Laurentian Science Communication

We’ll be at the annual conference for the Canadian Association of Science Centres (CASC) this week at Science North! Our Program Director, Chantal Barriault, is presenting alongside alum and colleagues from on how you can use research framework tools to maximize visitor engagement and learning.

There are other LUSciComm program graduates presenting at on evaluation, reflective practice, equitable engagement, and building trust with audiences. Many of our current students are attending to connect with people from across the Canadian informal science learning sector. We hope to see you there!

It's not too late to take a leap into studying Science Communication! We've extended our application deadline as we have a few open spots in our cohort that starts in Fall 2026. We're looking forward to hearing from you! Information for applications can be found on our website: www.sciencecommunication.ca

Ten wonderful speakers have worked hard to hone their stories alongside our students, and this week we're putting the final polish on our show! We hope to see you at Northern MedTalks 2026. Grab your ticket here: https://www.sciencenorth.ca/medtalks

Are you the designated mythbuster of the group? 🔍🤔

We’re closing out LU the Science Communication Program’s Takeover Week with a tried-and-true tool for you!

The Fact Sandwich is a step-by-step method you can use to combat scientific misinformation:

1. Lead with the fact. Make it catchy so that it sticks in your audience’s mind.

2. Warn that a myth is coming. This primes your audience to be skeptical. Don’t repeat the myth more than once, or you risk making the audience believe the myth instead!

3. Explain the fallacy. Show how the myth is inconsistent to prevent your audience from returning to believing it.

4. Restate the fact. This fact will fill the informational “hole” left in the audience’s minds when you’ve debunked the myth.

You can make a difference and friends and family members safe from science myths. Correct misinformation when you spot it online!

In our previous post, we shared how science communicators can apply the cognitive load theory to design content that fosters effective learning. We also introduced you to the extraneous cognitive load.

Another important concept for science communicators is the intrinsic cognitive load. Do you know that our short-term memory, or working memory, has a very limited capacity?

Our short-term memory can only hold on to about 7 items at a time, for 5 to 20 seconds. That’s not much! If this information doesn’t reach the long-term memory, we simply forget it.

What does this mean for science communicators? Effective learning can be supported by introducing learners to a limited amount of new information and allowing them to deeply understand it before adding more. Moreover, considering the audience’s prior knowledge allows us to tailor the complexity of the information to an appropriate level.

Find out more by visiting: https://www.edresearch.edu.au/summaries-explainers/explainers/managing-cognitive-load-optimises-learning

Do you know that understanding how our brain processes new information is critical to designing effective learning material?

Science communicators can tap into the cognitive load theory to design content that optimizes learning in their audience.

This theory teaches us that 3 types of cognitive loads are involved in information processing: the intrinsic load, the extraneous load and the generative load.
When you think of the extraneous load, think about unnecessary content. This content can take multiple forms, such as words, sounds or images. This is information that is not aligned with the main learning goals.

Learners invest resources into this extra content, such as their attention and memory, which distracts them from crucial information. Hence, when creating science communication artifacts, remember to prioritize relevant information and to minimize unnecessary distractions!

Learn more about this topic by visiting: https://brocku.ca/pedagogical-innovation/resources/cognitive-load-theory/ #1743707507861-e70fc8b5-4d7d

Did you know most people struggle to read graphs?

If you can relate, don’t worry, you aren’t the problem. The way we design graphs is. But with our top 4 approved hacks, you can make your graphs clear and impactful, no science degree required!

No. 1 - Remove junk

Unnecessary error bars, tick marks, equations, decimal numbers, and colours all add clutter. Only keep them if they’re critical to the story!

No. 2 - Simplify titles

Use plain language and sans serif fonts for
Flip the vertical axis title so it’s not sideways.
Make the title your main message. Be assertive!

No. 3 - Avoid 3D

People can tell the difference between lengths much easier than areas. That's also why we recommend bar charts over pie charts.
Besides, 3D is distracting. Remember Hack No. 1?

No. 4 - Point it out

Draw your audience’s attention to key data points or trends using:

Differences in colour intensity
Boxes or arrows
Bolded or underlined words

This will make your main message stand out!

Send this to a friend to let them know they’re not alone and help improve how we tell stories with data visualization.

We’re back with some indicators to help determine if online content was posted by a credible source.

Did we miss a green flag? Let us know in the comments below ⬇️

(This guide is intended to help gauge whether online posts come from credible sources or not. We acknowledge that exemptions to these guidelines exist.)

Given the abundance of content shared online, it is now more important than ever to thoughtfully and critically consume what comes across our feed.

As science communication students, we created a simple tool to help determine if a post was made by a credible source.

Stay tuned, we’ll be posting our green flags later today!

Did we miss a red flag? Let us know in the comments below ⬇️

(This guide is intended to help gauge whether online posts come from credible sources or not. We acknowledge that exemptions to these guidelines exist.)