Nancy Baron

Nancy Baron

Nancy Baron is Outreach Director of COMPASS, the Communications Partnership for Science and the Sea. She designed and leads the communications trainings for the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program. She and her COMPASS team offer a wide range of workshops for academic scientists as well as scientists who work for the government and non-governmental organizations in North America and abroad. Her experience as a Canadian National Parks biologist and science writer inspired her to help bridge the gaps among scientists, journalists, and policymakers. An ardent naturalist, Baron has led natural history expeditions around the world. She wrote the popular introductory field guide, Birds of the Pacific Northwest, as a way to help people engage with the natural world.

Escape from the Ivory Tower

A Guide to Making Your Science Matter

Most scientists and researchers aren’t prepared to talk to the press or to policymakers—or to deal with backlash. Many researchers have the horror stories to prove it. What’s clear, according to Nancy Baron, is that scientists, journalists and public policymakers come from different cultures. They follow different sets of rules, pursue different goals, and speak their own language. To effectively reach journalists and public officials, scientists need to learn new skills and rules of engagement.