BU URBAN Internship Course

June 3, 2024

• Share internship status/progress
• Review Syllabus and discuss timing
• Discuss “Heads Together” sessions
• Assignment(s) for next class on June 10:
  1. Complete pre-internship self-assessment if you have started your internship already
  2. Readings on developing sustainable cities. Read one of the papers below and be prepared to discuss:
     • Egerer, M., et al. (2021). “Urban change as an untapped opportunity for climate adaptation.” Nature Partner Journals, 1(22). pdf
     • Harman, B.P., et al. (2015). “Urban partnerships and climate adaptation: challenges and opportunities.” Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 12: 74-79. pdf
     • Ramaswami, A., et al. (2016). “Meta-principles for developing smart, sustainable, and healthy cities.” Science, 352(6288), 940-943. pdf
     • Templer, P., et al. (2024). “Strengthening graduate education and addressing environmental challenges through solutions-oriented partnerships and interdisciplinary training.” Sustainable Earth Reviews, 7(3). pdf
  3. Brainstorm three audiences who may be interested by your internship work, and what you would prioritize communicating to them. Consider organizations, community groups, impacted parties, offices, or individuals that are doing (or might want to do) similar work. Try to find specific people to connect with – perhaps to share a policy brief with them, invite to a meeting, or call for an informational interview. Send the names (or at least the organization) to Heather sometime on or before June 10.

June 10, 2024

• Share internship status/progress
• Share what your internship deliverable(s) will be/were
• Discussion of the Big Picture: How do public-private partnerships contribute to ecologically sustainable and healthy cities? What are key challenges, gaps in knowledge, and areas of opportunity? How does your work fit into the big picture?
• Heads Together
• Assignment(s) for next class on June 17:
  • Review resource on the elevator pitch and complete all six steps (come ready to share your elevator pitch). Email Heather a written version of your elevator pitch by end of the day on June 17.
  • Optional: Review the Message Box Science Communication planning tool to tailor your message to a specific audience
    • Directions for using the Message Box (click on the different parts of the blue message box to find out more about each section)
    • Explore examples

June 17, 2024

• Practice prepared elevator pitches and workshop with Pam and peers
• Practice using the Message Box to tailor your pitch to a different audience than the one you initially planned for (if there is time)
• Share internship progress
• Heads Together
• Assignment(s) for next class on June 24:
  1. Complete the following readings:
     • Required:
       • Writing Policy Briefs document
       • Review “How to Write a Policy Brief” from IDRC (Optional: presentation)
     • Recommended:
       • Look over handout on policy briefs from The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill
     • URBAN Graduate Tara Miller will be visiting our class next week to talk about their policy experience and about policy memos! Those who are interested in looking over examples ahead of time can do so here:
       • Atherton, K., et al. (2021). “Reducing Urban Heat Island Effects While
         Providing Affordable Housing in Bunker Hill.” Journal of Science Policy & Governance, 18(4). linked here
       • AAAS STPF_Briefing Memorandum_Tara Miller (2023) link to pdf
       • Newport News Policy Memo: Addressing the Coal Dust Pollution in Our Community link to pdf
         
       • Wright, J., et al. (2022, July 22). Sharing the Benefits of Offshore Wind in Massachusetts. Medium. https://medium.com/scitech-forefront/sharing-the-benefits-of-offshore-wind-in-massachusetts-96960fb24278
     • Optional: Check out additional materials in the Policy Brief Guides folder
  2. Find an example of a policy brief written by a researcher, relevant to your field or internship and email a copy of the policy brief to to urban@bu.edu once you find it, so Heather has time to compile and share the policy briefs for others to skim prior to class.
     • Use the guiding questions below to prepare for class discussion on June 24
       • How effective was the policy brief you chose at communicating the policy issue?
       • How was the problem presented?
       • Which interested and/or impacted groups were mentioned? Were there any groups left out?
       • How may the potential policy change impact the interested and/or impacted groups?
       • What is one way that the policy brief inspires you?
       • What could you achieve with a policy brief that resulted from your internship? Who would you share it with and why (in other words, who should know what you’re doing and why)? Identify 2 or more partners/interested parties/impacted parties/experts who may be interested in learning about your internship project. You may want to speak with your internship host to find out what their ideas are.
         

