Academics are increasingly taking to traditional and social media to communicate their research. Talking about your research to specialist and lay audiences is a great way to develop your communication skills and can help increase the impact of your research. This symposium will hear from esteemed academics who actively share their work to wide audiences. We also explore what it is like to blog as a student and the benefits and challenges of doing so. Whilst Amy Huxtable from the University Media Team will talk to you about how you can get involved in working with the media and communicating your research. The opportunities for science communication are ripe, this session will help you get out and pick them.

9.30 Welcome and introduction - Professor Steve Goodacre

9.40 Professor Allan Pacey (Department of Oncology & Metabolism)

10.00 Dr John Holmes (ScHARR)

10.20 Pauline Narvas (Biomedical Sciences student)

10.40 Questions

10.50 Refreshments

11.00 Professor Alasdair Rae (Urban Studies and Planning)

11.20. Amy Huxtable (University Media Team)

11.40 Questions and closing remarks

Professor Allan Pacey

Sperm in the public eye - the joys and perils of having a media profile

Abstract

For the past 20 years Professor Allan Pacey has developed a significant public profile in radio, television, print media and more recently through social media. In a typical year he contributes to many thousands of media stories related to his work in human reproduction and fertility and in 2016/17 the University Media Team estimate this to be worth over £50M to the University of Sheffield. In this talk, Allan will explain why it is important for academics to become more media savvy and will outline some tips and tricks to make this as successful as possible.

Alasdair Rae

Open access, open data, open research: mapping US megaregions and making new friends

Abstract

In this short talk Alasdair will discuss the value of doing 'open' research. That is, doing research which is not hidden behind a paywall and where the underlying data is made freely available for anyone to use. It's based on his recent experience of publishing work on US 'megaregions' with Garrett Dash Nelson, his US co-author. This story of open research and digital connectivity serves as a good example of the new possibilities and outcomes associated with taking a more open approach to scholarship. Their work was based on the analysis of more than 4 million commuter flows in the United States and they used open source tools to analyse their data. They also used Amazon Web Services cloud computing and their paper was all written up collaboratively in Google Docs. The paper the talk is based on has now been viewed more than 250,000 times and has featured in media stories throughout the world. Alasdair and Garrett have never met, but hope to do so in November 2017.

Amy Huxtable

Communications: A pathway to impact

Abstract

Communication can often provide a significant and successful pathway to impact and media coverage has opened doors to enable our researchers to change health guidelines, influence government policy and change commercial standards.

Amy Huxtable from the Media Team will discuss the support, guidance and training available through Corporate Communications to help you maximise opportunities in order to raise awareness of your groundbreaking work; whether that's with future collaborators, the public or potential funders and influencers.

Dr John Holmes

In at the deep end: Lessons learned from a crash course in public and policy engagement

Abstract

I will reflect on lessons learned on the job during seven years of presenting evidence on increasing the price of alcohol to policy-makers, practitioners, journalists and the public. To give you a sense of what to expect when taking your research out into the world, I will cover topics including what different policy stakeholders want from your presentation, how the process of being invited for a radio interview works, and the good and bad parts of ‘what happens next?’

Pauline Narvas

Above the noise: building an online voice

Pauline Narvas, a student from the Department of Biomedical Sciences will be talking about blogging, the gains and issues associated with blogging and digital communication as well as tips on building an online presence using social media strategies and getting work communicated effectively. Pauline has been creating and sharing content since she was 8 years old. She now regularly blogs at pawlean which has been read over 32,000 times since it re-launched in 2015. In addition to this, she contributes to Science Brainwaves and University of Sheffield Enterprise.

A Bite Size Guide to Research in the 21st Century Part IV - Communication of Research for Impact