The assembly and circulation of science:

Abstract

This article positions narrative as a needed, but often lacking, communicative resource for science technologyengineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals. While STEM curricula is quite effective at teaching studentsdiscipline-specific knowledge and preparing future generations of scientists to communicate within collegial discoursecommunities, there has been little attention paid to the importance of communicating effectively with publicaudiences—despite the fact that the public is a major stakeholder in scientific innovation. This article takes up this gapin current STEM curricula in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of best practices in communicatingscience, as well as the ways that these practices can be incorporated into academic programs. In achieving this goal, thisarticle draws upon current pedagogical and curricular models in communication studies in its examination of the waysstudents at a leading American undergraduate STEM institution are taught to engage with public audiences. Of specificimportance are the benefits of narrative in building bridges between academic and public stakeholders, particularly theability of narrative to increase comprehension, interest, and engagement when communicating science to non-expertaudiences.