Science Communication

The Greater Toronto Area is a major hub for scientific research and innovation and home to North America’s largest life sciences sector. These industries need effective communicators and demand is growing for those with the skills to articulate complex concepts to professional and public audiences.

Seneca’s Science Communication Executive Certificate program is the only one of its kind in Ontario.  It will equip you with the key knowledge and skills you need for effective science communication across a variety of platforms.

This program is for research scientists, managers in science-based fields or for those with a background in research science, regulatory affairs or other science-based fields. It will also be of interest to you if you’re a scientist working at a hospital and want to become a better writer, storyteller or digitally-engaged communicator.

This executive certificate will be offered through online delivery.

This certificate consists of four courses plus a two-part workshop. Courses will run on Tuesday nights and the two-part workshop will be held on two Saturdays.

Course by course registration and payment options are available. Please contact us for more information.

• Science Writing – 18 hours (six weeks, three hours per week)
• Digital Science Communication I – Workshop (two weeks, six hours per week)
• Science Storytelling – 18 hours (six weeks, three hours per week)
• Science Communication: Navigating Controversy and Crisis – 18 hours (six weeks, three hours per week)
  
• Science Communication: Content Strategies for Engagement and Outreach – 18 hours (six weeks, three hours per week)
  
• Digital Science Communication II – Workshop (two weeks, six hours per week)

Dr. Dawn Bazely is a biology professor at York University, with a zoology doctorate from Oxford University. She has received many teaching awards over the decades, including being singled out in The Globe and Mail’s 2014 Universities Report as York’s "Hotshot Professor". In 2022, she received the Faculty of Science Award for Excellence in teaching. She also received the Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities’ Award of Excellence by leading the way in virtual teaching during the pandemic. Recently, Dr. Bazely joined the ranks of illustrious Canadians like Nobel Laureate John Charles Polanyi and astronaut Chris Hadfield as the winner of RCIScience’s 2022 Sandford Fleming Medal for Excellence in Science Communication. In 2018, she was a visiting professor at Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal, India. She spent 2011 to 2012 as a Bullard Fellow at Harvard University, and as a visiting researcher at Oxford University.

Amanda Buckiewicz is an award-winning science journalist who is currently a producer for CBC Radio’s science show, Quirks & Quarks. She got her start at Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet, where she travelled the world producing stories on a variety of topics such as the world’s hottest wind tunnel, Hurricane Katrina, and a research program studying coma patients. After seven years, she left Discovery to pursue her own projects, including the documentary series Great Lakes Wild for BBC Earth/Smithsonian.  Now at Quirks & Quarks, Ms. Buckiewicz focuses her work on stories that highlight our amazing planet and shine the light on difficult topics like the effects of racism and colonialism on the world of science.

Dr. Burke Cullen has been involved in Seneca’s Science Communication initiatives for the past 10 years. He remains an active member of the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada Association. At Seneca, Dr. Cullen has served as Academic Liaison for the York-Seneca Professional Writing program. He has also written six different science and technical communication courses in four separate disciplines, including software development, informatics and security, bioinformatics, and most recently, clinical research. Dr. Cullen holds a BA (Honours) from Carleton University, an MA from the University of British Columbia, and a PhD from the University of Toronto.

Bill Doern is a 25-year veteran of the communications industry and trusted adviser to senior stakeholders in the private and public sectors, supporting their business objectives with successful digital, public relations, marketing and creative campaigns.  Currently, Mr. Doern is President and CEO of Anamorphiq and has previously held senior leadership roles at Media Profile, Argyle Public Relations and H+K Strategies. He was also the founder and principal of a successful boutique communications agency, which he built from the ground up and ran for over twenty years.  During the course of his career, he has worked on robust campaigns for a wide variety of clients including Food & Beverage Ontario, Canadian Institute for Health Information, Bayer Canada, Kinder Canada, Aviva Canada and Amnesty International.

Margaret Mroziewicz has more than 10 years of experience in the science communications industry. During her completion of a Master’s in Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Toronto, she found her passion for science writing and communication, and went on to complete a Graduate Diploma in Science Communication at Laurentian University. An internship at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research led to her first science writing job. She moved on to work at Women’s College Hospital as the Research Communications Advisor, and now is the Communications Manager for the Faculty of Science at York University. She has experience planning and leading science communication training workshops for students and faculty members, and was previously an instructor for the Science Communication Summer Institute at Seneca.