Current Schedule

Speaker = Dr. Katie Yurkewicz of Argonne National Lab

Host = Jaideep Taggart Singh singhj@frib.msu.edu

When = 2025-09-17 Wednesday @ 15:30

Where = FRIB 1300

Please feel free to sign up below, but note that some slots may need to be re-assigned to accommodate those with a specific need to meet the speaker. If this happens, the Admin or Speaker Host will reach out to you via email.

Title = From Nuclei to Narratives: Lessons Learned on the Journey from NSCL Student to Lab Communications Leader

Abstract

Effective science communication is a critical skill for advancing research, fostering collaboration, and engaging the public. In this seminar, I will present my career trajectory from a nuclear physics graduate student at Michigan State University’s National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory to my current role as Chief Communications Officer at Argonne National Laboratory, highlighting key lessons learned about successful communication along the way. From talking to policymakers about nuclear physics at the NSCL, to my first steps in science writing and strategic science communications at Fermilab, to working with reporters during the LHC start-up at CERN, to leadership roles at Fermilab and Argonne, I have leveraged my scientific training from MSU and on-the-job communications experience to support the forward progress of research across multiple domains. The presentation will touch on strategies for communicating both scientific discoveries and operational challenges at large-scale research institutions. Topics will include tailoring messages to audience needs, building trust through transparency, leveraging narratives to convey the societal impact of scientific research, and career opportunities in science communications.

Relevant background with commentary from Speaker:

• Three steps to better science communication (Nature Reviews Material 2022)

Additional Information

• Nuclear structure near N=Z=28 : study of neutron-deficient nickel isotopes via one-neutron knockout and intermediate-energy Coulomb excitation (PhD MSU 2003)