In keeping with this semester’s mission to “Communicate the Relevance of our work to diverse audiences” TPC coordinator Danve Castroverde (He Lab) will introduce us to the CommKit from the Broad Institute.  Danve will use the CommKit as a Guide to lead a discussion on “Figure Design & Creation.”  The CommKit is a collection of guides to successful communication in the biological sciences, written by the BRCL Fellows. Their goal is to share how we, as graduate students, postdocs, and research scientists, think about conveying technical information to a range of audiences. For example, take these two quotes from the CommKit’s Figure Design section:

“Figures are any visual presentation of your results and they come in a variety of forms. Graphs, diagrams, photos, drawings, schematics, and maps are all types of figures.  Despite this variety, the purpose of all figures is the same – to provide evidence to support your message.”

“An accurate analysis of your audience enables you to convincingly deliver your message. Ask yourself who will be viewing this figure and whether they are specialists or a more general audience. Depending on the answer, you will want to tailor the complexity of your message and its supporting evidence.”

Whether preparing for your lab presentation, a seminar commitment, Prelim defense, publication submission or the quickly approaching conference season, everyone has a need to improve this important skill.  The hour you spend at this gathering could save many more stumbling through your next figure creation.  Hope to see you there!

Want to get the most out of the time, read ahead http://mitcommlab.mit.edu/broad/commkit/figure-design/

Diverse Skills targeted: critical thinking and communication skills.