UCM prepares spokespeople in open science

A dozen scientists from the Universidad Católica del Maule participated in a spokesperson workshop, with the idea of practicing their skills in front of the media.

True and simple; this is how the information to the media from researchers should be, according to an expert in spokespersons who lead workshops for academics from the Universidad Católica del Maule (UCM).

Journalist Enrique Barrera, director of Agency 360, said that the challenge for any scientific institution in explaining its findings or contributing to the public debate is to do it while remaining on the public’s side.

«Communication is key for any organization that wants to make its role known to the community. When the issues are more profound or complex, a second challenge is added to that of simplifying the messages, which is catching people’s interest as well,» said the media management specialist.

The workshops, which took place in Talca and Curicó, sought to reinforce communication skills among the so-called «ambassadors» of the «Colmena UCM» project.

«The fact that UC del Maule scientists already have awareness of how disseminating science and its findings in an appropriate manner can have a positive impact on their environment is already valuable. Disseminating science can even awaken new scientific vocations, enriching our society,» added the professional.

Sponsored by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID, for its name in Spanish), Colmena UCM started a year ago, with the objective of facilitating the access of citizens to the knowledge produced by academics of the university.

The initiative, which hopes to disseminate knowledge widely, will generate an online platform.

«It is essential for us to provide tools for researchers, so that they can bring the institution’s work related to knowledge generation closer to the community, and achieve a good performance in an environment that is full of messages that compete for the attention of the same audiences. In this way, we hope to fulfill one of the most important objectives of the project, which is cultural change,» said the manager of Colmena UCM, Pablo Muñoz.

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