Social media campaign to raise profile of research

In a bid to tell Canadians what they’re paying for when their tax dollars are used to fund research, a biomedical engineering professor, Molly Shoichet, is set to officially launch Research2Reality, a CAD$400,000 (US$335,000) social-media campaign she is spearheading that is designed to shine a spotlight on the work of academic researchers across the country, writes Ivan Semeniuk for The Globe and Mail.

It is one of the most ambitious outreach efforts of its kind in Canada to date and it comes at a time when research advocates worldwide are trying to persuade their governments of the importance of basic, curiosity-driven research. “We’re not a lobby group,” Shoichet said. “Our focus is on capturing the imagination and the curiosity of the public to engage them in what’s going on.”

Six research-intensive universities across the country have partnered in the project and Shoichet hopes more will join. At its heart, the effort consists of 70 short videos, each approximately two minutes in length, in which some of the country’s star researchers describe their work and what motivates them.
Full report on The Globe and Mail site