Let's Talk SciComm

It’s the end of another season of Let’s Talk SciComm and it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. It’s the end of our countdown of our most popular how-to episodes and coming in at number one is…… How to get your thesis written.

Writing a thesis is hard! It’s probably the longest document you’ve ever had to write, and the experience is often accompanied by a tendency to procrastinate and feelings of overwhelm and imposterism.

This episode will help! Jen and Michael briefly talk about their thesis writing experiences and share their top tips. But most of the episode is filled with advice and tips from eight of our UniMelb SciComm alumni who have recently written theses. They’ve been right where you are now and have so much wisdom to share!

We’re thrilled that our most popular episode ever is one which comprises mostly of advice from members of our fabulous alumni. If you’re currently writing or are soon to write a thesis (or know someone who is), please listen and share!

In this episode you’ll hear from Nancy Rivers Tran, Owen Missen, Samantha Ward, Xavier Busuttil-Crellin, Kade Huckstep, Adam Hagg, Emily McColl-Gausden and Lachlan Tegart.

Plus here are a couple of resources to help you:

How to write a Better Thesis by David Evans, Justin Zobel and Paul Gruba.

Explorations of Style - A brilliant blog about academic writing. Start by checking out their "How to use this blog" page to get an idea of what articles they have to offer.

The Thesis Whisperer - Another fantastic blog worth following - full of honest, upfront advice about so many different aspects of being a researcher.

Patter - Another great blog about academic writing.

DoctoralWriting SIG - Very useful blog covering lots of interesting and relevant topics, with an entire category dedicated to thesis writing.

We’re going to take a little break now while Michael has the joy of welcoming a new baby to the family.

But we’ll be back with Season 8 in July and have some fabulous episodes coming your way, including interviews with Zoos Victoria CEO Jenny Gray and science communicator extraordinaire Rachel Nowak. We’ll also be talking about how to network effectively (and enjoy it!), how to write online science stories, how to get kids excited about science, how to find a great PHD supervisor and to work well with them, how to write a great CV and job application and how to present science concisely.

Thanks so much for listening, Jen and Michael

Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/xw62

We’re continuing our countdown of our most listened-to episodes and this week we’ve made it to number two. It came as no surprise to us that science writing is a topic so many of our listeners want to learn more about – being able to write clearly is such an essential skill!

In 2014, Steven Pinker published a piece in The Chronicle of Higher Education titled ‘Why academic writing stinks’. While we might take offence at the notion that our writing ‘stinks’, there’s no question that the way many of us have been taught to write as researchers and scientists can be difficult for our readers to make sense of. In this episode, Michael and Jen revisit our conversation about why science writing can be so hard to read. They talk about a number of different approaches to improve the clarity and readability of our writing and chat about the style of writing that is most effective for communicating about science with non-scientific audiences.

Listen for our thoughts and advice on how to improve your writing plus tips from two of our UniMelb SciComm students, Randy Mann and Steven Tang.

Here are the papers we mentioned in the podcast:

Medical Obfuscation: Structure and Function. It’s really worth reading this short but pointed piece by Michael Crichton published back in 1975.

Specialized terminology reduces the number of citations of scientific papers. Research to suggest that if we want other scientists to cite our work, we should be avoiding using jargon – especially in the title and abstract.

UN climate reports are increasingly unreadable. Jeff Tollefson’s research into the readability of ICC climate reports.

The readability of scientific texts is decreasing over time. More research highlighting that science writing is getting harder to read. And this has important implications for research reproducibility.

The growth of acronyms in the scientific literature. Research into the staggering increase in the use of acronyms in science papers since 1950.

And if you’re looking for some great science to read, some of our favourites are Belinda Smith, Dyani Lewis, Ed Yong and Carl Zimmer.

Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/6w62

We’ve hit the middle of Season 7 and we’re continuing to explore our 6 most listened-to episodes. Each episode has a new introduction in which Jen and Michael reflect on why the topic resonated so much with our listeners and what we’ve learned about the topic in the interim.

Coming in at number 3 is ‘How to NOT be boring’ and the title pretty much says it all.

We’re sure you can all remember sitting through an incredibly boring science talk or struggling to read a boring piece of science writing. If you want to get your message across, it’s essential you capture your audience’s attention and convince them what you’re writing or speaking about is of relevance to them.

Listen for our thoughts and advice on how to be more engaging when communicating about science plus tips from two of our UniMelb SciComm students, Randy Mann and George Mechaalani.

Finally, here’s a good read on why we need to make science writing less boring and HOW we can do that: ‘Bored reading science? Let’s change how scientists write.’

Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/aw62

This is Season 7 and we’re excited to be revisiting our 6 most listened-to episodes. Each episode has a new introduction in which Jen and Michael chat about why we think the topic resonated so much with our listeners and what we’ve learned about the topic since it was first published.

Coming in at number 4 is ‘How to tackle imposter syndrome’.

On the outside you appear confident, composed and on top of your game. But on the inside, you are wracked with self-doubt. You feel like a fraud and as though someone is about to tap you on the shoulder and ask you what you think you’re doing. You’re sure you’re not good enough, experienced enough or smart enough to be doing what you’re doing.

This week Jen and Michael chat about the Imposter Experience, better known as the Imposter Syndrome. Listen for our thoughts and advice on how to tackle feeling like an imposter plus tips from two of our UniMelb SciComm students, Stephanie Wong and Charlie Pattinson.

Here are a few good reads to help build your understanding of imposter syndrome and how to tackle it:

Imposters are us - feeling like you aren't good enough? Guess what! You're not the only one. This is Jen's take on imposter syndrome.

If You Struggle With Imposter Syndrome, Scientists Might Have an Odd Solution - an important tip to help you overcome imposter syndrome.

‘I’m not worthy!’ – Imposter Syndrome in Academia - reasons why we feel imposter syndrome in academia, and how to deal with it.

How I overcame impostor syndrome after leaving academia - advice on tackling the voices in your head telling you that you aren't good enough so that they don't sabotage your career.

Feel like an academic fraud? Tips for shaking off imposter syndrome - some great tips on how to manage the feelings of imposter syndrome.

Four tips to ward off imposter syndrome - four straightforward ways to silence your inner critic.

Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/nw62

We’re very excited to hit episode 50 today!! This is Season 7 and for something a bit different, we’re excited to be revisiting our 6 most listened-to episodes. Each episode has a new introduction in which Jen and Michael reflect on why the topic resonated so much with our listeners and what we’ve learned about the topic in the interim.

Coming in at number 5 is ‘How to give a better science talk’.

All scientists need to give talks but being able to give a brilliant talk takes skill. Are you wondering how to best keep your audience’s attention? How to explain your work clearly and concisely and in a way that will make sense to your audience? How to design slides that enhance, rather than distract from what you’re saying? And how to tackle your inevitable nerves?

Listen for our thoughts and advice on how to plan, design and deliver a fantastic talk plus tips from two of our UniMelb SciComm alumni, Randy Mann and Stephanie Wong (who is also one half of our brilliant production team!)

Here are a few good reads to help next time you’re preparing a talk:

Reframing stress - stage fright can be your friend . Very nervous about speaking in public? You're not alone, and there are ways to harness that fear to your advantage.

Get Excited: Reappraising Pre-Performance Anxiety as Excitement  This paper talks more about reframing anxiety by taking stress and turning it into excitement. We actually use the tip "say I am excited out loud" all the time and it works!

Use PowerPoint as a Tool, don’t be a Tool for PowerPoint  PowerPoint is full of pitfalls. How many slides are too many? What should your slides have on them? How do you use the slides in your talk? This article answers all that and more.

How to avoid death By PowerPoint | David JP Phillips | TEDxStockholmSalon A TED talk that’s worth your time – it includes plenty of excellent advice on how to use slides more effectively.

Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/zb62

Welcome to Season 7: for something a bit different, we’re excited to be revisiting our 6 most listened-to episodes. Each episode has a new introduction in which Jen and Michael reflect on why the topic resonated so much with our listeners and what we’ve learned about the topic in the interim.

Coming in at number 6 is ‘How to tackle procrastination’. It comes as no surprise that many of us want advice on how to procrastinate less! It’s one of the biggest challenges many of us come up against in our day-to-day work. And it can certainly be a major barrier to effective science communication. Whether you’re trying to write a thesis, an assignment or a blog post, chances are you’ve found yourself delaying getting started.

We share our experiences of procrastination and evidence-based advice on how to stop. Two of our wonderful UniMelbSciComm alumni, Caitlin Minney and Lily Ahlemeyer also share their experiences and advice.

Here are some useful resources to support you in tackling procrastination:

Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator - Tim Urban’s TED talk

James Clear’s Atomic Habits – a book well worth reading

James Clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter - which we also mention in the podcast

Why You Procrastinate (It Has Nothing to Do With Self-Control) - if procrastination isn't about laziness, then what is it about? Hint: it's more linked to you emotions and moods!

Why we procrastinate – Jen’s take on why we procrastinate, with tips on how we can stop procrastinating and start working

The Procrastination Doom Loop—and How to Break It - what it means to be caught in the procrastination loop, and how to get out of it

Why Procrastinators Procrastinate - a look into the procrastinator's brain

5 Types of Procrastination (And How To Fix Each of Them) - procrastination can look different depending on what type of procrastinator you are. Figuring out which type you are will help you beat your procrastination!

