Posts in: Tools & Resources

Conferences can be daunting as a new scientist in the field, especially for underrepresented people. As a recent grad who is starting out on a research path, attending conferences is an important aspect of building the foundations of my career. In-person conferences were hard enough to navigate, with their labyrinthine halls and countless sessions at the crack of d...

After a long and tumultuous election year, we look ahead to starting 2021 with a new President, whose administration will be worlds different from the one that came before. The incoming Biden-Harris Administration has a lot of work to do to repair, rebuild, and re-envision the role science can play in society. From restoring dismantled and understaffed scientific a...

When it comes to science communication, don’t underestimate the power of capturing photos, video and audio of yourself and your research in action. Even short clips — high-quality and planned in advance — can have a big impact down the road. The uses are numerous: social media, presentations, grant reporting, perhaps even media coverage or a documentary about...

The Heartwired to Love the Ocean Messaging Guide was released last year, and is the result of a multi-year collaboration to improve communications around ocean issues. The Guide is aimed at conservation advocates and activists, but contains valuable ideas and methods for scientists too. COMPASS staff served on the Ocean Messaging Project Advisory Group that helped ...

Two years ago, we released the Message Box Workbook, a comprehensive walk-through of one of our core tools. Our goal was to increase access to science communication tools for anyone who needed them by making the Workbook freely available online. It's been exciting to hear stories of how the Message Box Workbook has helped hundreds of scientists to build their commu...

This summer, COMPASS welcomed Priya Shukla, PhD student at the University of California, Davis, as our Policy Engagement Fellow. Priya is an avid science communicator and a Forbes contributor, with a digital column focused on ocean science and climate change. We asked Priya whether she had any tips for other scientists writing about their work for a web audience, a...