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Does studying scicomm get you a better job?

18 June 2024 at 5:35:00 am

T12 Talk

15 min

Abstract

Job ads, data, and common sense tell us good communication skills are a vital part of a successful career in science. Communication training is therefore an increasingly common part of most science degrees across Australia, either through explicit subjects or assessments involving scientific knowledge and communication practise. But how are these skills being used by graduates in the workplace? And—as we move into the age of AI—what are our graduates missing? We will share the results of a pilot study which surveyed recent science graduates from the University of Melbourne on the skills they use in their jobs. We surveyed 75 alumni trying to identify a) a difference in the outcomes for students who have taken science communication classes compared to those who haven’t, and b) skills that are being used in their day-to-day roles. Our hope is to build on these studies to inform our development of future training for the next generation of scientists and science communicators.

Presenter/s

Dr Linden Ashcroft

Relevance to conference themes

This talk supports the theme by connecting the needs of employers with educators, helping us all understand how we can best serve future science communicators.

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