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Panel of national and local journalists to discuss communicating science

Journalists from NPR, Washington Post among panel to "Pull Back the Curtain" on changing media

Credit: PSIEEAll Rights Reserved.

On Oct. 15, journalists from national and local media including NPR, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor will hold a panel discussion on how the media is changing and what it means for communicating science to the public and policymakers. 

The plenary, "Pulling Back the Curtain," will be held Thursday Oct. 15, at 4 p.m., in 8 Mueller Lab. This event is part of Science Communication (SciComm) Month 2015, and is free and open to the public. 

The journalist panel includes:

  • Christopher Joyce, NPR
  • Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post
  • Amanda Paulson, Christian Science Monitor
  • Emily Reddy, WPSU-FM
  • Amy Matthews Amos, freelance reporter
  • The panel will be moderated by Nancy Baron, Director of Science Outreach at COMPASS.

The panel will share their personal perspectives on how to get research stories covered in the media, what makes a good science story and the “do's and don'ts" of dealing with journalists. Questions from the audience will be encouraged. 

"Nancy Baron will be joined by several of the nation's leading science journalists. These are the people who bring science to the public—and to policymakers—and change the way we think about the world. They will share their insights on the role of media in the internet age, and how we can work with them to turn our data and knowledge into real impact," said Tom Richard, Director of PSIEE and Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.

"Communication of our science across all kinds of cultures—for example, research specialty, stakeholder group, geographic or ethnic origin, age group—is essential for effective collaboration and for translating our science into positive contribution to society," said Jenni Evans, Professor of Meteorology and a co-organizer of SciComm Month. 

The Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment (PSIEE), The Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI) and COMPASS have held training workshops for Penn State researchers for several years, and SciComm Month 2015 is an effort to improve the reach of these trainings to a wider audience at Penn State. "The COMPASS team has facilitated trainings for Penn State faculty led by nationally recognized journalists, as well as regional, national and international policy makers. These leaders provide invaluable insights for faculty wanting to have an impact by contributing their scientific findings to societal discussion and policy," Evans said. 

More information about the series of events is available at http://www.psiee.psu.edu/scicomm2015.

Last Updated June 2, 2021

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