(Click here to jump to starting your own Science by the Pint)
(Click here to jump to starting your own lecture series)

Steps to starting your own Science E-Newsletter:

1. Identify an editorial team.This can be one person who invests a lot of time, or many people who divide the work. Note that this list describes how we organize tasks with our team, but could be adjusted if a smaller group of editors is involved
   1. Divide editing responsibilities, if applicable
      1. We use two teams of 4 editors. Each team is responsible for two articles published once a month
      2. Each article has a managing editor who contacts the writer directly and compiles edits from other editors so the writer doesn’t deal with multiple editors
      3. We also have an editor in chief who recruits and signs up writers, posts the articles on the website, and handles communication with the rest of SITN and any questions from other organizations
2. Establish writing and editing guidelines
   1. Write out a document that can be sent as new writers and editors get involved
   2. Describe desired length of article, reference format, how many images need to be included (insist on open-source images or images for which permission has been obtained to use them)
   3. Describe tone of writing, using active voice (not passive), and emphasize the elimination of jargon
   4. Describe the ideal topic for an article (current, interesting, and a good platform for delving into some serious science)
3. Editor in chief contacts potential writers
   1. Email should mention science writing opportunity early on and in subject heading, then describe in more detail once you’ve captured the attention of the desired audience
      1. Describe goal of newsletter (communicate science to the public and improve ability of grad students to do so)
      2. Briefly describe what is expected – choose topic, write brief article with a couple of rounds of edits, etc.
      3. Provide email address for interested writers to contact
   2. Distribute email to SITN members, other student groups who may be interested in science writing
   3. Send email to school administrators who can distribute it to graduate students or add it to newsletters etc.
   4. Generally want writers signed up at least two months in advance to give ample time for editing process
4. Make a Google spreadsheet as an editorial schedule
   1. As writers sign up, editor in chief assigns the date of publication and the editorial team and managing editor in charge
   2. As editors contact writers and choose topics, they fill in topics on sheet so there is not accidental overlap between topics for unpublished articles
5. About 6 weeks prior to publication of an article, the managing editor contacts the writer
   1. Provides guidelines for writing the article
   2. Helps writer to choose a topic that will work well
   3. Provides a timeline of when drafts will be due (at least one and usually two rounds of edits are necessary)
6. Editing team works with writer on article
   1. When draft comes in, managing editor passes it on to editing team, specifying date when edits are due back
   2. Editors provide track-changes edits, send to managing editor
   3. Managing editor combines edits into one document, making judgment calls where necessary
   4. Managing editor sends back to writer and gives a due date for the next draft, if necessary
7. Final draft is sent to Editor in Chief
   1. They review draft to ensure it is ready to post
   2. They post the article on the website, making formatting changes to be consistent with other articles
8. Rinse and repeat for the next article! 

 

Steps to starting your own Science by the Pint:

1. Find a venue.
   1. Make a list of possible bars/pubs in your area. Think about where they are located and what kind of audience you want to reach.
   2. Visit the bars and meet with their events coordinator.
   3. Some things to keep in mind when choosing a venue:
      1. Do they charge a cover fee? Not all bars do.
      2. How loud will the space be? Will there be a speaker system you can use, or do you need to supply your own?
      3. Is the space big enough? Will they reserve a space of the bar for you, or is it first-come first-serve?
      4. Will visitors be able to find parking?
      5. Are the food/drinks affordable enough?
      6. Can they offer any small prizes for attendees, such as a $10 gift certificate for every ten attendees of the event?
   4. Pick a day/time of the month that works for the venue, and plan with them for how many months you would like to reserve that time.

• Have a planning meeting
  1. Get together and brainstorm potential featured scientists. Think about the interest in their research, and if they are dynamic speakers for this kind of environment.
  2. Vote on who the best featured scientists are on the list, and keep the others as backups.
  3. Each volunteer is assigned as a moderator for a particular month and for a particular scientist.
• Contact the scientist and confirm they can attend.
• 1. Each moderator contacts their scientist for their month. If they are interested but can’t attend that month, can swap with other moderators/months.
  2. Don’t just rely on an email to the scientist, it is much more effective to email/call their administrative assistant, and also talk to graduate students in their lab
  3. When you confirm with the scientist, ask them to bring a number of their colleagues/students with them to the event, depending on how many guests you expect. Also ask for a title for their research topic.
• Advertise.
• 1. Once you have a confirmed list of scientists for each month, make a flyer for the next set of events. Flyer around town and at the host bar. Ask the host bar if they can help with advertising
  2. Include advertising through social media, meetup groups, etc.
• Run each event!
• 1. With all the legwork done, the event will run very smoothly. The moderator can give a short introduction to the featured scientist.
  2. Let the featured scientist talk for 5-10 minutes, answer a few questions from the audience, and after that all the scientists can mingle with the guests at the bar.
  3. If you’d like feedback from participants, print out surveys and pens to hand out.
• After the event, contact the scientists to thank them for participating.

