Do you want to get more involved in policy?  Are you interested in informing the development of legislation of federal research funding policy?  This interactive workshop will provide you with the knowledge and skills required to effectively contact your elected officials, schedule and conduct an effective meeting with Representatives and Senators, and offer suggestions for other opportunities to get involved in the policy arena.  The workshop will provide information about how federal funding for scientific research programs is determined (from the agency to the White House to Congress).  Through interactive exercises, participants will implement and hone skills developed in this workshop.  This workshop will reference federal legislative process and science policy, but the skills learned are transferrable to state, local, and environmental policy.  This workshop is recommended for individuals interested in the development of policy at any level.
 

AIBS WORKSHOP #2: Techniques and Tips for Communicating Your Science to the Media
     Contacts: Megan Kelhart, Public Policy Associate,  mkelhart@aibs.org; Holly Menninger,
     Public Policy Associate, hmenninger@aibs.org; AIBS Public Policy Office, 202-628-1500

Stories about science and its implications abound in the broadcast, print, and digital media.  The need and opportunity for scientists to become engaged in this communication extravaganza have never been greater.  This workshop provides participants with the essential knowledge and skills required to be a successful spokesperson for science.  The workshop will include presentations that illustrate how you can get involved in media outreach and what you need to know and do to effectively communicate your message.  participants will interact in small groups to practice  the techniques they have learned in several different interview scenarios, and provide each other with feedback and suggestions.  This workshop is recommended for interested persons with no media experience, as well as those seasoned communicators who are looking to refine their skills.
 

WORKSHOP #3: Translating Wetland Science: Preparation of Non-technical Publications for General Audiences
      Contact: Karen L. McKee, USGS National Wetlands Research Center, karen_mckee@usgs.gov;
      Ph.: 337-266-8662

Policy-makers and government agencies are demanding that scientists make their work more accessible and understandable to the general public.  To meet this responsibility, scientists must have the desire, ability, and tools to translate technical information into documents that are readable by a diverse audience.  However, few scientists and students learn the necessary skills or even recognize the benefits of making their work available to a broader audience.

This workshop will offer training in the design, content, and preparation of non-technical summaries of wetland science issues and research findings.  The overall goal is to provide scientists and students with some basic skills and creative ideas to translate their work for non-science audiences.  A specific objective of the workshop would be to recruit and train potential authors of the SWS Research Brief, a new publication devoted to outreach.  However, others interested in developing similar information products would also benefit. 

The workshop would cover 1) benefits to the scientist, 2) basic concepts in writing for a non-scientific audience, 3) ways to create an interesting research summary, 4) how to assess and improve the readability of science writing, and 5) techniques for preparing and using electronic templates (Microsoft Office Publisher) for research briefs.  During the workshop, the participants will prepare a research brief based on a published paper or on planned or on-going research.  

Participants must bring a laptop computer with Microsoft Office Professional 2003 or higher (Windows) to use the Publisher template that will be provided.  Other applications can be used: Adobe Creative Suite 2 or Office InDesign (Macintosh), but participants must have sufficient knowledge of these programs to create and use a template without assistance.  All participants should bring necessary files with text, graphs, photographs, and other information needed to develop their own research brief.  A recent paper, report, class project, or thesis topic could be used as the basis for the brief.