

Sometimes I have to think more creatively about a story idea or learn more about the topic. It often isn’t until I see the finished product that I realize we succeeded in making a segment that is both interesting and fun to watch.

In creating “Science of Skateboarding,” I not only learned how skateboarders are able to do some basic tricks but got to see how they are done.

Use visuals and animations

From 2003 to 2007, DBIS received an NSF grant to study the impact of our programming on viewing audiences. We learned that animations are crucial to communicating STEM to the public. After showing a focus group a segment with an animation depicting how seismic waves move from the epicenter of an earthquake and are picked up by seismic stations nearby, we were excited to see the participants describe the animation and use their hands to demonstrate the concepts that we were trying to convey.

“Walk-In MRI” uses animations and visuals to show the differences between a traditional MRI machine and a low-magnetic-field walk-in system, which makes it safe for infants and people with implant devices to have an MRI test.

Keep it short and simple

Our segments are only 90 seconds long, so I had to learn how to explain a lot of information in only a few sentences. There are times when I want to use 10 sentences and 30 seconds—rather than the 4 sentences and 12 seconds I actually have to explain a topic. But I’ve mastered the art of paring down myriad facts into a few interesting snippets.

There are always exceptions to the rule

Although I try to keep all I have learned about science communication in mind while making a segment, there are times when I break my own rules. We produce some stories that we call “gee whiz.” They don’t really have any consumer benefit, but they are so cool!

“Are Saturn’s Rings Disappearing?” may not present new or promising research, but it provides viewers with some fun facts about the rings of the second largest planet.

One thing that I love most about my job is that I really do get to learn something new every day. Hopefully the lessons I’ve learned can be applied to your work also. If you are excited and passionate about your research, you should take every opportunity to spread the word about it. So next time you are standing in line and get the chance to explain what you do to the person beside you, please take it.

Emilie Lorditch is the news director and manager for the American Institute of Physics’s Discoveries and Breakthroughs Inside Science. She also writes for AIP’s Inside Science News Service about the science and engineering used in movie making.