Elizabeth Barsotti, a postdoc in Albert Cardona’s group in the LMB’s Neurobiology Division, recently completed a three-week Association of British Science Writers (ABSW) Media Fellowship at the BBC Radio Science Unit in Wales. The ABSW scheme places scientists in the heart of media outlets, bridging the gap between journalists and researchers, and increasing participants’ confidence to engage with the media.
At the LMB, Elizabeth’s research involves designing new microscope robots to image the entire brains of vertebrates in 3D at nanometre resolution. By mapping brain connections in such detail, the connectomics groups at the LMB hope to reveal the secrets of brain structure and how this is linked to behaviour.
Here, Elizabeth reflects on her time with the BBC, including surprising similarities between research and podcasting, and how transferable her skills are.
Why did you apply?
I’ve always thought the most compelling thing about research is the story that it tells. Usually, we are telling these stories to other scientists through papers and conference presentations. I jumped at the opportunity to learn how to tell stories in a different way to a different audience.
What did your Media Fellowship involve?
I did training with all the other ABSW Fellows in London, where we were given a general crash course on working with the news media. Then, I worked on my placement with the BBC. I spent about three weeks at BBC Cymru in Wales, where I produced and appeared in the Unexpected Elements podcast for BBC World Service. This entailed attending production meetings and recordings, as well as writing scripts and pitches. I also got the opportunity to go to BBC Broadcasting House in London to observe the making of the All in the Mind podcast.
How did your internship work compare to life in the lab?
Working on the science podcasts was surprisingly similar to lab work, albeit on a much shorter timescale. Every week, we had to find an interesting topic to dive deep into, which we then pitched at the production meeting at the beginning of the week. Once a topic was picked, we wrote preliminary scripts, and then reached out to experts in the field to help us fill in the missing gaps. Next, we recorded the podcast, edited it, and submitted it for publication. The steps were almost exactly the same as choosing a research question, developing a hypothesis, inviting collaborators to help investigate the hypothesis, using the results of the investigation to write a paper, and then submitting!
Did any of your previous knowledge or skills come in handy during the internship?
Besides the actual scientific techniques that I learned, my PhD and my postdoc were all about learning how to ask insightful questions and learning how to speak confidently about my research. These were surprisingly the two core skillsets required to work at the BBC.
What surprised you?
I was really surprised by how easy it was to apply my research skillset to podcasting. At first, I was intimidated by the large leap from working in the lab to working in a broadcasting studio, but I found them to be almost identical. The main difference was the time it took to complete projects. In research, it can take me years to write a single paper. At the BBC, we produced one podcast episode every week.
What did you learn that will help you in your career?
I learned to look at science from a completely different perspective (i.e., entertainment). I think the ability to empathise with as diverse an audience as possible is central to impactful work. I believe adding this new perspective to my repertoire is invaluable to strengthening my research, whether writing grants for non-specialised reviewers or giving lab tours to members of the public!
Did this experience changed or shape your future career plans?
Definitely, I would love to work more with the media! If you know anybody looking for a producer/editor/guest, send them my way!
What advice would you give fellow scientists who would like to increase their engagement with the media?
Don’t be afraid to try something new. Working with the media is exciting, and everyone is so friendly. It’s in everyone’s best interest to make something good, so approach it with excitement and curiosity, not anxiety.
Further references:
Association of British Science Writers Media Fellowship Scheme
The class of 2024: Meet this year’s ABSW Media Fellows
Unexpected Elements podcast episode produced by Elizabeth: Shiny: Why we are dazzled by new sparkly things
University of Cambridge feature about Elizabeth’s research: The secrets of our brains