NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS CURRICULUM SUPPORT
Biology
Scientific Communication
Additional Teacher’s Notes
[HIGHER]
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Acknowledgement
Learning and Teaching Scotland gratefully acknowledges this contribution to the National
Qualifications support programme for Biology.
The publisher gratefully acknowledges permission to use the following source: Text Place
memory in Crickets by Jan Wessnitzer, Michal Mangan, Barbara Webb, p. 9915-921, 2008
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/275/1637/915.full.pdf © Text Place memory in
Crickets by Jan Wessnitzer, Michal Mangan, Barbara Webb, p. 9915-921, 2008. The Royal
Society
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overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first
opportunity.
© Learning and Teaching Scotland 2011
This resource may be reproduced in whole or in part for educational purposes by educational
establishments in Scotland provided that no profit accrues at any stage.
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SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION (H, BIOLOGY)
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Contents
Activity 1: The scientific research paper
4
Activity 2: The scientific poster
6
Activity 3: The oral presentation
7
Activity 4: Data sharing and the web
10
Activity 5: Summary section
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ADDITIONAL TEACHER’S NOTES
Additional Teacher’s Notes: Science Communication
Activity 1: The scientific research paper
Activity 1a: The structure of a scientific research paper
Ideally students should have some data from a recent lab oratory project to
apply to this case study. This can be in any area of the syllabus. The aim here
is to create the sections of a poster in stages so that the final poster can be
compiled in a later activity.
Two short research papers are provided to demonstrate how a paper is
written. It is not expected that the students fully understand them but they
should try to read the cricket paper if they can and at least understand the gist
of it. Both papers are freely available for download via Google Scholar or
PubMed. If there is time (and internet connection) students could be asked to
download the papers themselves.
The main paper used in this activity is the recently published cricket paper
from Edinburgh University. In addition to this paper, an annotated version of
the first page is provided explaining what each section is. This should be
distributed to the students with the paper.
The second paper provided (from Harvard) is a fun study on fruit fly
aggression and is provided merely as a second example of a paper. A
modified version of the abstract is used in a later activity.
Approximate duration of activity: 40 minutes.
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ADDITIONAL TEACHER’S NOTES
Activity 1b: Presenting results
Answers
1.
2.
To present and describe all observations clearly in text and graphics.
This should ideally be from the same data used in Activity 1a .
Approximate duration of activity: 30 minutes .
Optional
A further analysis of Figure 2 is provided below in case teachers and students
are interested in exploring the data further. (Approximate duration of activity:
30 minutes.)
Figure 2 explanation
Each cricket was given 10 ‘trials’ (attempts) in succession to find the cool
spot (x-axis). Several crickets were tested under the same conditions. Each
graph represents a different test condition (different visual cues) and 10
trials:
(i)
The first test condition includes a visible target on the cool spot so the
cricket can associate the target with the cool spot easily.
(ii) The second test condition has no visual cues so there is nothing to help
the cricket find the cool spot (this is a control experiment).
(iii) The third condition has cues (three symbols) on the arena wall so that
the cricket can relate the cool spot relative to the symbols.
This type of graph is called a boxplot. It consists of a box that is split by a
black line and has two dotted lines reaching to further lower and higher
points:




