Posts in: Tools & Resources

It is a truth universally acknowledged that constructive feedback is valuable for learning and improving. At COMPASS, we think it’s so important that it’s a core part of our workshops. But like a lot of things, it's not always easy to know how to give good feedback.  That’s why, before we ask people to give each other feedback, we take some time to talk a...

Imagine that you start a conversation with a new person at an outreach event. They ask about the work that you do, and you share that you’re a scientist studying the impacts of climate change on coastal wetlands.  *Eyeroll* “Oh great, you’re one of THOSE people.” Caught off-guard, you ask what they mean.  “I’m so tired of hearing about the �...

Many challenges with virtual engagement come back to one thing—friction. Friction is that draggy, slow feeling when people talk over each other, or no one speaks at all, or everyone feels lost, and our brains take a vacation. Most folks are exhausted by endless Zoom meetings and (very reasonably) check out. The good news is that friction isn’t a foregone con...

At COMPASS, we believe science can have the greatest impact when scientists work in partnership with community leaders and policymakers. We are always eager to share new opportunities that support and strengthen these partnerships. This week, we are highlighting the work of our colleagues at Research-to-Policy Collaboration (RPC), a non-partisan model for bridging ...

Jessica Pugel is a Research Associate at the Research-to-Policy Collaboration. She studies how to improve relationships between researchers and policymakers with the goal of increasing the use of research in policy, and recently published a paper in Policy & Internet about state legislator email engagement. Jessica holds an M.A. in Psychology (emphasis in Socia...

Conferences can be daunting as a new scientist in the field, especially for underrepresented people. As a recent grad who is starting out on a research path, attending conferences is an important aspect of building the foundations of my career. In-person conferences were hard enough to navigate, with their labyrinthine halls and countless sessions at the crack of d...