Mary L. Nucci

When Good Food Goes Bad Television Network News and the Spinach Recall of 2006

In September 2006, an unprecedented nationwide outbreak of fresh spinach contaminated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 was communicated to the American public through press releases from the Food and Drug Administration. The potential for severe and fatal illness from consuming this spinach required effective communication by media outlets. Television network news coverage (ABC, CBS, and NBC morning and evening news shows) was examined for quantity, consistency with press release information critical for public health, and source usage. Results of this study consider the role of government information subsidies in disseminating information critical to public health, with potential impact for communication of other national health crises.

Giant screen film and science learning in museums

The authors review the giant screen (GS) film literature to determine if the form has unique attributes that contribute to science learning. They find that four attributes are claimed to contribute to higher learning outcomes: the sense of immersion by reducing peripheral views to a minimum; first person perspective contributing to the sense of presence in the film; narrative structure; and sensory stimulation of mirror neurons that promote kinesthetic learning. They demonstrate that most claims are without support in empirical research but uncover some recent results that give reason to believe these claims may be supportable. The authors conclude with a recommendation for a research agenda to support these claims as necessary, in order to defend the high production cost of GS film over conventional film.

Public Response to the Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak of 2008

The largest foodborne illness outbreak in a decade occurred in the summer of 2008, when 1,442 individuals were identified as having been sickened by Salmonella of the unusual serotype Saintpaul. As part of a larger national telephone survey on food recalls, researchers at the Rutgers Food Policy Institute assessed Americans’ awareness of and responses to the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak. This included an examination of their knowledge about which foods were believed to have caused the outbreak, their awareness of the status of the outbreak at the time of the interview, and the actions they may have taken to avoid becoming ill as a result of this outbreak. Results from this survey indicate that while communication about foodborne illness does receive significant attention from the American public, often the specifics of the outbreak and recommended actions are misunderstood or disregarded.

Learning Science Communication Skills Using Improvisation, Video Recordings, and Practice, Practice, Practice †

Doctoral students in science disciplines spend countless hours learning how to conduct cutting-edge research but very little time learning to communicate the nature and significance of their science to people outside their field. To narrow this disparity, we created an unusual course titled Communicating Science for doctoral science trainees at Rutgers University. Our goal was to help students develop an advanced ability to communicate their research clearly and accurately and to emphasize its value and significance to diverse audiences. Course design included classroom instruction supplemented with improvisation, video recordings, and ample opportunity for students to practice and receive immediate, constructive feedback in a supportive environment. A multidisciplinary faculty with expertise in science, education, communication, and theater arts taught this course. PhD students came from diverse scientific disciplines, ranging from biology and chemistry to civil engineering. Students also completed a capstone project in which they worked with a professional in the academic or private sector to explore a possible career aspiration. Assessment was in the form of feedback on students’ oral and poster presentations, and written abstracts about their research. Student evaluations and comments about course format and content were mostly positive and also provided input for ways to improve the course. We discovered that the diversity of scientific backgrounds among our students enhanced their ability to learn how to communicate their science to others outside their disciplines. We are leveraging the success of our initial course offering to reach other student and faculty groups at Rutgers.