 

Steps to starting your own lecture series:

1. Find a venue
   1. Contact your school’s room scheduling department or look to online resources to explore the various lecture halls/rooms available
   2. Some things to keep in mind when choosing a venue:
      1. Make sure there is a projector/way to project slides. Identify whether you can/need to bring your own laptop or USB device.
      2. Is there A/V capacity? You will want to at least have microphones for the speakers. Determine whether this will cost money, and if so whether the A/V cost fits into your budget.
      3. What is the capacity of the room? A larger space will fit more audience members, but you will lost intimacy the larger you go. Choose a happy medium.
      4. Is the lecture hall easy to find? Will visitors be able to find parking?
   3. Pick a day/time of the month that works for the venue, plan with them how many months you would like to reserve that time for.
   4. Lock down the dates/times to hold the lectures.
   5. Reserve times to have practice “dress rehearsal” lectures in this same lecture space ~1 week in advance of the actual lecture. Make sure to reserve the room for these times, as well.
2. Have a planning meeting
   1. Determine the structure of your lecture series
      1. How many lectures do you want to have? A pilot season of 4-6 lectures is a good start.
      2. What will the structure of each lecture be?
         1. How long will they last? 1-2 hours with a break in the middle has worked for us. Make sure to include discussion time throughout the time.
         2. How many speakers do you want to have per lecture? In the past, we have had one- or three-person lectures.
   2. Get together with other co-organizers and/or members of your group and brainstorm potential lecture topics and/or student speakers
      1. Choose topics that are likely to appeal to a wide audience
      2. Focus on subjects/stories that are timely and engaging
      3. Think through possible controversies that may arise with particular subject matter – keep this in mind as you select and prepare speakers
   3. Determine the number of people you need to recruit to lecture and/or volunteer. In our series, the following volunteers were recruited:
      1. One to three speakers per lecture
      2. Operations manager – in charge of bringing audience surveys and flyers for other programs, pens/pencils for surveys, food and beverages (general refreshments) for the audience
      3. A/V volunteer – in charge of bringing the video camera, setting it up and recording the lectures. Responsible for editing and uploading each lecture after its completion.
   4. Design an application for potential speakers. Make this a simple form that asks for basic info (name, program, G year, etc) along with an abstract for the talk they would like to give. Send this application out to member listserv, and send to department heads to send out to the student body. Make sure to include a “due date.” Put together a committee to oversee the application process.
3. Choose lecturers and recruit volunteers.
   1. Meet with your committee to read applications and choose appropriate speakers. Identify others you could recruit who would deliver a good lecture. Be careful to select speakers that are effective communicators – you want the first series to be highly successful so people will spread the word and return!
4. Once you have your speakers/lecture groups, select trust-worthy group leaderswho will be able to advise the speakers. It is best for someone outside of the topic of interest to be assigned to each group, so that they can best identify unclear issues in the science/explanations.
   1. These moderators are responsible to keep the group up-to-speed with their preparation. They should contact the group, set dates/deadlines for an outline, slides, and pre-practice talk meeting etc
   2. Speakers should follow a clear, simple story arc covering the basic concepts and working up to the more complex components of the subject
   3. Key terms need to be defined explicitly
   4. Slides should be as visual/image-oriented as possible – NO slides full of text
   5. Each speaker should have 2-4 places where they stop for questions/discussion with the audience
5. Hold a practice lecture.
   1. This should take place ~1 week before the real thing. Directors of the lecture series, the group moderator, and the following lecture’s speakers and moderator should attend.
   2. Speakers should treat this as a “dress rehearsal.” Their slides should be prepared and dialogue ready. They should test whether all of their slides show up properly.
   3. Attendees of the practice should take notes throughout the practice talk on elements of the lecture, structure of the talk(s), slide aesthetic etc. Once the practice talk has ended, critiques should be given in a constructive manner. After general critique, the speaker should click through slide-by-slide to receive feedback on each of their slides. Repeat with each speaker.
   4. Practice lectures tend to last twice as long as the real lectures themselves, please plan accordingly.
6. Make and print handouts
   1. Each group should have a handout to give to audience members of the lecture. This should include:
      1. Title of the lecture(s)
      2. Pic and short bio of each speaker
      3. Abstract of the talk
      4. List of key terms
   2. Limit this document to one page (double-sided if necessary). The group moderator is responsible to have this document ready and printed by the lecture start.
7. Host the lecture!
   1. Have the Operations Manager post some signs around the venue to direct people to the room.
   2. If it is in your budget, buy some refreshments and have them ready 30-45 minutes ahead of the lecture start.
   3. Have the Operations Manager hand out surveys, lecture handouts and any flyers you want to distribute.
   4. Sound check the microphones, make sure the projector is working etc
   5. Have the lights on when people are entering, then as the start time arrives dim the lights to alert people that the lecture is beginning.
   6. Give an intro to the series, the lecture and the speakers. Then let them take the stage!
8. Advertise
   1. Once you have a confirmed the lecture topics and lecturers, ask speakers to send images that represent their talks. Make a flyer for the next set of events. Flyer around town and at other events your group holds.
   2. Include advertising through social media, meetup groups, etc.
9. Run each event!
   1. With all the legwork done, the event will run very smoothly. The moderator can give a short introduction to the featured speakers and the lecture series.
   2. If you’d like feedback from participants, print out surveys and pens to hand out.
10. After the event, contact the speakers to thank them for participating.
11. Touch base with the A/V volunteer to coordinate timely editing and upload of the video.