Communicating meaningful science to a broad public: popularising science on television and in scientific documentaries UT Science Communication Club Thursday 17 September 2026

Nowadays as researchers we are increasingly expected to communicate our science to a wider audience, to engage in dialogue with citizens and other actors, or pitch our research for funding to a non-specialist audience. Science communication is an integral part of our responsibility to society. As with any skill, practice makes perfect—and progress is faster when we share our experiences. This is what we do at the Science Communication Club!

The next Science Communication Club will take place on Thursday 17 September 2026 (12:30 – 13:30h) in Venue tbc

topics and speakers

Communicating meaningful science to a broad public: my experiences with Lowlands Science, the Klokhuis Science Prize and more

Marie-Laure Snijders is a PhD candidate at the Human Media Interaction department (EEMCS) and The Netherlands Organisation of Applied Scientific Research (TNO), focusing on multisensory integration for spatial perception. 

Good scientific communication can transcend boundaries: within and across scientific disciplines, among the general public, and even with children. Within my PhD trajectory, I had the opportunity to contribute to an experiment at Lowlands Science 2025, part of the large Lowlands festival taking place in the Summer. Our study gained even wider attention when it was nominated (and ultimately won) the Klokhuis Science Prize, an award in which children vote for their favourite scientific research project. These experiences have led me to make science communication a central part of my PhD and to engage with varied audiences. In this talk, I want to share my journey in science communication, discuss some of the most rewarding moments of public engagement, and reflect on some of the challenges and lessons I encountered along the way.

Scientific documentaries: A video and audio-based science communication approach about water quality monitoring

Finn Münch is a PhD candidate at the Department of Geosciences, focusing on the satellite remote sensing-based monitoring of water quality.

Review articles and scientific posters are common established media for the communication of research. Based on my passion for music, videography and documentary movies I dabbled into video editing to widen the horizon of my project’s science communication approach. The mini-documentary welcomes everyone to dive into the water cycle, following its journey and experiencing its challenges. The target audience is water stakeholders worldwide. A variety of media was considered to engage the audience and exemplify the issue of water quality monitoring. Insights about the making of such documentaries are shared. 

PhD students can earn a certificate of 0.5 EC by attending 5 meetings and presenting / discussing an own example. Subscribe to Teams and put the dates in your agenda.

Dates in 2026:

• Thursday 17 September 2026, venue tbc
• Thursday 29 October 2026, venue tbc
• Thursday 26 November 2026, venue tbc