This text is part of the special notebook Relève en recherche
It can be in the form of a journalistic report or a podcast, or even a comic strip: scientific communication, the subject of a talk on October 27 during the Acfas Emerging Research Days, is an integral part of the profession of researcher.
“There is communication between scientists themselves, which is very important for advancing science. Then there is the communication of science to the general population. And it is divided into many different types of audiences,” explains Perrine Poisson, research and planning agent as well as project manager at the Coeur des sciences, the scientific cultural center of the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM).
When we address people who are not from the field, the reason for scientific communication, specifies Mme Poisson, is to succeed in making a subject, which is sometimes complex, accessible to everyone. “Are we talking to young people? Are we talking to busy parents who don’t have a lot of time to gather important information? You really have to know how to adapt your message and the level of complexity that you will be able to convey,” she emphasizes.
Popularization techniques
“In our school career, we all had teachers who left an impression on us because they had this ability to communicate knowledge that probably amazed us when we were young. It’s important because it motivates us ourselves to do the same […]and I think that it is important to encourage the next generation to be interested in science in general,” believes Ilrick Duhamel, doctoral student in industrial engineering at Polytechnique Montréal and digital reporter for Radio-Canada.
When he started as a researcher, Mr. Duhamel became interested in interdisciplinarity during his master’s degree in engineering, a concept that was completely “abstract” to him, he says. So he used a Venn diagram in order to explain it better. “There are several definitions of this concept, so I had fun finding a way to represent it visually. I used the diagram to illustrate the concept. So it helped me explain it much more easily,” he says.
Popularization techniques like that of Mr. Duhamel, there are many others to interest an audience, continues Perrine Poisson. “If you present your research in the form of a story or an investigation, integrating anecdotes with which you have been confronted, the fact of covering the research in this way is a real win-win in general for the different audiences ”, she cites as an example.
Practice and dare
So how do you become a good science communicator? Besides practice, you simply need to dare to get started, and above all, to be ready to receive help, according to Ilrick Duhamel and Perrine Poisson. “The world of scientific communication is very open. They are truly inspiring and motivated people. These are people who want to share their love of science and light sparks in the eyes of the public they want to speak to,” says M.me Fish.
“It’s by doing it that you develop things. […] It also means being part of the next generation of researchers. If you are in a learning context, you have the right to make mistakes. At this level, I think that’s what limits people, but you shouldn’t hesitate to get started [dans la communication scientifique] », advises Mr. Duhamel.
Numerous resources also exist to support all those who wish to embark on this adventure of scientific communication. Since 1977, we can count on the help of the Association of Scientific Communicators of Quebec (ACS) to improve the conditions of people working in this environment and awaken the population’s interest in scientific culture.
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