Liz Neeley, executive director of The Story Collider, will present a free public lecture on the ethics of storytelling in science communication, Sept. 8, 5:30-6:30 p.m., in room 382 of the Lory Student Center.

In recent years, many discussions of science communication have progressed from asking whether researchers should personally engage in it to how they might be most effective. While the merits and shortcomings of specific tools are useful to explore – for example, television versus social media – some skills are foundational and translate across all communication tools. Storytelling is one of those.

Social scientists are studying narratives to understand why, exactly, they are so much more interesting, understandable, convincing and memorable than other ways of packaging information. It is precisely because stories are powerful that scientists should use them, but also why they must be approached with intellectual honesty, ethical consideration and personal integrity.

Neeley’s talk will explore the latest research on the topic of narrative persuasion and storytelling, and critically consider when and how such findings should be employed in science communication efforts.

This presentation is sponsored by the School of Global Environmental Sustainability at Colorado State University.