4 December 2018
By Marina Joubert
The 67 participants from across Africa who successfully completed the 2018 CREST online course in science communication will be receiving their certificates soon. This is what some of the 2018 participants had to say:
I am so glad that I got this opportunity to do this course. I cannot speak highly enough about it. I welcome all that I have learnt during this course and can’t wait for the next one to take place in 2019, so that I can refer my colleagues to it. (Michelle Binedell, knowledge manager, South African Sugarcane Research Institute)
The course has boosted my critical thinking skills as a science communicator. I now understand how easy it is for both communicators and the public to misinterpret research data. Also, a lot of quackery gets passed off as real science in the “fake news” age, but now I have the tools to better identify it! (Thalia Brussow, copywriter & online engagement officer, National Research Foundation)
This science communication course demystified the subject of science communication to me, and gave me the tools to better communicate my own research. The course coordinators were all very qualified and eager to assist, as were the fellow participants, creating a unique openness of how we experience science communication. I loved the peer-learning experience and the dual flow of information through the discussion forms. In addition, this course is very relevant to modern day South Africa, which represents a unique climate for science communication, making it very relevant and informative. Overall, I believe that this course gives participants the fundamental skills to launch a possible science communication career. (Carri-Ann Bloom, biochemistry PhD candidate, Nelson Mandela University)
Undergraduate and graduate students of science and associated fields will benefit greatly from this course, which provides a good introduction both to why science communication is important, and the many ways in which scientific messages can be communicated to a variety of audiences. These are essential skills for young scientists to develop, now more so than ever, to bridge the divide between science and the public and share the importance of scientific research in our daily lives. (Ruth Leeney, conservation scientist and founder of Protect Africa’s Sawfish)
The Scicomm online course was excellent. Well planned and better than I hoped for. I can definitely recommend the course. (Elbie Els, Central Analytical Facilities, Stellenbosch University)
During the science communication course, I learnt ways of communicating science and differentiating between science and pseudoscience. I am now confident to communicate science with different audiences and make use of video interviews and social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Thank you for the wonderful experience. (Livhuwani Nethenzheni, Abagold, Ltd)
The course is simply good value for money, from the contents to materials to interaction and the availability of the facilitators for response and guidance! (Tlou Masehela, South African National Biodiversity Institute)
The online SciCOM course was quite an interesting and enjoyable experience for me. The course was well planned and managed and covered both the theory and practical aspects of SciCOM. Highly recommended for basically anyone in the science field, who’s passionate about educating, sharing information and dispelling myths. Thank you to the organisers and lecturers for hosting an excellent course and special thank you to SAASTA for making the experience possible for me. (Sabeehah Vawda, medical doctor/researcher, Virology Laboratory at Universitas Hospital and the University of the Free State)
The course was very useful, especially the practical section of making our own videos because I have always thought that this was a lot more complex and that it would be beyond my capabilities! I also really enjoyed hearing opinions of other individuals that are not scientists on the forum. It’s always interesting to see how we as scientists are perceived and what challenges those that teach scientists to communicate have. If we are to change the behaviour of scientists and their attitude to communication I feel it is imperative to understand the issues from both sides. Although there is a clear advantage for communicators to attend this course, there is an extreme benefit for all scientists to do this course. In fact, I would think that something similar should be mandatory in the curriculum for all science students. (Simone Richardson, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service)
I found this science communication course very useful. Not only did it demystify the subject of science communication to me, but as a PhD Biochemistry student, it gave me the tools (writing, infographics, video etc.) to better communicate my own research. What I loved most about this course is the peer-learning experience and the dual flow of information through the discussion forms; this cements the idea that science communication is a shared learning experience; that scientists can learn from citizens and vice versa. I thoroughly enjoyed the course as it encouraged me to leave my comfort zone (or should I say the laboratory) in order to film and edit a short video to communicate my passion (indigenous medicinal plant research), contributing towards the development of new skills. Additionally, the course coordinators were all very qualified and eager to assist, as were the fellow participants, creating a unique openness of how we experience science communication. Overall, I believe that this course gives participants the fundamental skills to launch a possible science communication career. (Carri-Ann Bloom, PhD candidate, Nelson Mandela University)
This course was identified as it was relevant to my programme of work as the Deputy Director for the Ecological infrastructure (EI) directorate at SANBI, one of my responsibilities being communication of the work we do at Catchment level, I am also managing a project on the Establishment of catchment -based Research, Development and Innovation for EI platforms in Berg and Breede as well as uMzimvubu catchments, with this course I have been able to share the lessons within the catchments, and updated my Policy briefs that I was compiling as well as the language that has been used in our documents have changed. So this has really been so useful for us at SANBI. We also recently had a UEIP 5 years celebration where Pearl did a short video for the catchment looking back at the past 5 years and what it means for the next 5 years of the partnership. So we couldn’t have had the idea or innovation for doing the video if it wasn’t for the course. Personally I really learnt a lot and my writing skills have improved a lot. And this is also visible in my MBA research that I am currently doing and writing up these chapters was not easy at first but now, hey I am on a roll all thanks to the SciCom course. (Dan’sile Cindi, science communicator, South African National Biodiversity Institute)
The course, presented over six weeks, focused on the theory and practice of science communication, with a focus on the African context. It was co-presented by Dr Marina Joubert, Dr Lars Guenther and Professor George Claassen, with Rolene Langford as the course coordinator. PhD student Lisa Mertens presented a practical module and assisted participants to produce a short popular science video.
Email Rolene at rlm@sun.ac.za if you would like to be notified about the next online short course planned for 2019.