THE SCIENCE GONG SHOW
Science. Gongs. From the comfort of your couch. Need we say more?
The goal of the "Gong Show" is to excite the public about scientific research while giving scientists the opportunity to practice their broad communication skills. Why? Because scientists are well versed in communicating the technical details of their work, but rarely do they receive formal training and feedback on the “science stories” they tell their family and friends.
Participants explain their research in under 3 minutes without using any technical jargon - like they would explain it to a 5-year old, a grandmother, or a random stranger on the street.
The audience is equipped with cowbells (gongs) and will "gong" the speaker if they hear technical jargon, prompting them to stop and replace the technical jargon with more lay terms.
Format
- Present your research to non-scientists in a way that is exciting and educational
- 3 minute presentations - No slides (but props are encouraged!)
- Jargon/technical language is ok as long as it is necessary and you define it well
- Watch Gong Show host Frank Santoriello explain his research exploring the hangriest life forms on earth.
Tips for preparing
- Start with a hook to pull in your audience and help them understand how your research relates to their lives - analogies and humor work really well here
- Include relevant statistical facts the audience will want to tell their friends about later (but don't just shout numbers at people)
- Share your story! What makes you passionate about this work?
- Lead them through the process of discovery - we knew X but not Y, here's how we addressed that...
- Don't be afraid to include an element of surprise - we set out to address Y, but were surprised to discover Z...
- Don't get bogged down in the details - keep it broad! No one outside of your lab/field (yes, probably even other scientists) cares that you work on subunit 343 of protein XKYW
- REMEMBER: the point of this presentation is to engage the audience - they want to ring those gongs!! Don't be afraid to include a little bit of jargon as long as its in a controlled manner, BUT be prepared to define those terms clearly once you mention them. (If nothing else, this is a good way to make sure your audience is still awake!)
- PRACTICE! If you're someone who can get up there and wing it, power to you - rock on! But for most of us, non-technical communication is a new skill and takes a bit of trial and error to figure out what works. Share your presentation with non-scientist family and friends and listen to their feedback.
- No slides allowed, but props are highly encouraged!
Past Shows
- The Science Gong Show | September 25, 2022 | Ratio Beerworks
- The (Virtual) Science Gong Show | May 13th, 2021 | Facebook Live
- The (Virtual) Science Gong Show | May 13th, 2021 | Facebook Live
- The (Virtual) Science Gong Show | December 3, 2020 | Facebook Live
- The (Virtual) Science Gong Show - COVID19 Edition! Presented in association with Nerd Nite | July 16, 2020 | Facebook Live
- The Science Gong Show - Neuroscience Night! Presented in association with the Neuroscience Outreach Group (NOG) | March 8, 2020 | Ratio Beerworks
- The Science Gong Show - Developmental Biology Edition | March 7, 2019 | Cheluna Brewing Company
- The Science Gong Show | January 27, 2019 | Ratio Beerworks
- The Science Gong Show | August 5, 2018 | Ratio Beerworks
- The Science Gong Show | April 8, 2018 | Ratio Beerworks
SCIENCE POLICY EVENTS
The Colorado Science Policy Summit
October 3, 2019 | University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Co-hosted with Science in Action from Colorado State University
Summit Goals
- Learn how the Colorado political system functions and how and where scientists can engage through workshops and case studies led by lawmakers
- Gain a tool set of actionable advocacy steps to engage in policy
- Grow a network of early career scientists throughout the state, State representatives, and stakeholders
Audience & Program
- For individuals interested in learning about how scientists can become involved and affect policy.
- Speakers included legislators and scientists currently engaged in policy development who shared the process of developing bills and where and when and how scientists can get involved.
- Takeaways included a toolkit of advocacy resources.
- Networking opportunity to interact with other policy minded scientists and your representatives.
STEM Poster Day at the Capitol
January 20, 2023 | Colorado State Capitol
Undergraduates, graduate students and postdocs from the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, the Colorado School of Mines, the University of Denver, the University of Northern Colorado, and the Metropolitan State University of Denver presented research posters at the Colorado at the State Capitol to spark conversation with the community and lawmakers about the amazing research being done in the community.
POSTDOC RESEARCH DAY
The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Postdoctoral Association (PDA) holds an annual Postdoc Research Day (PDRD) on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. This symposium affords local postdocs the opportunity to present their research during poster sessions and short talks. PDRD also features guest speakers, career panels, and other fun events.
Learn more about the CU Anschutz Postdoc Association
Past Events
- July 12, 2018 | Project Bridge Colorado was excited to host State Representative Leslie Herod (HD 8) at our annual Postdoctoral Research Day Poster Session and to share with her the excellent research being conducted by our community of early-career researchers.
- June 29, 2017 | Project Bridge Colorado and the Postdoctoral Association hosted state legislators Chris Hansen (HD 6), Chris Kennedy (HD 23), Mike Weissman (HD 36), and Leslie Herod (HD 8) at our annual Postdoctoral Research Day Poster Session. Through this program, our guests learned first hand about the exciting biomedical research being performed by our community of early career scientists.
SCIENCE OUTREACH AND EDUCATION
Scientific Communication for Diverse Audiences
October 26, 2017 | University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
In partnership with the CU Denver | Anschutz Career Development Office, we created a workshop on crafting scientific elevator pitches and personalizing these science stories to different audiences.
Science at the Market
June - October 2017 | Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being Farmers Market
Project Bridge hosted monthly science demos at the Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being Farmers Market in North Park Hill. Our demos covered a range of scientific topics including an exploration into how the senses of taste and smell work together during flavor perception, a discussion of the solar conditions that cause an eclipse, an exploration into how biosensors work, and a spooky Halloween demonstration of material states and transitions.
Eat & Educate: A Grassroots Call-In Event
February 7, 2017 | University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
CU Anschutz scientists advocated for stable and sustained increases to NIH funding for FY'17 and FY'18 at our first Project Bridge Colorado event!
SCIENCE ADVOCACY
The March for Science
April 22, 2017 | Colorado State Capitol
Members of Project Bridge Colorado joined the CU Denver, CU Anschutz, and CU Boulder Postdoc Associations to support the 1st annual March for Science.
Research Matters! Effective Strategies for Science Advocacy
April 5, 2017 | University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Join special presenters Rachel Weissman and Tristan Gray-Le Coz of Research!America for an afternoon that will empower
scientists at all career levels to effectively communicate their research to the public. The format will be a 1 hour workshop followed by 30 minutes of Q&A. We look forward to seeing you there!
