QI Summer Program Trains UC San Diego Students How to Communicate Research

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QI Public Information Officer Tiffany Fox

It’s no longer enough to simply conduct research. In our information-hungry society, students are increasingly expected to communicate their findings, whether it’s to colleagues just down the hall, collaborators from a wide variety of disciplines or even the media and lay public.

A new interdisciplinary summer program at the University of California, San Diego Qualcomm Institute aims to equip UC San Diego students with the skills, tools and networks they need to communicate their research to a multitude of audiences. The Summer Research Seminars & Networking Program -- which takes place Tuesdays and Thursday through Aug. 25 in Atkinson Hall -- will provide value-added, hands-on training sessions on public speaking, improving visual aids and using social media to publicize research findings.

QI Public Information Officer Tiffany Fox, who will lead several of the seminars, says that researchers are generally trained in how to write or present for academic audiences (specifically other researchers in their field), but “collaboration is becoming more and more interdisciplinary.”

“Technical terms and jargon -- which are often used and even encouraged in academic papers and presentations -- just won’t work when you’re communicating with diverse audiences,” she continues. “With the advent of social media, students have even more opportunity to give a voice to the amazing work coming out of their labs and research groups.

“The sooner students learn how to communicate in an approachable, understandable way, the greater an impact they can have, not just in their chosen fields, but the larger world.”

The schedule of seminars and activities includes:

• Panel Discussions and Q&A, July 7
• Faculty/ Professionals and Student Mixer and Networking Event, July 14
• Toastmasters International Social Activity, July 23
• Using Social Media to Communicate Research, Aug. 4
• Powerpoint Karaoke Social Activity, Aug. 6
• Communicating with the Lay Public, Aug. 18
• Research Presentation Practice Workshop, Aug. 25

The program will also include several networking components that will provide students with an opportunity to collaborate with faculty members, professionals and peers. All seminars and activities are open to all UC San Diego students (including graduate students and transfers), are free-of-charge and include a light lunch or refreshments. Students who attend the seminars will receive a certificate of completion.

For more information or to register, Click here.