Moderator
Dr. Samantha Yammine (Founder, Science Sam Media)
Panellists
Dr. Eugenia Duodu (Chief Executive Officer, Visions of Science Learning)
Andy Forest (Co-Founder, STEAMLabs)
Misha Gajewski (Freelancer)
David Manly (Manulife Kids Science & Technology Coordinator, The Hospital for Sick Children)
Science communicators have an essential task in bridging the gap between science and the public, but that role is not always seen as a “job”. The first day of the conference ended with a panel addressing the need to professionalize SciComm and how to be acknowledged for your worth.
Working in SciComm often seems thankless and undervalued; as such, many opt to do it for free or are set on a freelance path struggling to set reasonable commissions for their work. Acknowledging that it is sometimes necessary to make sacrifices to get your foot in the door, all speakers on the panel emphasized the importance of being able to draw the line between free and paid work. Andy Forest explained that it is important to recognize other types of compensation, such as networking and mentorship, and not being afraid to ask, “What can you do for me? How can you help me achieve my long-term goals?” Similarly, Dr. Eugenia Duodu shared her own personal strategic plan, which asks four questions:
How will this opportunity empower my community;
How will this opportunity elevate me to empower my community;
Does this institution have barriers that prevent them from compensating me for my work; and
If they cannot pay, then what can they do for me?
Focusing on the prospective in career development is essential when deciding whether to take up volunteer work. Despite these opportunities, Misha Gajewski and David Manly implored that by not fighting for value and pay, the entire field suffers as it sets a precedent for SciComm work to be undeserving of adequate compensation. Adequate compensation is not as difficult to determine as one might think. Moderator Dr. Samantha Yammine revealed that the former Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) (now the Canadian Media Guild) stated rates for pay standards that are relevant to science writers, and highlighted the importance of talking to one another in the field in order to set the standard for how much SciComm is worth. She reported general figures from PWAC suggested:
$40 to $80 per minute of script
Blogging for a business? $1 to $3 per word
Large daily newspaper: $250 to $2,500 per article ($0.30 to $1.00 per word)
Small community newspaper: $75 to $1,000 per article ($0.10 to $0.50 per word)
Government writing: $1 to $3 per word ($50 to $125 per hour)
Dr. Yammine was frank in her standards - if it's a blog for a big company she wouldn't go less than $500 if it's more than 2 paragraphs. One small local organization she got an early start with pays about $250-400 regularly per piece (at $0.45/word) and has about a new piece a week.
For those interested in a career in SciComm, the panel advised to just dive in. There was a consensus that you do not need a degree and that the best way to learn is by doing the job. Training, whether formal or informal, is good experience to build new skills. Becoming a part of the SciComm community is doing work with purpose. All the panelists described success in their work as being able to witness burgeoning inquisitiveness and curiosity in the next generation, watching them connect with their peers and sharing what they have learned in their own unique ways.