Science and Story
The Role of Narrative in Modern Research
Tim Miller
Digital Media & Design, University of Connecticut
Wednesday, 6 December, 2017, 3:30pm
Konover Auditorium, Dodd Center
Reception to follow
Sponsored by the CT Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences (IBACS)
and the training program in Science of Learning & the Art of Communication (SLAC)
In today’s crowded and increasingly competitive research environment, it is more important than ever for scientists to take an active role in communicating the importance of their work to as broad an audience as possible. The ability to recruit collaborators, attract funding, and effectively report results requires clear, concise communication. As emerging research challenges focus on fundamentally transdisciplinary questions, the ability to communicate among a diverse cohort is becoming an integral component of the conduct of research within laboratories, not just a supplementary activity that occurs outside of them. This talk addresses some of the fundamental principles that can guide effective communication, and introduces a conceptual framework that can serve as a scaffold for communication strategies of any scope.
Tim Miller has spent a career grappling with the question of how to best share scientific ideas. Following a graduate education in engineering, his work turned to journalism and the arts, and his resume includes appointments at the Boston Museum of Science, the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the University of Southern California’s Entertainment Technology Center, and the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. He is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Digital Media at UConn’s School of Fine Arts, and a co-PI on the recently awarded NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) grant: “Science of Learning and Art of Communication”. He has lectured at museums, universities, and professional societies across the country, and is the author of “Muse of Fire: Storytelling and the Art of Science Communication.”