Credly Science Communication Badge

Science communication is an essential skill for being able to effectively relay scientific findings to a broader audience.

All NIMH intramural trainees (Postbac, Predoc, Postdoc, Visiting, Research and Clinical Fellows) can complete the criteria needed to earn a Credly Science Communication Badge .

The Science Communication badge represents that the individual has learned important communication skills and has gained experience in communicating biomedical research findings to a scientific audience.

How to earn a badge:

• Attend and participate in 4 of the following workshops or events:
  • Speaking about Science Workshop: Introduction to Essential Communication Skills
  • Creating Scientific Posters
  • Poster Presentation Workshop
  • Interview Skills Workshop for Postbacs
  • Interview Skills Workshop for Senior Trainees
  • The Three-Minute Talk (TmT) Coaching
  • Chalk Talks Workshop
  • Negotiation Skills Seminar
  • Communicating Your Science Using Social Media
• Communication Practice: participants are expected to gain additional science communication experience by presenting their research in an informal setting (e.g., lab meeting). Participants should receive and incorporate feedback from their mentor and lab mates to improve their presentation skills. Fellows will provide written verification of this practice.
• Capstone Presentation: To fulfill the requirement of the capstone presentation, participants are required to participate in 1 of the following experiences:
  • NIMH Three-Minute Talk (TmT) Competition—fellows participating in the NIMH TmT Competition deliver a concise 3-minute presentation designed for a general audience. Talks will be evaluated by a panel of judges.
  • Conference/Symposia Presentation—Presentations can take place at a variety of scientific conferences or symposia. Examples include (but not limited to) presenting at Training Day, the Julius Axelrod Symposium, NIH Postbac Poster Day, NIH Research Festival, Society for Neuroscience, etc. 
    Criteria requirement for Postbacs: Poster presentation or oral presentation 
    Criteria requirement for Graduate Students and Postdocs: Oral presentation (e.g., conference, thesis defense)
  • Fellows’ Afternoon Neuroscience Seminar (FANS) Presentation—presenting at FANS involves giving a 20-minute research presentation (plus 10-minutes for questions) to a group of mentors and peers. Participants will receive written feedback from their peers to improve future presentations. (Postbacs only)

How to request a badge:

After completing the required activities listed above, trainees can request a badge by emailing Alycia Boutté and providing detailed information on when each activity was completed. For presentations, please include the name of the conference/meeting and an abstract of the research that was presented.

Workshops/seminars completed in 2023 will be honored through 2024.

Questions? Email Alycia.boutte@nih.gov.