When PhD students from IGE learn about scientific communication and take control of a Twitter account

On Monday 14 June 2021, 9 PhD students were given the green light to post in turn on the @EnDirectDuLabo Twitter account.

@EnDirectDuLabo, what is it ?

This Twitter account invites researchers to share their daily lives and research. Each week, subscribers discover what is hidden in the labs and what "doing science" means. The public can discover the work of PhD students, engineers, university lecturer,researchers and technicians. Discovering the many facets of research in France is the objective of this account.

Directly inspired by @realscientists, the project is led by the Collectif Conscience. The aim of this association is to highlight and promote scientific culture in the general french-speaking culture. It runs projects such as the collaborative account @EnDirectDuLabo on the Twitter platform or helps creating scientific initiatives to spread science.

A great focus on the objectives of the lab

IGE has three main objectives :

  • to understand the variability of the climate system (in the polar, intertropical and mountain regions) through modelling and cartography of the Earth system and its interactions
  • to understand the physical and biogeochemical processes in surface environments and at their interfaces that govern the balance of the planet
  • to develop and improve models for forecasting and assessing natural hazards and the effects of anthropisation on societies.

The work of PhD students of IGE illustrates the work done to achieve those objectives.

Click on the image below to discover their contributions.

 

 

Are there other ways of scientific communication than Twitter ?

Obviously, the training focused on the social network Twitter for several reasons : it is a good gateway to start in the world of scientific communication, the network is relatively easy to learn (on the main functions) and it is a very good institutional channel.

The desire to discover other means is justified : there is a need to find the medium that will best suit the person. Getting in touch with associations and structures offering scientific activities or conferences can also be an excellent way to approach communication.

Here are some other ideas for those who are interested in this subject :

  • creating video clips (to be broadcasted on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, ...)
  • creating a blog to write articles
  • starting a podcast (easy to broadcast on platforms or via a blog)
  • running workshops in partnership with associations/high schools/events
  • taking part in conference-cafes (like at Pint of Science).

At the UGA, we are lucky to have a service dedicated to culture and scientific culture : l’Ouvre-Boite. Throughout the year, the Ouvre-Boite offers workshops on "CST" (Scientific and Technical Communication).

Read more about the PhD training in scientific communication :
https://www.echosciences-grenoble.fr/dossiers/les-ateliers-de-la-culture-scientifique/articles

Author : Virginie Strohmeyer for IGE communication - 25/06/2021