Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science

Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science
Named afterAlan Alda
Formation2009; 16 years ago (2009)
HeadquartersStony Brook, New York, U.S.
Key people
Lauren Lindenfeld (director)
Parent organization
School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook University
Websitealdacenter.org
Formerly called
Center for Communicating Science

The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science is a cross-disciplinary organization founded in 2009 within Stony Brook University's School of Communication and Journalism, in Stony Brook, New York.[1] Its current director is Laura Lindenfeld.[1] Its goal is to help scientists learn to communicate more effectively with the public, including policymakers, students, funders and the media. It was inspired by Alan Alda, the actor, writer and science advocate, in whose honor it was renamed in 2013, and is supported by Brookhaven National Laboratory and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.[2]

Programs

All Alda Center programs are based on the Alda Method, a form of communication training that blends improvisational theater exercises and message-design strategies. The Method helps scientists and researchers connect more directly with listeners and respond more spontaneously to their needs.[3] By 2020 there had been 15,000 attendees at these improv workshops.[4]

In 2012, Alda and the Center issued the "Flame Challenge",[5][6][7] asking scientists to come up with the best explanation for a flame for an intended audience of 11-year-olds.[8][9]

References

  1. ^ a b Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science
  2. ^ "It was a SM*A*S*H of Science". October 1, 2010. Stony Brook Press. 2 October 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  3. ^ Basken, Paul (2013-04-30). "Actor Is Honored for Using Improv to Help Scientists Communicate". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
  4. ^ McCarthy, Ellen (2020-03-25). "Your Attention, Please". The Leader-Post. pp. C6.
  5. ^ "Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science™". flamechallenge.org. Archived from the original on 2012-09-06.
  6. ^ Mooney, Paul D. (2022-08-07). "The Flame Challenge | Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science". www.stonybrook.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
  7. ^ Ames, Ben, What is a Flame, retrieved 2022-08-21
  8. ^ Parry, Wynne (2012-03-02). "Alan Alda seeking curious 11-year-old scientists". NBC News. Retrieved 2012-03-04.[dead link‍]
  9. ^ "Alan Alda Asks Scientists "What Is A Flame?"". Science Friday. NPR. 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2012-03-27.