This document outlines the schedule and assignments for Project 2, which involves writing a news release about science for a non-scientific audience. It provides the due dates for reading assignments and drafts of the news release. Students must write an initial draft of their news release, which will be workshopped in class. They will then incorporate the feedback and submit a final draft of the news release by February 23rd. The schedule also introduces a follow up project to create an infographic visualizing the science topic from the news release.

1. PROJECT 2 SCHEDULE
[Writing about Science for Non-Scientific
Audiences]
Unless otherwise indicated, all work is due before class on the
date due. Late assignments will lose one letter grade (or the
equivalent number of points) per day.
All links are on the BbLearn Project 2 page.
Date In Class Work Due
W 2/07 Scientists and media panel. Read
 Mnookin, “The Media
and Its Messages”
from The Panic Virus
 Bohannon, “I Fooled
Millions into Thinking
Chocolate Helps
Weight Loss. Here’s
How”
and complete reading
journal assignment.
F 2/09 Discuss factors that influence
public attitudes toward science.
Introduce Project 2, News
Release. How to find UI
scientist’s articles.
Read excerpt from Kahan
(2015): pp 1-14 and
complete reading journal
assignment.
M 2/12 The newsworthiness of science
(looking at the “big 4”).
Strategies for adaptation.
Read Siegfried, “Reporting
from Science Journals”
Look through the list of UI
scientists (under Project 2
Assignment Sheet & Grading
Criteria), decide which ones
you might like to work on,

2. and identify an article to
write a news release on.
W 2/14 How to write news releases.
What to ask scientists.
Interview a LIVE SCIENTIST!!
Read the three sample UI
news releases and identify
the rhetorical “moves” they
make.
Schedule an interview with
your scientist (you can ask
questions over email, too).
F 2/16 Writing the news release, cont. Read (these are short!):
 Cope, “Understanding
and Using Statistics”
 Johnson, “Explanatory
Writing”
 Holland, “Universities”
Bring the scientific article
you’ll be working on to
class.
M 2/19 No class: President’s Day.
W 2/21 Draft workshop, News Release. Complete the initial draft of
your news release and bring
two hard copies to class.
F 2/23 Introduce Visualizing Science
project (infographic). How does
visual communication differ
from verbal communication?
Five possible goals for scientific
infographics.
Read
 “Crafting Your
Infographic Narrative”
 “50 Design
Inspirations for 8
types of infographic”
 “Stop Already with the
F*#@ing
Infographics”
Submit the final draft of
Project 2 to BbLearn by
11:59 p.m.

3. ***Draft workshops are mandatory. If you miss the workshop, or come without a
complete draft, you will lose 25 points.