Many faculty members, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students convey passion about their research in scholarly settings, yet they may feel less comfortable and effective communicating the essence of their vital scientific work to members of the media, community, legislature and other non-scientists.

The  academic outlets relied upon to disseminate science  often have limited influence on contemporary cultural or policy debates.  Are there ways to promote your findings and ideas to a broader audience?

An upcoming workshop sponsored by the USF Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships will focus on ways to get your research off the shelf and into the public discourse.

The  “GoPublic!” workshop will be held from 10 a,m. to noon, Thursday, Oct. 23, in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s Group Learning Space (2,4 and 6).   The workshop will be led by Vickie Chachere, director of special projects, University Communications and Marketing, and Wayne Garcia, associate director of the USF School of Mass Communications and instructor in journalism.

Workshop attendees will learn how to:

• Frame academic research for a broader public
• Build partnerships with newspapers and other media outlets.
• Be proactive with the news media by framing and defining issues under public discussion.
• Provide expertise for op-ed pages.
• Translate academic discourse into plain language.
• Compose newsworthy narratives that correct misinformation and misunderstandings in the public discussion.

So, save the date if  you are interested in learning how to communicate clearly and vividly about your scientific work and why it matters.

The workshop is free; however a reservation is requested.  Please CLICK HERE to RSVP.   For more information, contact the Office of Community Engagement at 813-974-3233, or e-mail communityengagement@usf.edu.