(345h) Colormephd: Communicating Research to a Broad Audience through Coloring Pages

Communicating science to the general public is a challenge, and chemical engineers at various stages in their careers often struggle to communicate the results of their research papers to a non-scientific audience without compromising the integrity and rigor of their research. ColorMePhD is a free online coloring book that describes current PhD-level research in chemical engineering and related fields, using a combination of visual elements and descriptions written in accessible language. The goals of this initiative are 1) to provide a free resource for teachers, students, members of the public to engage in research, 2) to provide diverse science role models for aspiring scientists, and 3) to provide undergraduate student researchers, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and professors with an opportunity to develop their skills in communicating their research to a broad audience. This poster details the process for the development of the coloring pages, responses from scientists who participated in the program as featured scientists, and analysis of social media engagement with the content. The response from participants of a workshop held at the University of California, Berkeley, entitled, “Communicating Your Research to a Broad Audience: Methods Inspired by STEM Outreach” will also be presented, along with examples of visual metaphors and analogies used to communicate complex research topics in the coloring pages, as well as insights on the development of inclusive analogies, metaphors, and language.