The
The
The
The
top of the box shows the 75th percentile of the data.
black line is the median point of the data .
bottom of the box shows the 25th percentile of the data.
dotted lines stop at the maximum and minimum points of the data.
Terminology
Median: a value separating the higher half of the data from the lower half.
Not to be confused with the mean.
25th percentile: the score below which 25% of observations can be found.
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ADDITIONAL TEACHER’S NOTES
In graph (a)(i), the results of the 10 trials for six different crickets have been
pooled into a group, therefore each box represents a group of crickets that
have been tested under the same conditions and exposed to the same number
of trials. For example, in the first plot in (a)(i) the maximum time taken by a
cricket in that group to find the cool spot is 195 seconds and the minimum
time taken by a different cricket under the same conditions is 20 seconds. The
median time taken by all of the crickets represented by this box is 110
seconds. Boxplots are a popular way to display data because they summ arise
the spread of the data accurately.
The results in this figure show that the cricket can find the cool spot more
quickly after sucessive trials (attempts) with or without visual cues (see the
first paragraph of the discussion). The subsequent experiments in the paper
show that visual cues help the cricket.
The data in the first three graphs in Figure 2(a) ha ve been summarised as one
graph below in Figure 2(b) but using the mean instead of the median. In this
line graph each line represents the mean t ime taken to locate the cool spot for
each group of crickets per trial. The three lines represent the three visual
conditions (i, ii, iii) and these conditions are represented by three different
graphs.
Activity 2: The scientific poster
This section leads on from the previous activity. The abstract and graph the
students have already created can be included in the poster. An example
poster is provided as a demonstration. This activity can be performed
individually or as groups (of up to four).
The important part of this exercise is to encourage students to look at their
own data from a laboratory project and present it in the standard scientific
way (ie broken down into sections and using graphs). Students can do this
either individually or in groups. Ideally different students/groups should be
assigned different laboratory projects so that there will be a range of different
posters.
Posters are often printed to A0 size. It might be more feasible to print out A4
size pieces of the poster and stick them on to one A0 piece of paper or board.
At the end of the exercise students should put their posters up on the wall. If
there is time students should be encouraged to stand in front of their poster
and give a short (5-minute) presentation and then answer questions (on future
work, improvement on methodology) from the teacher or students.
Approximate duration of activity: 90 minutes + homework .
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ADDITIONAL TEACHER’S NOTES
Activity 3: The oral presentation
Activity 3a: Comparing different presentation scenarios in
science
This task is designed to get students thinking about what factors should be
considered when preparing a talk for a particular scenario. The table of
answers is provided only as a guideline and/or a starting point. Students will
have their own ideas about what makes an effective talk.
Students could work in small groups to complete the task, perhaps followed
by a class discussion.
Answers
Target
audience
Purpose
Audience background
and motivation
Style and content of
talk
Relatively formal
Specific material must
be covered but in a way
that is interesting
Humour can be a good
way to keep students’
attention
Providing a list of
references is a must for
further reading around
the subject
Informal
Content should be
pitched to the nonspecialist
May include fun
examples to help get the
message across, e.g.
video and audio aids or
some interactivity with
the audience
Formal
High data content –
graphs, charts, numbers
Specific content and
ideas being explored are
often rather complex
University
lecture
Students
(mainly
undergraduate)
To present
information and
teach people
about a
particular
subject
A basic foundation is
assumed across the
audience
Motivation to learn about
a particular subject (and,
of course, to gather
information to pass
exams)
Public
engagement
talk
Quite general –
anyone with an
interest in the
subject
To inform
people about
science in a
way that is
engaging and
interesting
Background knowledge is
limited and variable
across audience members
Sometimes these events
are ticketed so an interest
in the subject is enough
motivation to attend
Conference
seminar
Scientists
working on a
specific field
To update
colleagues on
recent findings
and
developments
within a
particular field
Much more specialised –
research scientists are
experts in their field
Motivation to share ideas
and meet people working
on similar things –
collaborations between
different research groups
and universities can often
arise from attending a
conference
Approximate duration of activity: 30 minutes .
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ADDITIONAL TEACHER’S NOTES
Activity 3b: How to prepare an effective presentation
Ideally you should prepare a short presentation covering the introduction part
of this activity (describing how to plan, prepare and present a talk) to act as a
reference point for students for when they prepare their own presentations.
Answers
1.
What are the advantages and disadvantage of using Microsoft
PowerPoint for presentations?
Advantages
 Accessible and widely used.
 Easy to use – no experience necessary.
 Can easily input images, photos, graphs and hyperlinks and annotate
them.
 Built-in templates for easy layout.
 Can add presenter notes at the bottom of slide .
 More exciting and professional than a simple word document or
hand-written overheads – animation effects can make a presentation
more entertaining.
Disadvantages
 Too much animation or a lot of background features can distract an
audience from actual presentation content .
 It can be quite time-consuming to create a complete presentation and
using more than the basic feature can require some getting used to.
 Proper viewing requires a computer capable of linking to an
overhead projector – is this technology available?
 Limited flexible to change and modify slides during the presentation,
e.g. a question may prompt digression away form the original
sequence.
Approximate duration of activity: 20 minutes.
2.
Prepare your own 5–10-minute presentation.
Oral presentations are a great way for students to gain experience in
public speaking and the pressure of knowing they are going to be in
front of the classroom presenting to their peers provides students with
motivation for staying on task.
A suitable theme for student presentations might be a laboratory report
completed in class or a specific topic from the syllabus where students
would benefit from further reading/resear ch (eg a case study from the
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ADDITIONAL TEACHER’S NOTES
learning activities outlined in the Higher Biology syllabus could easily
form the basis of a student presentation).
A group presentation is a great way of making the task seem less
daunting, but specify that everyone must be involved in preparing and
presenting the talk. In terms of time, a 5–10-minute presentation,
including time for questions, is a good start.
Approximate duration of activity: 90 minutes + homework .
Activity 4: Science, data sharing and the web
Activity 4a: Defining new media in the context of science
communication
This activity is intended to highlight the importance of science
communication using internet applications students are familiar with (ie
Facebook, Twitter, etc), and considering the advantages and disadvantages of
using new media as a communication tool from the perspective of the
scientist.
A list of useful links is provided at the end and students should be
encouraged to access them to broaden their understanding.
1.
How would you describe the University of Edinburgh’s Neuroscience
Department Facebook page? In small groups, produce a list of key
words explaining its purpose and how it might be useful.
Answers

