CEF's Science Communication Media Lab produces innovative media to inform and shape public policy and explores new approaches to science communication. 

"Clear and simple is not enough," argues Rush Holt, former CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in this new 12-minute video from CEF's Science Communication Media Lab. "It has to be meaningful," he says. "It has to communicate the science in a way that people feel they can take in, not just understand it but embrace it and care about it, in other words believe that it is relevant."

SCICOMM: Raising Our Voice for Science in Public Policy from Larry Kirkman on Vimeo.

The March for Science brought more than one million scientists out of their labs, offices and classrooms into the public eye at demonstrations around the world. "Science, Not Silence" was the rallying call for marchers who have seen their work ignored, defunded, misinterpreted, and censored, despite conclusive evidence that the consequences of inaction will be profound and irreversible. It's being called a "war on science." The rejection of scientific evidence by politicians and policy makers has created an historical turning point and a crucible for scientists. CEF video crews covered the March in 2017 and 2018. We asked scientists why they were demonstrating and to define the challenges of science communication practice, training, and strategy. 

SCICOMM director, Larry Kirkman, said, "We found an intensity, an urgency and a desire to communicate the fundamental importance of science to all aspects of our lives. The scientists in this video have made the decision to be more public, to stand up for the need for science to influence policy, to ensure they and their colleagues are not silenced. They represent the new strategic efforts that have been launched to train and equip scientists and science advocates to more effectively communicate the value and values of scientific knowledge."

Film and Media Arts graduate students, Ashley Luke, Shannon Shikles and Nicc Gadsden with professor Larry Kirkman at the March for Science 2018.

SCICOMM Director/Producer Larry Kirkman is director of CEF's Science Communication Media Lab, professor emeritus, Film and Media Arts and dean emeritus, AU School of Communication. Editor/Producer Shannon Shikles has a masters in Film and Media Arts from AU and is a multimedia coordinator with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation for NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.