June 24, 2024

• Share internship progress
• Guest speaker Tara Miller, Q&A/Discussion on Policy Memos/Briefs
• Discuss policy brief experience and policy brief examples, what would you cover if you were to write a policy brief related to your internship project
• Assignments due July 1:
  • Complete the following readings and come with questions for discussion:
    • Smith, I., et al. (2022). “On the use of ‘cool roofs’ to reduce residential heat exposure disparities in Boston, MA.” pdf
    • Smith, I., et al. (2023). “Urban green space and albedo impacts on surface temperature across seven United States cities.” Science of the Total Environment, 8(3), 1-12. link to pdf
  • Recommended: White Papers Overview from the Writing Center at George Mason University
  • Optional: “Using Evidence to Influence Policy: Oxfam’s Experience,” Nature, 2018. Full Article or Brief Summary

July 1, 2024

• Share internship progress
• Guest Speaker Ian Smith, Q&A/Discussion
• Heads Together
• Assignments due July 8:
  • Complete the following readings:
    • A Guide to Op-Eds and Original Content link to article
    • The Op-Ed Project – Ledes and News Hooks: Catching Attention link to article
    • Recommended (not required):
      • The Scholars Strategy Network has tip sheets on op-ed writing that are geared toward scientists/scholars – https://scholars.org/resource/how-best-practices-writing-compelling-oped
    • Optional/skim:
      • The Open Notebook has a section all about opinion writing that includes interviews with science journalists – https://www.theopennotebook.com/topic/essay-opinion-writing/ that could be of interest
      • The Washington Post guide to writing an opinion article link to article
      • Mulligan, D., & Ettinger de Cuba, S. (2024). “Diagnosing the Youth Mental Health Crisis? Don’t forget housing and extreme heat.” Commonwealth Beacon link to article

July 8, 2024

• Share progress on internships
• Guest speaker Jessica Colarossi (Science Writer for BU’s The Brink), Workshop and Discussion on Op-Eds
• Assignment(s) for next class on July 22:
  1. Review this explainer on Public Policy Communication from the MIT Policy Lab
  2. Begin thinking about the final internship presentation/lightning talk, due August 5.
  3. Check out the following resources on Data Visualization:
     • Data to Viz Tool link
     • Kelleher, C., and Wagener T. (2011) “Ten guidelines for effective data visualization in scientific publications.” Environmental Modelling & Software 26.6: 822-827 pdf
• Recommended: Review the Message Box Science Communication planning tool to tailor your message to a specific audience
  • Directions for using the Message Box (click on the different parts of the blue message box to find out more about each section)
  • Explore examples
• Optional:
  • Making Data Meaningful. Part 2: A guide to presenting statistics link
  • Johns Hopkins Data Visualization Guide: Guide for technologies, techniques, and best practices for data visualization link
  • Making Data Meaningful. Part 3: A guide to communicating with the media link

July 22, 2024

• Share progress on internships
• Heads Together
• Presentations
  • Identifying key audience: Who are the key audiences for your URBAN internship project? Considerations of power, equity, inclusion.
  • Create and share a draft storyboard for a presentation and exchange feedback with peers.
  • Discussion: Best practices for presentations to non-experts
• Assignments due Monday, August 5
  
  1. Prepare a 3-minute internship lightning talk for the Intro Workshop (download updated slide template here). We will practice the lightning talks during Session Seven and you will record your talk so we can share it with incoming trainees in advance of the Intro Workshop. Your recording will ultimately be public – posted on the URBAN website and our YouTube channel. Plan accordingly. If are things you can’t share are aren’t ready to share, aim for something higher-level that still explains the problem and that you did something useful. Please send presentation to urban@bu.edu
  2. If you have completed your internship:
     • After class on August 5, complete the post-internship assessment (click to access survey)
  3. If you have not completed your internship:
     • Complete the assessment within a week after your internship end date
  4. Not a formal assignment, but please remember your internship agreement: Complete Internship Course Write-up and email to urban@bu.edu within 30 days of the completion of your internship, along with deliverables that can be shared publicly

August 5, 2024 (last official class)

• Share internship progress
• Heads Together
• Give practice talks for Intro Workshop
• Reflect on lessons learned from the internship, discuss whether some of the techniques we talked about in class were useful in navigating the internship and how we see the projects developing that were part of the internships.
• Complete post-internship survey (those who have completed their internships)
• Due Monday, August 12 by 5pm 
  • Record a video of your internship lightning talk (can also record your in class presentation)
    • The easiest method is to start a new meeting with your personal zoom account, hit “Record on this Computer,” and send the video file to urban@bu.edu. Please set up the recording so that we can see the slides and your face while you are presenting and please watch the video first before sending it, in case you wish to make updates and re-record.

August 12, 2024 (Canceled)

• Workshop “Creating and Curating Your Online Presence” led by Sasha Goldman, PDPA Director for PhD Resources

Date and Location TBD

• Internship discussion with first-year trainees and presentation of internship lightning talk