Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Reaching the Real World

Sometimes I think scientists live in this bubble that has small filtered interaction with the Real World. Its like the Ivory Tower idea though only slightly more grounded. We tend to believe our work will promote itself and that innovate ideas will naturally to adopted without resistance. (Yes I know it doesn't work like this in reality, but it would be nice).

IIASA is trying very hard to revamp their communications and marketing with the outside world. I was interviewed yesterday afternoon as part of an effort to provide info videos to future YSSP applicants. The Communications Team have been asking us questions throughout the Summer and have even stopped by for feedback.

This got me thinking, how do you raise the public profile of a research group as diverse as IIASA. It covers so many broad research areas that you cannot market it like you would a small research group with one focus. I mean even explaining "Applied Systems Analysis" takes a while.

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