Taking Science to the People: A Communication Primer for Scientists and Engineers

6. Translating Science: From Academia to Mass Media to the Public

Kristine Kelly is an account supervisor for Edelman Corporate and Public Affairs in New York where she helps hospital and pharmaceutical clients to publicize their research and discoveries. Kelly earned her doctorate in cell and molecular biology from Cornell University. After deciding that a career in research wasn’t for her, she was chosen as an aaas Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellow and intern at the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Richmond, Virginia. From there, Kelly went to Rockefeller University in New York as a science writer and publicrelations officer. She joined Edelman in 2007. Apart from her interest in science communication, Kelly enjoys cooking, playing with her dog, and running. When she wrote this essay, she was also in training for the Chicago Marathon. In this essay, Kristine Kelly, who considers herself a translator of science, provides a short course on how to explain complex information about science and technology to nonexperts. 51 6 Translating Science From Academia to Mass Media to the Public Kristine Kelly When I introduce myself to a new client or colleague, one question inevitably follows: “How did a scientist end up working in corporate pr?” It’s a legitimate question: Going from earning a PhD in molecular biology to working in public relations is an unusual career move. However, because now—more than ever—scientists need to be able to talk about their research and explain its significance, my career change makes sense. While I may not work at the lab bench anymore, my background in science is still essential to my job. My ability to talk about science—whether with other scientists, my pr colleagues, or members of the media—is my most valuable skill. Because I straddle this divide between science and communication , I think of myself as a science translator. I’m amazed that people are more comfortable in buying and selling stocks on the Internet than in talking about genetics. People may be more at ease with topics like finance over science because some media outlets have given them tools to understand financial questions. Those same media aren’t always as good about providing tools for understanding science. Yet the public’s exposure to science is greater today than ever before. Drug advertisements have swamped tv and print (Europe may soon have a dedicated pharmaceutical-drug television channel), medical conditions can be researched online, and science-related issues such as funding for stem-cell research are appearing on voters’ ballots. I thought I could make a difference acting as an intermediary, the translator who has stood on both sides and understands both science and media. Translating, I think, is an apt word to describe what most science communicators do. Similar to any specialty, science has its own language that can be difficult to navigate for those unfamiliar with it. Researchers who spend the majority of their days with other scientists can easily forget that a language exists in which words like ribosome, gene knockout, and polymerase chain reaction (pcr) are uncommon. A science communicator, public relations officer, or press officer can help scientists translate their work into that everyday language. Being reminded that their audience is probably not as fluent in science as they are, researchers who are accustomed to speaking only science can help bring the conversation back into everyday language.  translating science 52 In explaining a study’s importance, I have found that nonscientists are more receptive to a story when scientists relate it in their first language, the one they learned before beginning a PhD program. One trick I use is to recall my days as a first-year graduate student . I remember listening to seminars that I barely understood because I had not yet grasped all the scientific jargon. Now, when faced with a difficult scientific concept, I ask myself, “How can I distill the science, translate the language, in such a way so that my younger self, sitting in the dark auditorium, would understand it?” That technique can be helpful when deciding how much detail is necessary: Is it important to mention ribosomes? Perhaps I can describe a gene knockout as a mouse that scientists have bred so it’s missing a specific gene. When I talk with scientists, I try to play the student, reminding them that when they were students their level of understanding was much lower. I will repeat to scientists what they have told me, but I do it in...