Plus a couple of tools we use to help beat procrastination:

Forest App – focusing on your work helps you build a virtual forest

Write or Die - an online word processor that forces you to write... or else suffer the consequences you choose - from spiders crawling across your screen, to your words erasing themselves

Cold Turkey Writer - this turns your computer into a typewriter - so you can't use it for anything other than writing. Great if you struggle with distractions!

toggl - a productivity and time tracker that might help you keep an eye on how you spend your time

Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/qb62

Nerves are a completely normal part of giving a talk and as you’ve probably heard many times – nerves are a good thing! Feeling nervous means you care about this presentation which will help you to do a great job. But nerves can also be very unsettling and even completely debilitating. The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to help manage your nerves. In this episode, Michael and Jen share their advice on what you can do before and during a talk to get your nerves under control and not only give a fantastic talk, but enjoy it too.

Here are a couple of useful articles to help you learn to manage nerves:

Can Three Words Turn Anxiety Into Success?

Reframing stress - stage fright can be your friend 

Get Excited: Reappraising Pre-Performance Anxiety as Excitement

To Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking, Stop Thinking About Yourself

How I overcame the fear of public speaking

Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/y4js

This week we had a fascinating conversation with Dr Graham Phillips focused on how to talk about controversial or divisive science topics – like aliens. Graham is a much-loved Australian science communicator and journalist and has plenty of experience communicating about tricky topics, especially when he was the host and a producer-reporter on ABC TV’s science program Catalyst.

Graham began his career as a scientist (he has a PhD in astrophysics) before quitting to become science journalist/broadcaster/communicator. He’s been a regular science commentator on all the free-to-air TV commercial networks, written about science for almost every major newspaper in Australia and had regular science columns in a number of them. He’s contributed to many, many hours of science on radio as both an interviewee and interviewer, and has had four popular science books published.

Graham recently wrote and produced a series on extra-terrestrial life for Amazon’s podcast arm Audible - Astronomical: looking for life beyond Earth – hence his interest in aliens!

You can follow Graham and find out more about his work here:

https://www.instagram.com/grahamphillipsscience

https://au.linkedin.com/in/graham-phillips-80b3b920

https://twitter.com/grahamp10

Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/o4js

This week we had the great pleasure of talking with Dr Josh Chu-Tan who until very recently was the Business Development Manager for the College of Health and Medicine (CHM) based in the ANU Office of Business Engagement and Commercialisation as well as a Research Fellow at JCSMR with the Clear Vision Research Group. Josh completed his PhD in 2019 and was hired as a postdoc and lecturer in Medical Physiology by the ANU Medical School. Since his PhD, he has published 16 papers with 6 as first author and won an NHMRC Ideas Grant as a CI. Josh then moved onto a more industry-facing role at the start of 2022 as the Business Development Manager for CHM allowing him to foster industry relationships and create partnerships and commercialisation opportunities from academic research.

Josh has won a number of awards throughout his research career. In 2016, he won the ANU 3MT and went on to also win the Asia-Pacific 3MT competition which allowed him to travel to Berlin for the Falling Walls Finale where he was finalist for Young Innovator of the Year. In 2019, Josh was invited to give a TEDx talk at TEDxChristchurch that later was chosen to be a global featured TED talk with over 1.7 million views now. He was one of the ABC Top 5 in Science in 2021 and was an ACT Tall Poppy Award winner for 2022.

You can follow Josh and learn more about his work here:

https://twitter.com/joshchutan

https://services.anu.edu.au/education-support/academic-development/nectar-mentoring-program/dr-joshua-chu-tan

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuachutan/

https://www.clearvisionresearch.com/joshua-chu-tan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOurql_a-4g (Josh’s TEDx talk)

Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/6xrs

This week we had an absolute blast speaking with Christian Williams, who is an expert teacher in Melbourne, Australia. He has been recognised nationally and internationally for his expertise as a National Excellence in Teaching Award Winner, Finalist for the Global Teacher Prize and a Finalist for Young Australian of the Year. At Mentone Girls’ Grammar School, Christian manages the award-winning Enterprise Academy, a world leader in educating, inspiring and empowering young women for a better world. He is also the Co-Founder of one of Australia’s top education start-ups The STEM Circle.

You can follow Christian and learn more about his work here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianjeremywilliams/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj42rsU-ico (Christian’s TEDx talk)

https://twitter.com/CardioChristian

https://www.thestemcircle.com/

Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/9sxs