0:00:16.000,0:00:21.000 Five years ago, I experienced a bit of what it must have been like to Alice in Wonderland 0:00:21.000,0:00:28.000 Penn State asked me, a communications teacher, to teach a communications class to engineering students. 0:00:28.000,0:00:31.000 And I was scared. 0:00:31.000,0:00:32.000 Really scared! 0:00:32.000,0:00:36.000 Scared of these students with their big brains, and their big books, and their big, unfamiliar words. 0:00:36.000,0:00:43.000 But as these conversations unfolded, 0:00:43.000,0:00:45.000 I experienced what Alice must have, when she went down that rabbit hole 0:00:45.000,0:00:47.000 and saw that door to a whole new world. 0:00:47.000,0:00:51.000 That was how I felt as I had those conversations with those students - 0:00:51.000,0:00:55.000 I was amazed at the ideas that they had, 0:00:55.000,0:00:58.000 And I wanted others to experience this Wonderland as well 0:00:58.000,0:01:01.000 And I believe the key to opening that door, is great communication. 0:01:01.000,0:01:08.000 We desperately need great communication from our scientists and engineers in order to change the world. 0:01:08.000,0:01:14.000 Our scientists and engineers are the ones that are tackling our grandest challenges, 0:01:14.000,0:01:17.000 from energy to environment to healthcare among others 0:01:17.000,0:01:22.000 And if we don't know about it and don't understand it, then the work isn't done 0:01:22.000,0:01:26.000 And I believe it's our responsibility as non-scientists to have these interactions 0:01:26.000,0:01:32.000 But these great conversations can't occur, if our scientists and engineers don't invite us in. 0:01:32.000,0:01:36.000 So scientists and engineers - please! 0:01:36.000,0:01:38.000 Talk nerdy to us! 0:01:38.000,0:01:42.000 I want to share a few keys on how you can do that 0:01:42.000,0:01:45.000 to make sure that we see that your science is sexy 0:01:45.000,0:01:48.000 and that your engineering is engaging 0:01:48.000,0:01:51.000 First question to answer for us: So what? 0:01:51.000,0:01:55.000 Tell us why your science is relevant to us. 0:01:55.000,0:01:58.000 Don't just tell me that you study trabeculae 0:01:58.000,0:02:02.000 But tell me that you study trabeculae, which is the mesh-like structure of our bones 0:02:02.000,0:02:06.000 because it's important to understanding and treating osteoporosis 0:02:06.000,0:02:09.000 And when you're describing your science, 0:02:09.000,0:02:11.000 be aware of jargon. 0:02:11.000,0:02:16.000 Jargon is a barrier to our understanding of your ideas 0:02:16.000,0:02:17.000 Sure - you can say "spacial" and "temporal" 0:02:17.000,0:02:21.000 But why not say "space" and "time", which is so much more accessible to us 0:02:21.000,0:02:26.000 And making your ideas accessible, is not the same as dumbing it down 0:02:26.000,0:02:29.000 Instead, as Einstein said - 0:02:29.000,0:02:32.000 "Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler." 0:02:32.000,0:02:35.000 You can clearly communicate your science 0:02:35.000,0:02:38.000 without compromising the ideas. 0:02:38.000,0:02:42.000 A few things to consider are having examples, stories 0:02:42.000,0:02:45.000 and analogies - those are ways to excite us about your content 0:02:45.000,0:02:49.000 And when presenting your work 0:02:49.000,0:02:53.000 Drop the bullet points! 0:02:53.000,0:02:55.000 Have you ever wondered why they're called bullet points? 0:02:55.000,0:02:58.000 What do bullets do? Bullets kill! 0:02:58.000,0:03:00.000 And they will kill your presentation. 0:03:00.000,0:03:03.000 A slide like this, is not only boring, 0:03:03.000,0:03:07.000 but it relies too much on the language-area of our brain 0:03:07.000,0:03:08.000 and causes us to become overwhelmed. 0:03:08.000,0:03:13.000 Instead, this example slide by Genevive Brown, is much more effective 0:03:13.000,0:03:17.000 It's showing that the special structure of trabeculae 0:03:17.000,0:03:21.000 is so strong, that they actually inspired the unique design of the Eiffel tower 0:03:21.000,0:03:25.000 And the trick here, is to use a single, readable sentence 0:03:25.000,0:03:28.000 that the audience can key into if they get a bit lost 0:03:28.000,0:03:32.000 And can provide visuals which appeal to our other senses 0:03:32.000,0:03:34.000 and create a deeper sense of understanding of what's being described 0:03:34.000,0:03:38.000 So I think these are just a few keys, 0:03:38.000,0:03:41.000 that can help the rest of us 0:03:41.000,0:03:44.000 to open that door, and see the Wonderland that is science and engineering 0:03:44.000,0:03:47.000 And because the engineers that I have worked with 0:03:47.000,0:03:51.000 have taught me to become really in touch with my inner nerd, 0:03:51.000,0:03:53.000 I want to summarize with an equation 0:03:53.000,0:03:55.000 Take your science 0:03:55.000,0:03:59.000 Subtract your bullet points and your jargon 0:03:59.000,0:04:03.000 Divide by relevance - meaning share what's relevant to the audience 0:04:03.000,0:04:08.000 And multiply by the passion that you have for this incredible work that you're doing 0:04:08.000,0:04:13.000 And that is going to equal incredible interactions that are full of understanding 0:04:13.000,0:04:16.000 And so scientists and engineers - 0:04:16.000,0:04:18.000 when you've solved this equation, 0:04:18.000,0:04:23.000 by all means: Talk nerdy to me!