Professional Development

There are several organizations that provide training and support to science communicators and educators. Here we highlight some of our favorites.

The Story Collider helps people of all walks of life — from scientists to doctors to patients to engineers to teachers to firefighters — tell their true, personal stories about science. It’s their mission to find, develop, and share these powerful, hilarious, and heartbreaking stories through our podcast and live events. They also offer both public and private workshops to foster development of storytelling skills.
The AAAS Center for Public Engagement with Science & Technology offers workshops and seminars for scientists and engineers who wish to develop their public engagement and science communication skills, enabling them to establish meaningful dialogue with diverse audiences.
The intention of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Sharing Science Workshops is both to provide scientists with skills and confidence in communicating, and to provide them with the first step on a longer journey of science communication and outreach. They are especially excited to work with institutions and attendees who are committed to using their skills to disseminate science and its value. These workshops can focus exclusively on communicating with community groups and other “general public” audiences; they can also address working with the media and/or policy makers.
The American Institute of Biological Sciences offers various workshops including Writing for Impact and Influence, Communications Boot Camp for Scientists, Enabling Interdisciplinary and Team Science, and Employment Acquisition Skills Boot Camp for Scientists.
The Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) is a “professional membership organization with a vision of increased understanding of—and engagement with—science and technology among all people and a mission to champion and support science and technology centers and museums.” They offer learning resources as well as conferences and other events.
The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) is a non-profit organization that “works with teachers, parents, scientists, and concerned citizens at the local, state, and national levels to ensure that topics including evolution and climate change are taught accurately, honestly, and confidently.” They offer classroom resources, community outreach resources, information about misconceptions on these topics, and useful online articles.
National Geographic Society offers free online professional learning courses for educators, Explorers, and young people ages 16-25. Topics include the geo-inquiry process, storytelling for impact, and more.