Talk nerdy to me: hot takes on scicomm systems

First - two big announcements: 

1. In Season 3, we’re digging into systems and what we think about as we consciously try to change them. 
2. We’re running another cohort of SciComm STEP next spring! Join our email list for a ping when the application goes live! 🥳 

There’s a lot going on underneath the phrase “scicomm system”. 

Today, we're taking a look at the state of the field and how that shapes those of us who work in scicomm. For example, we think: 

• the generally used definition of who is a scicomm professional is too narrow; 
• we need to talk more about how there are reaaally different takes on scicomm (support, professionalization, extent of professional community) in the U.S., elsewhere in North America, and regionally on other continents; 
• there are so many dimensions of scicomm, including scicomm tasks/products, types of audiences, etc., etc. 

In short, the scicomm field has not been professionalized. At minimum, we lack: 

• a clearinghouse that we can look to for information, power, funding, access; 
• coherent networking; 
• a professional infrastructure run by actual scicommers/scicomm leaders; 
• productive, well-paying, sustainable mechanisms for moving into and up/through the field. 

What this means is that the scicomm field is at the mercy of and beholden to other systems with other priorities. (And, ahem, that puts field-leading beacons of scicomm at massive risk of vanishing.) 

At the same time, the gaps in professionalization mean anyone from any corner of the worlds that intersect with scicomm can join the profession, influence it, reinvent themselves within it, and have substantial, positive impact on science and society through scicomm. 

This week we also tackle: 

• changing scicomm systems from inside vs. outside those systems (e.g., within or beyond academia); 
• how systems beyond scicomm still undervalue or even actively obstruct scicomm; 
• how we describe advanced scicommers today (in one, nerdy sentence!); 
• a theory of change that has reshaped how we imagine and build scicomm systems. 

Dig in for yourself: 

• How would you describe advanced scicommers? 
• wWhat’s one big change in the scicomm system that would open up space for you to do the work you want to be doing? 

Thanks for listening! We’re hoping for a community potluck 🥗🍛: Connect with us on BlueSky at @bgmerkle.bsky.social and @vgwschutte.bsky.social.