Maize Genetics Cooperation Newsletter vol 85 2011

MaizeResearch.org: Engaging an audience beyond the journals

Authors: Bodnar AL¹, Andorf C,² Lawrence CJ².

Ames, Iowa

¹Iowa State University and the ²USDA Agricultural Research Service

At the 52nd Maize Meeting, the Maize Genetics Executive Committee called for improved public communication of research relevance and results (e.g., press releases, etc.) from the community at large. They argued there was a need to communicate basic and applied research in a way that is accessible and comprehensible to non-scientists. In pursuit of this goal, MaizeResearch.org was developed by Anastasia Bodnar with technical assistance from Carson Andorf. This website is designed to be an information hub for all things maize research. To our knowledge, this is the only broad initiative to discuss maize research on the web. The blog format allows scientists to interact with each other and with non-scientists in unique ways. The website promotes the work of maize researchers, provides a venue for communication between scientists, and makes the research more accessible to non-scientists. Scientists can use MaizeResearch.org to engage an audience beyond the scientific journals. We encourage others to participate in this outreach project. There are many opportunities, including providing summaries of published research, writing articles about research or current events, searching the web for interesting maize related stories, and much more. Please email Anastasia Bodnar at [email protected] for details.

Please Note: Notes submitted to the Maize Genetics Cooperation Newsletter may be cited only with consent of authors.