Stand up for Science: Practical Approaches to Discussing Science that Matters

Information about Kathy Spindler

What is your name, title, and role at the University of Michigan?

Kathy Spindler, Professor of Microbiology & Immunology

Why are your public engagement efforts in science media important (to you and/or to the cause you’re working to promote)? 

I am a co-host on a weekly podcast, This Week in Virology  (http://www.microbe.tv/twiv/). This reaches far more people than I have ever had in a classroom, and the audience has a much more diverse educational background. Although many listeners are professional scientists (at all levels, from graduate student on up), there are a good number of people who just enjoy learning about science. These people are from other walks of life, including high school students, teachers, business professionals, house painters, truck drivers, and engineers, to name a few. There is a great need to disseminate virology information at a level that is accessible by non-experts. We try to format the podcasts “like a conversation in someone’s office.” Because of that, we talk about things such as the weather, cool science things we’ve found on the internet, science policy, and grant funding. And viruses!

Kathy Spindler on Audience

Who do you interact with when working in media? What makes this audience different from other groups that you might interact with?

What makes this audience different is that it is entirely voluntary; they listen because they want to learn more about viruses, not because they are required to hear the information we are presenting.

What suggestions do you have for making interactions with science media producers or consumers as effective as possible?

One of the most important things is to make it accessible. Recognize that you have to avoid jargon, you have to explain complex terms and concepts, without being condescending or assuming too much. Try to inject some humor into what you are saying; admit mistakes or your own lack of knowledge in some areas. Try to present personal anecdotes that help make you seem human. We invite listeners to send in their questions, and we read and answer virtually all of them.

What is the biggest challenge you face when trying to work with science media producers or consumers? What is the biggest reward?

A challenge is having enough time to really focus on making the primary scientific papers understandable by nonscientists. The biggest reward is meeting listeners of the show in person and finding out more about them, what they do in life, and what they like or don’t like about TWiV.

What are you trying to accomplish when you write to or speak with science media producers or consumers? 

Most of the time we are communicating content; occasionally we are describing how a particular experimental protocol is done (a skill or process). Virus plaque assays are “the coins of the realm” in virology and in a recent podcast we “geeked out” about plaque assays for at least an hour!

Kathy Spindler on Messaging

When you’re planning to interact with science media producers or consumers, how do you decide what you want to focus on? If a scientist wanted a single idea to “stick” in the mind of science media producers or consumers, what advice would you give them as to how best to shape/pitch that idea? 

Narrative stories that the scientist has first-hand knowledge of can be quite effective. However, such stories don’t have to be about someone the speaker knows directly. The approach of providing information as a story is often successful, but it takes work to craft a good story.