Good independent science communication is hugely important, but grossly under-supported. In terms of needed training opportunities, access to resources (intellectually and financially), and just general support. This is what our SciComm mentorship cohorts are attempting to address.
We now host 4 cohorts per year, which run alongside each of our e-summits. Cohorts last 3 months, where the group receives ongoing mentorship on effectively communicating science in a written format, with opportunities for further format mentorship afterwards. The culmination of the cohort is an eBook summary to distill the insights of each summit we host. Each cohort member will author their own chapter, with credit alongside our summit speakers.
So far we’ve hosted 3 cohorts, mentoring over 30 prospective science communicators. Find the eBook creations from our previous cohorts here!
What do the cohorts involve:
Group calls with our cohort advisors. These include meet-and-greets to connect with group members, eBook chapter guidance, and scicomm related q&a sessions.
Group chats for ongoing connection and support. We do this via WhatsApp where cohorts and advisors can work together on an ongoing basis.
SciComm Mentorship. In addition to the above, cohort members will get feedback on their work from their peers, cohort advisors, and summit speakers. This includes guidance on effective communication and in fact-checking.
The intention behind this initiative is to create opportunities for science communication training which did not exist in the cosmetics sector. In the process, a valuable free resource is created to benefit whoever wants to access it.
The team working hard to make this happen:
Cohort Coordinator: Luciana Smaldore and Jen Novakovich
Mentorship Advisory Group: Jen Novakovich, Luciana Smaldore, Todd Squires PhD, Annika Lagut PhD, Lyle Burgoon PhD ATS, Lisa Gandalfi PhD and Ryan Kudla PhD.
FACTS Q&A
How can you be a part of a future cohort? Cohort applications open 1.5 months ahead of each of our summits. Watch out for the cohort application period on our LinkedIn and Instagram. Application tip - pay extra close attention to the challenge question! That is our ultimate deciding factor for who makes it into the group! We give scicomm feedback to all applicants so that everyone gets some guidance, even if they don’t make it. If you don’t get in the first time, take our suggestions and re-apply! :)
Why have we focused on written communication as an entry? Because we feel strongly that this provides a good groundwork for scicommers to grow from. It helps establish strategy in the way we approach communicating science that translates really well into other content formats - from creating compelling infographics to scripting for video content.
Is there a cost to cohort members for participating? No. This program is free, made possible by a group of people who have volunteered their time to help us create this opportunity for the beauty space!
As part of this program training up science communicators in cosmetics, we’re also trying to create opportunities for them. This has included scicomm shadowing and content creation at conferences with Jen Novakovich (here’s an example of what that’s looked like!), authorship in trade magazines (here’s an example of what that’s looked like!), and paid written scicomm opportunities. If you have an idea for an opportunity, please let us know! If you are a company looking for a science communicator to hire, reach out and we can connect you with a suitable candidate from our cohort program.
This program needs support so we can keep growing our impact. If you’re a company interested in sponsoring a future cohort, please reach out!
Contact us with inquires at info@theecowell.com
