Writing is fundamental to the practice of science. We observe, think, and write about individual organisms, ecosystems, patterns and anomalies, to record our findings, and to reach broader public. This course will aim to make students better writers as they communicate both inside specialist knowledge communities and with other citizens. The course will introduce a variety of writers, past and present, who have worked on environmental and ecological topics and consider the careful observations writers have made about the natural world. Social media, creative non-fiction, video clips, graphical images, and podcasts have joined more traditional journalistic accounts in print media as the means by which science communicates with the public. Many of these methods are increasingly important as interscience communication as videos have become a major means of sharing data. At the same time, imagination is still shaping science in areas like nature writing, critical design, eco-art, and science fiction, and these genres offer important ways to think about the capacity for feedback in science communication. In this course, students will experience the field station environment of Highlands and use these experiences to create a portfolio using a range of science communication genres from websites and podcasts to environmental journalism pieces to share new information, begin conversations about scientific ideas, consider hooks and approaches to create audience interest, and think both practically and theoretically about the best ways to communicate science.

http://highlandsbiological.org/summer-2017/