It is increasingly important that students in all fields of STEM can effectively communicate scientific informationto general audiences. Researchers must develop strong Science Communication (SciComm) skills that facilitate strong communication and build understanding within the broader community. Visual representations of data are ubiquitous in science and could be an opportunity to engage audiences with varying backgrounds in discussions about scientific findings. However, many have difficulties communicating images, creating gaps of understanding within non-scientific audiences. We developed a lesson for fostering effective SciComm skills with undergraduate students, while also gaining insight into their thought processes when generating and communicating visual data representations. This lesson, taught in an undergraduate Physical Chemistry lab, focused on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using an SEM simluator with the intention of presenting the microscopical images to randomized audiences. Microscopy was chosen to provide a focus for the research, and to begin remedying discrepancies between professional and educational microscopy education for undergraduate chemistry students. Student work was analyzed to determine their approach to scientific communication. We then followed up with a few of the students that participated in the lab, performing think aloud interviews to further gain insight into their thought processes. This allowed us to understand what topics and considerations undergraduate students make when generating and presenting microscopical data.

Development of SciComm skills in the physical chemistry laboratory

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