It provides a community by bringing together scientists and the general
public who share a common interest.

It is of specialised interest but accessible to anyone.

It promotes research and events within the department to a wider
audience.

It provides an informal conversational environment for discussions.

It is engaging and interactive, allowing instant updates and feedback.
Approximate duration of activity: 20 minutes .
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ADDITIONAL TEACHER’S NOTES
2.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using new media, such as
Facebook, to communicate science?
Answers
Advantages
 Teaches accessible writing style – most scientists are used to writing
research proposals and scientific papers, which are very structured,
complex and inaccessible to the public.

Broadens contacts and builds networks on a local, national and global
scale – important for building relationships between scientists and setting
up potential research collaborations.

Encourages participation from a wide audience, allowing fast, instant and
direct communication that is automatically recorded .

Promotes learning by engaging with people in the comfort of their own
environment – individuals can browse photos, watch videos, listen to
podcasts and read tweets in their free time and not even realise the y are
learning about science!

It is free and easy to use.
Disadvantages
 Time-consuming – Facebook and Twitter constantly need updating and
monitoring to remain active and followed, and this equals time away from
the laboratory as a research scientist.

Everything published is public – posts could easily end up in a newspaper
as a quote without your knowledge.

Anyone is free to respond to posts and comments – what is the impact of a
negative comment?

The scientist is made a public figure – is this going to impact on their
research? Could it compromise advancement in their field?

Outdated and controversial posts persist as an electronic record, leading
to a misinformed public.
Approximate duration of activity: 20 minutes .
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ADDITIONAL TEACHER’S NOTES
Activity 4b: Tweeting a piece of science
Read the following abstract modified from a real scientific research paper and
have a go at writing an accompanying tweet.
This activity is just a bit of fun – there are no right or wrong answers.
Students should consider what they think the main message of the research is
and how they can summarise it using a couple of lines.
Approximate duration of activity: 15 minutes
Activity 5: Summary section
1.
Make a table of the common sections that can be found in these three
different scientific communication formats: a research paper, a poster
and a presentation. Compare the three formats and include a section
detailing the advantages and disadvantages of each (eg time, detail,
references)
Answers
Sections
Paper
Poster
Presentation
Abstract
Yes
Yes
No
Introduction
Yes
Yes
Yes
Methods
Yes
Yes
Yes
Results
Yes
Yes
Yes
Discussion
Yes
Sometimes
Sometimes
Reference list
Yes
Rare
Rare
Advantages
Detailed analysis,
many authors input,
further references, can
take time to
read/understand
Short, concise, easy to
understand, visually
attractive, easy for
conference discussion,
good for early or mid
way through a project,
good for feedback
Good way to
communicate to a
large audience,
relatively concise and
short, very visual,
allows for questions
and feedback
Disadvantages
Long time to
read/write, not ideal
format for quick
discussion at
conference, must be
completed work, not
much initial feedback
Not much detail, often
not completed project
Sometimes not enough
time, nerves about
public speaking, not
enough detail
Approximate duration of activity: 30 minutes
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ADDITIONAL TEACHER’S NOTES
2.
In a group, imagine that you have just published a paper on the same
topic as the poster that you designed earlier. Make a list outlining a
strategy that you would use to publicise this paper. Would you use
social media, make a video, write an article for local/national
newspapers, set up a personal website/blog, go to a conference….?
This is entirely up to the students and can involve any of these methods.
Approximate duration of activity: 30 minutes .
3.
Name two officially recognised sources of scientific information and
two unofficial ones. For each discuss who the audience could be.
Students should be encouraged to look up paper databases , GenBank
(internet connection required) and scientific stories by journalists. They
should then discuss different sources on the internet to m ake them
aware of poorly sourced reporting.
Official: scientific journal papers, scientists themselves and official
databases.
Not official: newspapers, Wikipedia, Twitter, blogs, etc
Approximate duration of activity: 40 minutes , including research
time.
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