Disseminating our work to the public is an important component of scientific research. Scientific findings in scientific journals have little impact until that information is shared through an accessible medium. One way to make our research more accessible is by publishing in open access journals and also by translating scientific jargon into language that can be understood by the public, either by teaching, blogging or doing outreach. Penn State’s newly launched website on infectious diseases is a venue where scientists can participate in all three. The website, Epidemics, is affiliated with Penn State’s massive online open course (MOOC) offered through Coursera. The MOOC has generated over 90,000 visitors in the past three years, from 190 countries. The success of the MOOC has motivated researchers at Penn State to create a website designed as a resource for the public to learn more about infectious disease research, either in conjunction with taking the online course or as a general online reference for infectious disease-related information. In order for the website to be successful, we are looking for scientists to contribute content. Content should be short and targeted to an audience of non-experts. We are looking for blog-style articles, videos and posts on the discussion forums. We can offer broad visibility and global reach for content generated and the benefit of having quantifiable impact for outreach (page views, downloads). If you are interested in writing for the Epidemics website, generating other forms of content or participating in the discussion forums, contact Matt Ferrari at mferrari@psu.edu. Have a broad reach with outreach.
