Scientists: Engage the Public!

Shugart, Erika C.; Racaniello, Vincent R.

doi:10.1128/mbio.01989-15

Cited by 22 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 7 publications

(7 reference statements)

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“…In conclusion, as noted by Shugart and Racaniello ( 3 ), microbiologists have an opportunity to contribute to public conversations about their work and its potential implications through their communication with lay audiences and the media. Understanding microbiologists’ baseline engagement views and behaviors, and the factors associated with these behaviors, can help improve the microbiology community’s communication footprint.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Of course, the idea of making science accessible to nonscientists is not new; as Nobel Prize–winning physicist Erwin Schrödinger wrote in 1951, “If you cannot—in the long run—tell everyone what you have been doing, your doing has been worthless” ( 2 ). Decades later, the scientific community is working harder than ever to encourage scientists to become proactive, frequent, and effective public communicators ( 3 – 7 ). Indeed, the current president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Rush Holt, explains that “science needs the support of the society it serves” and that “communication and education among scientists, engineers, and the public must improve” in order to garner that support ( 8 ).…”

Section: [Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microbiologists’ Public Engagement Views and Behaviors

Dudo

Besley

Kahlor

et al. 2018

J Microbiol Biol Educ.

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In this study, we present results from an extensive survey of US-based microbiologists (adults) to explore these scientists’ perceptions and behaviors related to communicating their research. Specifically, we explored the frequency with which microbiologists engage in public communication, how they evaluate their public communication experiences, and the factors associated with their willingness to engage in face-to-face and online public communication in the future. Data from a multi-wave online survey suggest that microbiologists (N = 903) are somewhat frequent communicators who derive great value from their outreach efforts. The results further suggest that social and psychological drivers of future intentions to engage with the public are consistent with the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Specifically, microbiologists with more positive attitudes toward engagement were more willing to partake in direct and online communication activities. Similarly, microbiologists who believe they possess communication skills are more willing than their less efficacious colleagues to do either type of outreach. Our results also indicate that more-senior and more-active researchers are more willing to participate in direct and online engagement. Implications for communication training are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: [Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiologists’ Public Engagement Views and Behaviors

Dudo

Besley

Kahlor

et al. 2018

J Microbiol Biol Educ.

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“…Our perspective reflects the opinion of Denison (2014) who suggested that the key to past and future agriculture depended on increasing the cooperation among plants, their symbionts and the farmers. To make this happen, awareness amongst farmers about the beneficial role of microorganisms in plant production and protection will need to be strengthened through innovative extension programs and communications (Shugart and Racaniello, 2015). Mass-production of the starter microbiome inoculum can be thought of with improvements in the additive printing technology (3D printing technology) of microscopic bacterial communities (Connell et al, 2013).…”

Section: Co-propagating the Co-evolvedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiome Selection Could Spur Next-Generation Plant Breeding Strategies

2016

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“No plant is an island too…”Plants, though sessile, have developed a unique strategy to counter biotic and abiotic stresses by symbiotically co-evolving with microorganisms and tapping into their genome for this purpose. Soil is the bank of microbial diversity from which a plant selectively sources its microbiome to suit its needs. Besides soil, seeds, which carry the genetic blueprint of plants during trans-generational propagation, are home to diverse microbiota that acts as the principal source of microbial inoculum in crop cultivation. Overall, a plant is ensconced both on the outside and inside with a diverse assemblage of microbiota. Together, the plant genome and the genes of the microbiota that the plant harbors in different plant tissues, i.e., the ‘plant microbiome,’ form the holobiome which is now considered as unit of selection: ‘the holobiont.’ The ‘plant microbiome’ not only helps plants to remain fit but also offers critical genetic variability, hitherto, not employed in the breeding strategy by plant breeders, who traditionally have exploited the genetic variability of the host for developing high yielding or disease tolerant or drought resistant varieties. This fresh knowledge of the microbiome, particularly of the rhizosphere, offering genetic variability to plants, opens up new horizons for breeding that could usher in cultivation of next-generation crops depending less on inorganic inputs, resistant to insect pest and diseases and resilient to climatic perturbations. We surmise, from ever increasing evidences, that plants and their microbial symbionts need to be co-propagated as life-long partners in future strategies for plant breeding. In this perspective, we propose bottom–up approach to co-propagate the co-evolved, the plant along with the target microbiome, through – (i) reciprocal soil transplantation method, or (ii) artificial ecosystem selection method of synthetic microbiome inocula, or (iii) by exploration of microRNA transfer method – for realizing this next-generation plant breeding approach. Our aim, thus, is to bring closer the information accrued through the advanced nucleotide sequencing and bioinformatics in conjunction with conventional culture-dependent isolation method for practical application in plant breeding and overall agriculture.

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“…Academic units that embrace academic work beyond the peer‐reviewed publication record will be leading the way in promoting and celebrating diverse departmental strengths. Scientific societies and publishers have recognized the growing role of science communication and are consequently diversifying their involvement in communication and engagement (e.g., Shugart and Racaniello ). For example, some online journal libraries and institutions use Altmetric (https://www.altmetric.com/), which tracks online activity of scholarly content such as mentions on Twitter, blog articles, and coverage by news outlets.…”

Section: Recommendations For Departments and Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Shifting Tide: Recommendations for Incorporating Science Communication into Graduate Training

Hundey

Olker²,

Carreira

et al. 2016

Limnology & Oceanogr Bull

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Scientists who are skilled in communication reap professional and personal rewards. Unfortunately, gaps exist in fostering curricular and extracurricular training in science communication. We focus our article on opportunities for university-and department-level leadership to train new scientists to communicate effectively. Our motivation is threefold: (1) communication training is key to being competitive in the increasingly diverse job market, (2) training early career scientists in communication "jump-starts" personal and societal benefits, and (3) the authors represent a group of early career aquatic scientists with unique insights on the state of and need for training. We surveyed early career aquatic scientists about their science communication training experiences. In summary, survey respondents indicated that (1) science communication training is important; (2) graduate students are interested in training that is not currently available to them; (3) departments and advisors are moderately supportive of students participating in science communication, but less enthusiastic about providing training support; and (4) graduate students lack opportunities to put science communication training into practice. We recommend departments and institutions recognize the benefits of science communication training, develop a strategy to support such training, and facilitate individualized approaches to science communication.

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Scientists: Engage the Public!

Cited by 22 publications

References 7 publications

Microbiologists’ Public Engagement Views and Behaviors

Microbiologists’ Public Engagement Views and Behaviors

Microbiome Selection Could Spur Next-Generation Plant Breeding Strategies

A Shifting Tide: Recommendations for Incorporating Science Communication into Graduate Training

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