Graduate Students from Different Countries Joined at Heidelberg University to Communicate Bioeconomy Research Better to the Public

There are growing expectations toward the scientist community that scientists have to be able to transfer their knowledge and to deliver their information for the general public in an efficient way.

Trying to solve this issue, the Bioeconomy Graduate Program BBW ForWerts at Heidelberg University brought students from different subjects and nationalities together at a three-day workshop to better communicate and to become Ambassadors of Bioeconomy. The training - the first of its kind at Heidelberg University - was held at the end of October 2017. It was funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for Science, Research and Art (Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst, MWK).

Inviting specialists from various communication areas as coaches, including editors from science publishing entities such as Spektrum der Wissenschaft and a radio moderator from SWR 2 Baden-Baden, the organization committee from BBW ForWerts in Heidelberg aims to push the students to think about how they can transfer their scientific findings and cascade them to different audiences.

The lecturers prepared sections of discussion, exercises and presentations, in which they challenged the students to present their different research subjects such as microalgae, lignocellulose, biogas, biosurfactants, forests, animal feed, and lactic acid to a non-scientific audience. The training delved into the ways of  delivering the message, and which techniques could improve their personal skills in communication. A film maker segment during the course emphasized the importance of visual elements in science transfer. A self-marketing class on profiling exercises, CV writing and video interviews offered practical approaches on how the students can prepare for applications on the job markets.

(This press release was drafted during the workshop by a group of workshop participants and has been edited by the BBW ForWerts graduate program.)