SciComm Spotlight
August 2026 Edition
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Dear Science Communicators,
The SciComm Spotlight took a break in July, but we are back on track to deliver SciComm content to your mailbox on a monthly basis. As summer is nearing its end, I am happy to share the second edition of the SciComm Spotlight newsletter with you. It gives me great joy to put this together every month, with the support of the wonderful communications team at the University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies. You all know that putting together any content is rarely a solo act!
In this month’s edition, learn about the intersection of science communication and museums, which features interviews with the curator of the Living History Museum at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and the head of the Historical Collections at our main library. In SciComm Voices, Zakiya Whatley PhD, award-wining podcaster and filmmaker, shares her path to science communication, and I encourage you to check out her podcast and film work.
We also added an additional feature to the newsletter: SciComm Socials. There, we share an interesting social media account with you that exemplifies engaging in science communication, and that we think you might find interesting.
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In this month's SciComm Close-Up, Science Needs Storytellers — And Museums Know How, I explore how museums and historical collections have been engaging public audiences with science long before science communication became a recognized field. Drawing on conversations with professionals who steward these collections, I reflect on how storytelling, historical objects, and thoughtful interpretation can help science communicators create deeper connections between research and the communities they serve.
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SciComm Resource: The SciCommer
Every Tuesday, get a boatload of useful science communication related information in your mailbox with this weekly newsletter: The SciCommer. Funded by Heather Doran, the Public Engagement Manager at the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science (LRCFS), University of Dundee, UK, the free newsletter (paid version available as well) provides updates on SciComm in the news, new research in SciComm, events and activities around SciComm that are happening in the coming weeks, and jobs. The newsletter is also available in Spanish, German, and Portuguese and links to events, news, etc., from all over the world. It’s a perfect companion to our monthly SciComm Spotlight!
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SciComm Voices
This month’s SciComm Voices features Zakiya Whatley, PhD, science communicator, educator, and multimedia storyteller. Co-host and executive producer of the award-nominated Dope Labs podcast and co-creator of the award-winning planetarium film REMIXED: The Unexpected Side of Science,
Dr. Whatley reflects on the experiences that first sparked her passion for science communication, why storytelling has become central to her work, and her advice for aspiring science communicators to simply start creating and grow through practice.
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SciComm Socials
If you are into birds and conservation, take a peek at this Instagram account called @SaveShoebills aimed at conserving this critically endangered wading species. They mate for life, raise one chick per year, and number just 4,500 in the wild.
It is maintained by one of our incoming SciComm program students Caleigh Cross. I find looking at birds incredibly relaxing, and these birds are a hoot and yes, that pun is totally intended!
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SciComm LinkedIn Group
Join the UMSGS SciComm LinkedIn Community to network with faculty, students and alums of the Science Communication Certificate Program at the University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies. Anyone interested in science communication is welcome.
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SciComm Chats
These monthly virtual conversations are designed to bring together students, professionals, educators, and science enthusiasts interested in science storytelling and public engagement. Here are the upcoming chats (with registration links):
Exchange ideas, ask questions, and connect with others interested in building stronger science communication practices.
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SciComm Info Sessions
Learn more about the SciComm Certificate Program at the University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies from our faculty.
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Want to Contribute to the Newsletter?
Are you interested in writing something for SciComm Spotlight, have a great SciComm resource that you want to share, or have additional suggestions for what else to include in the newsletter? We would love to hear from you.
Contributions to SciComm Spotlight are unpaid. You retain copyright to your work and grant permission for publication in this newsletter.
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We hope to see you at one of our monthly UMSGS SciComm chats, in an info session (starting back up in September), or in a future cohort. If you have questions about whether the program is a good fit for you, email imay@umaryland.edu, and we’ll set up a time to meet.
Until next month — stay curious, stay connected, and keep sci‑comming.
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Isabell May, PhD
Program Director, Science Communication Certificate Program
University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies
Source material adapted from user-provided SciComm newsletter content.
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