SCI-COM-E 2026

Mikolt Dajka: Young Researchers as Science Communicators: Bridging the Gap Between Research and Secondary Education

Science education in the Hungarian public education system is still largely based on the transmission of factual knowledge, while students have limited opportunities to experience scientific inquiry, develop critical thinking, or encounter researchers and research in an authentic way. Consequently, science often appears distant and inaccessible, despite the growing need for educational approaches that foster curiosity, creativity, and active engagement with scientific challenges. This presentation introduces SCUP (Science + start-UP), a grassroots science communication initiative founded by young researchers that has evolved into a non-governmental organisation with a nationwide impact. Developed by university students, PhD candidates, and early-career researchers, SCUP represents a novel science communication methodology that bridges the gap between the research community and secondary education. Rather than bringing simplified scientific content into classrooms, the programme brings the research mindset itself closer to students through direct interaction with young scientists and authentic research-inspired challenges.
The SCUP methodology is built around project-based workshops in which secondary school students work in small teams on real scientific and societal problems under the guidance of trained young researcher mentors. Acting as facilitators rather than lecturers, mentors encourage students to formulate ideas, collaborate, think critically, and present innovative solutions to a professional jury. The programme aims to position students as active participants in scientific thinking rather than passive recipients of knowledge, while simultaneously strengthening problem-solving, communication, teamwork, and self-confidence.
Since its launch, SCUP has delivered approximately 150 workshops in more than 60 secondary schools, reaching nearly 4,000 students across Hungary and beyond. Evaluation data consistently highlight the importance of peer-like mentors,
collaborative learning, and authentic scientific challenges in increasing students’ engagement with science. By presenting SCUP as a case study, this talk explores how a science communication methodology developed by young researchers can serve as an effective bridge between academia and public education, fostering scientific literacy, inspiring future researchers, and demonstrating the societal value of science through active participation.

Jackson Ainsworth: Resetting the nuclear agenda: Notes from nuclear energy communications

In 2023, the Canadian government launched the “Enabling Small Modular Reactors” Program to support research and development related to emerging SMR technologies. Through the program, Natural Resources Canada provided $5 million to the SAFE-T project, a multi-institutional research initiative examining the operation and disposal of TRISO (Tri-structural Isotropic) fuel, which is used in many advanced reactor designs. In this paper, I reflect on my experience as communications lead for the SAFE-T project and the science communication lessons that emerged in conveying highly technical information in a publicly sensitive space. These include, 1. communicating across disciplines. SAFE-T brings together researchers working in materials science, modelling, criticality safety, waste disposal and data management. Translating between these groups is itself a science communication challenge. 2. The need to adapt project messaging as scientific findings change, and how the co-constitutive relationship between communications and research evolves over a project lifespan. 3. The challenge of communicating research within a shifting political and policy environment. The result is a negotiation of frames within a contextual model that is both unfamiliar with TRISO fuel and SMRs, while also having deep knowledge of other nuclear energy technologies and politics.

Sandra Rybicki: When Communication Becomes a Conversation: Reflections from Greenland

During outreach activities with children and communities in Greenland, I realized that the most meaningful conversations often began after I stopped explaining. Participants shared their own observations, experiences, and questions about marine ecosystems, shifting the activities from communicating science to exploring it together.
Since then, I have found myself asking a different question. Rather than viewing illustrations and educational materials primarily as tools for explaining research outcomes, could they become tools for dialogue? Could they help create opportunities for curiosity, participation, and co-creation throughout a project, rather than only communicating its results?
This question is also shaped by a broader challenge I have encountered in collaborative research, where engaging local communities and different knowledge systems is increasingly encouraged, yet meaningful dialogue can be difficult to achieve within existing project structures. I am interested in exploring whether visual and tactile communication can help support these conversations from the outset.
This presentation shares an ongoing exploration rather than a finished approach. Using examples from Greenland and current ideas for interactive learning experiences, I hope to exchange experiences with others working in science communication. I’m particularly interested in learning what has worked, what has not, and where opportunities for future collaboration might lie.