Faculty Research Forum: In the Public Eye

Communicating about your scholarly work is an essential part of research, and an essential step in demonstrating its relevance and impact. Many faculty feel they have a responsibility to communicate outside the academy, and find that communicating with members of the public, research sponsors, and policymakers is beneficial to their research. Given the range of audiences, and the complex and sometimes technical nature of research, this can be hard to do well. This conversation will bring together faculty members with people who work with faculty to communicate ideas to the public, represent the University’s academic research interests with policymakers, and engage actively in public outreach and communications. 

  • Planning for press coverage 
  • Interviews with the media
  • Online and social media 
  • Outreach and broader impacts
  • Policy makers

When: Friday, April 16, 2021, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Where: Register via Zoom

Moderator: Catherine Zandonella, Communications Manager, Office of the Dean for Research

Featured presenters:

  • Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, professor of African-American Studies at Princeton University, is a scholar of racial inequality in public policy and writes extensively on race and politics. Her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Boston Review, Paris Review, Guardian, the Nation, and other outlets. She is a former contributing opinion writer for the New York Times and is now a contributing writer and columnist for the New Yorker. @KeeangaYamahtta
  • Sam Wang, professor of neuroscience, investigates how brains learn from sensory experience in adulthood and in development, work that has relevance for autism. In a different domain, he used his data expertise to establish the Princeton Election Consortium and the Princeton Gerrymandering Project. His work has been featured in numerous outlets including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and NPR, and he is co-host of the popular Politics and Polls weekly podcast. @SamWangPhD
  • Ben Chang is deputy vice president for communications and University spokesperson, helping manage the University’s range of communications channels and amplify University priorities, from furthering diversity, access, and inclusion across higher education to elevating environmental and climate science research. Previously, Ben served for almost two decades as a career Foreign Service Officer, including as a senior official in the National Security Council in both the Bush and Obama White House and at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. He also led communications for the Small Business Administration and was a vice president and editor at the Los Angeles Times.
  • Catherine Zandonella (moderator) is communications manager at the Office of the Dean for Research. In addition to communicating about University research, she produces Discovery: Research at Princeton and Princeton Innovation magazines. Prior to coming to Princeton in 2011, Catherine covered science and technology for magazines such as Nature, New Scientist and National Geographic’s Green Guide.

Followed by discussion.

 

Presentation materials: