The Communications Committee's Communication Competitions (ComCom's Comms Comps) - Part 1

Alfie Wearn Organizer
Montreal Neurological Institute
Montreal, Quebec 
Canada
 
Peter Bandettini Co Organizer
National Institute of Mental Health
Bethesda, MD 
United States
 
Anna Matsulevits Co Organizer
Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Bordeaux
France
 
Meg Sheppard Co Organizer
University of Manchester
Manchester, Gt. Manchester 
United Kingdom
 
Wednesday, Jun 25: 12:45 PM - 1:45 PM
2416 
SIG / Committee Activities 
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre 
Room: M2 (Mezzanine Level) 
The art of effective science communication is more critical than ever, especially in fields like neuroscience, where research often involves complex concepts that can be difficult for diverse audiences to grasp. At a time when there is increasing emphasis on open science and broadening the impact of research, our communications competitions aim to demonstrate what defines effective communication in the two primary mediums through which scientists share ideas: 1) through visual presentation of data in figures and 2) in verbal conversations and lectures.

This session fosters direct engagement between researchers and their audiences, allowing the science to be communicated in its most authentic and accessible form. This approach reduces reliance on slides and complex figures in order to encourage researchers to distill their findings into clear, concise narratives—an invaluable skill in both academia and public engagement. The timeliness of this event lies in the growing recognition that communication is an essential component of scientific progress. Research, no matter how groundbreaking, cannot have an impact if it cannot be communicated clearly. Through this approach, the desired learning outcomes are twofold: (1) to equip presenters with the tools to effectively communicate their research in an engaging and clear manner, and (2) to help the audience better understand and appreciate the research of their peers, thus fostering greater engagement and scientific exchange.

Objective

(1) to equip presenters with the tools to effectively communicate their research in an engaging and clear manner
(2) to help the audience better understand and appreciate the research of their peers, thus fostering greater engagement and scientific exchange. 

Target Audience

By its nature this event will be broadly of interest to the entire OHBM community. All researchers benefit from effective communication, and a variety of research topics will be showcased, facilitating networks and scientific knowledge to the entire research community. 

Presentations

Best Figure Competition

In the first half of this roundtable, we will host a ‘Best Figure Competition’. Members of the OHBM community will be encouraged to submit a graphical abstract or figure that they have made which they believe best represents an aspect of their research. In the months leading up to the event, we will invite submissions for the competition from the OHBM community.

During the session, a randomly selected subset of applicants will be granted two minutes to summarise the figure, and explain why they think it is so effective.

Two winners of the Best Figure Competition will be decided respectively by 1) a panel of judges from OHBM’s Communications Committee and the Student-Postdoc SIG and 2) an audience vote from attendants of the session. Prizes will be awarded to both winners
 

Presenter

Meg Sheppard, University of Manchester Manchester, Gt. Manchester 
United Kingdom

Your Science on a Flipboard

In the second half of this roundtable session, we will host a ‘Your Science on a Flipboard’ competition. For this event, members of the OHBM community will sign up to take part via an online registration, broadly advertised both in the lead-up to and during the conference.

A randomly selected subset of applicants will be invited to present their research in 3 minutes, with only the help of a flipboard and colourful pens.
Two winners of the event will be decided respectively by 1) a panel of judges from OHBM’s Communications Committee and the Student-Postdoc SIG and 2) an audience vote from attendants of the session. Prizes will be awarded to both winners. 

Presenter

Alfie Wearn, Montreal Neurological Institute Montreal, Quebec 
Canada