Available From UC Press

Championing Science shows scientists how to persuasively communicate complex scientific ideas to decision makers in government, industry, and education. This comprehensive guide provides real-world strategies to help scientists develop the essential communication, influence, and relationship-building skills needed to motivate nonexperts to understand and support their science. Instruction, interviews, and examples demonstrate how inspiring decision makers to act requires scientists to extract the essence of their work, craft clear messages, simplify visuals, bridge paradigm gaps, and tell compelling narratives. The authors bring these principles to life in the accounts of science champions such as Robert Millikan, Vannevar Bush, scientists at Caltech and MIT, and others. With Championing Science, scientists will learn how to use these vital skills to make an impact.


 

Roger D. Aines is Chief Scientist of the Energy Program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Amy L. Aines is Founder and CEO of Damianakes Communications. Throughout her career she has helped scientists and technologists communicate breakthrough ideas.
 

“Thoughtfully composed, insightful, and supportive, this book appears at a time when it’s simply not enough to communicate science effectively—we have to champion science through purposive, focused communication. The Aineses have laid out a rigorous and engaging pathway for scientists who aspire to get facts across effectively and make their voices heard clearly amid a cacophony of information. Highly recommended reading for everyone who wants to make sure that their messages land soundly and powerfully with important audiences.”—Laura Lindenfeld, Professor and Director, Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, Stony Brook University

“A wonderfully informative playbook of examples and recommendations for scientists seeking to communicate the content of their research. From the opening warning, that ‘scientists are great communicators—with other scientists,’ to the detailed assessments of how visual and other aids help or hinder the communication process, the authors have built a vitally needed resource to improve the science-society conversation. This conversation is especially needed in a sad era of ‘alternative facts’—an era that the scientific process and the authors reject.”—Daniel Kammen, Professor and Chair, Energy and Resources Group, University of California, Berkeley

“A must-read for those in the research community. Aines and Aines develop smart and clear approaches for scientists to communicate the importance of their work to those responsible for making policy and funding decisions. Their writing hits on what you think you already know and, most important, what you never before considered.”—Felice C. Frankel, MIT research scientist, science photographer, and author of Picturing Science and Engineering