The Engage Seminar
The Engage graduate-level seminar course at the University of Washington teaches emerging scientists to effectively communicate through development of a seminar on their own research for a general audience. The course themes include storytelling, audience consideration, and public speaking while incorporating lessons and tools from a variety of sources: improvisational games, group discussion and feedback, and, most importantly, practice. After completion of the course, students give their presentations at a public venue (currently hosted by Town Hall Seattle as the “UW Science Now” series.)
The 3-credit course housed in the College of the Environment meets once per week for approximately 3 hours. The next course will be offered in winter quarter 2025. Please subscribe to our blog for future announcements.
In Class
Improv, story telling, and audience consideration. Students learn how to use their voice, their brains, and their bodies to communicate in an engaging and inclusive way.
Elevator Pitches
Students present their research as a short elevator pitch - quick, catchy, and impactful. During Pitch Nite, they share their pitches with a general audience at a local pub.
Town Hall Talks
Students present a deeper dive into their research at the annual UW Science Now Speaker Series at Town Hall Seattle.
Blog Posts
Each year, students write a blog post, either about their science communication experience or communicating their science to a general audience. Blog posts from 2018 through present are published on the Blog tab. Archived blog posts are available below for each year from 2013 to 2017 (.pdf file).