Objectives

The Kansas Science Communication Initiative, or KSCI, seeks to engage communities in understanding, enthusiastically promoting, and actively participating in science and research.

Our key objectives are as follows.

1. To provide and foster research-based communication training for scientists and communicators that facilitates effective collaboration between both groups and implements best practices in helping different audiences better understand and appreciate the work of scientists and researchers;
2. To conduct collaborative research and disseminate K-State science communication research, thus furthering understanding of best practices;
3. To provide incentives for researchers and communicators to engage in robust science communication efforts and advocate for formal recognition of outreach, including science communication, as part of faculty distribution of effort and duties;
4. To connect researchers with K-12 teachers, informal education institutions, and other citizen groups that recognize both community needs and the value of community knowledge in the creation of engagement opportunities between scientists and the public; and
5. To create opportunities and avenues for researchers and media producers to engage and produce effective content for mass communication channels.