Science communication: reflections on collaboration and co-creation

In response to the crisis of public confidence in science, Macquarie University began piloting an innovative and multidisciplinary Science Communication program in 2010. This paper seeks to present ‘the story so far’ and describe some of the strategies adopted to attempt to address the perceived lack of communication skills in science graduates that the Australian Council of Deans of Science has identified (2008). Given the financial constraints and very short lead time with which to design and implement this new offering (4 units over 18 months), we have used a “community of practice” model to foster and identify an interdisciplinary network of early adopters and those with an established interest in the communication of science at Macquarie. In addition, drawing from the business concept of co-creation (Ramaswamy 2010), we have been taking a ‘bottom up’ approach through, 1) experimenting with a student-centred, interview based lecture model, 2) utilising an avatar-based Wordpress blog 3) using student initiatives, collaboratively developing promotional materials.