RCSA Scientists Share Expertise Through Op-Ed Pieces
Cottrell Scholar 2013 Ognjen Š. Miljanić, Chemistry, University of Houston, is the latest Research Corporation for Science Advancement grantee to publish an op-ed piece after participating in a training program designed to increase the diversity of voices, expertise and experience reflected on the nation’s editorial pages.
His two op-eds, on banning natural gas from new homes and the environmental impact of eating beef, were published in April by The Hill, an independent political news site focusing on U.S. politics, policy, business and international relations.
The training came as a result of the 2019 Cottrell Scholar Conference, which focused on communicating science. It featured a session by The OpEd Project, a nonprofit that trains people to communicate effectively and publish their informed opinions. Following the conference, RCSA supported 25 scientists in attending The OpEd Project’s “Write to Change the World” workshops.
“Basic science is not well understood by the public, yet we look to the public for the bulk of research funding and for approval of rational, evidence-based policies for the social good,” said RCSA President & CEO Daniel Linzer. “Sponsoring our community to attend this training was a way to help make the truth and wonder of science accessible beyond academia.”
CS 2010 Jenny Ross, Physics, Syracuse University, and CS 2019 Kerstin Perez, Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also published opinion pieces following the training.
Ross’s op-ed on protecting international students during the pandemic was published in July 2020 by the Post-Standard newspaper in Syracuse, New York. Perez’s article on fostering a sense of belonging among underrepresented students in STEM appeared in Inside Higher Ed in September 2020.
Perez said the training provided “not only a complete toolbox to formulate, write, and pitch your article, but a community that encourages you to believe that your voice matters, your expertise is real, and you should be a part of the public conversation.”
Miljanić said he had written and submitted editorials to other media outlets before, but never at the national level.
“Even though the training was relatively short, it was very to the point in telling you how to target your audience, how to target the editor, how long to write, and various caveats about writing and pitching a piece to a media outlet,” he said. “It was extremely helpful.”
With confidence and encouragement from the workshop — and a connection from colleagues in the energy program at the University of Houston — Miljanić got in touch with editors at The Hill, who liked his writing.
Miljanić had a few concerns about expressing an opinion in the current climate but felt his expertise could increase readers’ understanding of important issues related to energy and chemistry. “It’s pretty technical stuff,” he said.
His first piece generated more than 300 comments, and the second more than 600. “A good friend advised me never to read them,” he said. But he did.
“There were a lot of un-minced words, but it was exhilarating,” he said. “The thing that’s really rewarding is that so many people bothered to comment, and presumably more of them read it, and that is probably more than the sum of my scientific papers combined. Having a broader audience requires some adaptation, but hopefully it brings a lot of value to that audience.”
Other participants said the training was a good opportunity to polish up their communications skills, whether or not they published an op-ed.
Besides publishing one article, Ross said the training improved her communication with faculty -- in writing and in person -- in her new role as chair of the physics department at Syracuse University.
“It helped me come up with a communication style for both my lab and for the department,” she said. “I credit my ability to convince people to get things done to some of those lessons, and I think it may have helped me get a new grant!”
CS 2018 Lou Charkoudian, Chemistry, Haverford College, said the workshop improved her ability to tell a compelling story by “owning my expertise, respecting the reader, and integrating relevant metaphors and examples into the narrative.”
She said it also helped her understand the difference between being right and being effective. “The latter can be a powerful, more inclusive goal,” she said.
CS 2007 Jordan Gerton, Physics & Astronomy, University of Utah, said the training prompted him to think deeply about issues he cares about, and to “give and receive feedback on written work in a way that is not typical for folks in academia."
According to Miljanić, most participants in the training he attended were women or minorities, or both, and he credits The OpEd Project for helping give visibility to experts whose diversity reflects society as a whole.
“They have really implemented what a lot of other people preach, and I was happy to be a part of that,” he said.
