Johnson Lecture in Science Communication to be held April 25
Melissa Marshall, founder of the science communications consulting company Present Your Science, will give the 2024 A. Dixon and Betty F. Johnson Lectureship in Scientific Communication on April 25 at 6:30 p.m. in 100 Thomas Building on the Penn State University Park campus. The free public lecture is open to the Penn State community.
Marshall, a TED speaker and communications expert, helps scientists, researchers, and technical professionals talk about their complex ideas in ways that inspire stakeholders to take action. In her lecture, titled “Present Your Science: Talk Nerdy to Me,” Marshall will share the proven strategies that she has used to help the world's top technical professionals and researchers convey their work. She will challenge what common perceptions about giving presentations and share exciting new ways to transform scientific talks.
Marshall served as a senior lecturer in communication arts and sciences and director of the Engineering Ambassadors outreach program for the Penn State College of Engineering from 2009 to 2015. In 2014, Marshall founded her company Present Your Science, which has taken her around the world to work with Fortune 100 corporations, institutions and universities, teaching the proven strategies she has mastered through her consulting work and during her decade as a faculty member at Penn State.
In 2019 through 2023, Microsoft named her a Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for her work in transforming the way the scientific community uses PowerPoint to convey their research. Only 36 communications professionals worldwide hold this distinction. In 2023, Marshall authored an on-demand course on technical presentations that is hosted on LinkedIn Learning.
For a sneak peek, check out her TED Talk, “Talk Nerdy to Me,” which has been watched by over 3 million people (and counting).
The A. Dixon and Betty F. Johnson Lectureship in Scientific Communication supports an annual lecture in scientific communication in the Eberly College of Science. The lecture was established in 2005 in memory of A. Dixon Johnson, a former University director of Public Information. Johnson worked as a Penn State science writer and public information director for many years.
Johnson Workshops
Additionally, Marshall will lead two daytime workshops for the Penn State community. Faculty, staff, post docs and students can sign up for the following two workshops. Attendance is capped at 100 participants each. Individuals can sign up on a first come, first served basis below.
Tell a Clear Technical Story
9:30 a.m. on April 25 in Foster Auditorium, Penn State Libraries
The ability of your audience to understand and be interested in your technical work depends on what you say and how you say it. This session presents tools that participants can use to 1) filter the detail of their work to make a clear argument, 2) construct content that is memorable and "sticks" with an audience, 3) structure a presentation to tell a compelling story of the science, and 4) adapt technical content to audience members of different backgrounds—even when they are in the same room. These skills will be taught via lecture, discussion, small group exercises, and analysis of videos of other speakers. RSVP for Tell a Clear Technical Story here.
Transforming Slide Design
9:30 a.m. on April 26 in Foster Auditorium, Penn State Libraries
Looking for improved and practical slide design strategies that go way beyond killing your audience’s interest with bullet point after bullet point? This workshop takes a deep dive into the world of slide design and challenges the status quo of boring, text heavy slides with innovative, research-based strategies for more effective and engaging visual aids. Working with their own material, participants will learn a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of slides and they will learn innovative new strategies for showing their science to their audience with exciting slide design. WARNING: This workshop results in dramatically improved slides and participants who will never think about or design slides in the same way ever again! RSVP for Transforming Slide Design here.