ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ

Together with their research groups, youth researcher Marlies Maes and behavioural scientist Madelijn Strick have been granted funding by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences’ (KNAW) . Both researchers have been committed to academic communication for some time. According to Maes: ‘We want academic research to be meaningful. We want it to facilitate progress and we want to contribute to a better society. In my opinion, academic communication is an essential tool in bridging the gap between research and society.’

With this Academic Communication Pilot Fund, the Minister of Education, Culture and Science wants to 'recognise and appreciate' academics who work on academic communication, and make it clear that academic communication is also an integral part of an academic career.

Theatre

When asked how they communicate their research, Maes and Strick both reference the theatre. Strick: ‘Together with the ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ of Twente and TheaterMakers Radio Klootwijk, we created a theatre production called Mindlab. This production deals with all kinds of subjects, including social safety, exclusion and abuse of power, which can be difficult to discuss through traditional, more direct forms of communication. Theatre makes it easier to raise these issues because it is indirect and less confrontational.’

Alone Together

Maes was involved in the Artefact arts festival. ‘Artefact is an exhibition and festival that focuses on contemporary art, current affairs and social challenges. In 2020, the theme was and the festival focused on ideas around the meaning of 'being alone' and 'being together' in today's society. A public lecture and guided tours served to add an academic perspective to the festival.’

Wonderful signal

Both researchers were thrilled with the recognition they received for all their work in the field of academic communication, and proud as well. Strick: ‘While the financial support this provides is nice, the KNAW pilot fund also allows us access to a very interesting national network of enthusiasts and experts in the field of academic communication for networking, knowledge sharing and training purposes.’ Maes indicates that the KNAW funding that her group was awarded is more than just a token of recognition and appreciation: ‘It is much broader than that: it sends the wonderful signal that confirms academic communication truly matters.’

Strick and her group are thinking of using it to fund a new collaborative project with ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo.

Artis

The researchers do not yet have concrete plans for what they will do with the funding. Strick and her group, ‘’, are thinking of using it to fund a new collaborative project with ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo. ‘The zoo is opening a new museum on human behaviour and asked us for our input on one of their exhibits that is part of the theme 'You can make a difference'. We provide ideas for the content, but we are also able to conduct on-site research into the impact that a visit to the museum has on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of visitors.’

Effective academic communication requires skills that are currently not fixtures in our education.

Educational fixtures

Within the Youth Studies department, Maes wants the funding to go towards making academic communication more visible, sustainable and structured, both within their own research group and in a more general sense. ‘We would like to experiment with and invest in new forms, techniques and means of communication, like interactive websites and videos. In addition, we are thinking of organising workshops for researchers, and PhD students in particular, which will focus on creating infographics and videos, writing blog posts, giving powerful presentations, using various social media channels, and media training, for example. Because effective academic communication requires skills that are currently not fixtures in our education.’