The Brew-Hammond Energy Centre (TBHEC), in partnership with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology’s Faculty of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering, has organized a seminar on Research Communications for its faculty members on January 13, 2022.
The seminar, the first of its kind was to enlighten the academic staff on how to communicate their research findings and ideas to contribute to the development of the country.
Opening the workshop, the Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering, Professor George Yaw Obeng assured that the Resource Persons for the workshop are uniquely placed to contribute expert information and opinions on the topic, highlight key concepts, trends, and best practices in research communication. According to him, the topics are relevant to their core business as a higher educational institution.
The Dean acknowledged some scientists and students of science in Ghana lack relevant skills and knowledge for effective communication. “Do ordinary Ghanaians benefit from our research findings? Are our students well trained for interviews? Is our research visible and accessible to Ghanaians? Sadly, we are not sure our answer is simply yes or no,” Prof. Obeng stated.
Professor Obeng believed that the skills to communicate research effectively would have a positive impact on both the researcher and the public. ‘Making the public understand what we are doing can help to provide support for continuous research and development,’ he added.
Mr. Kofi Adu Domfeh, a Multimedia Group News Editor, noted that the media is a key source of news in society, and that it plays an important part in shaping people’s opinions on important matters and emphasizing the value of science and research. Scientists, on the other hand, are generally limited in their ability to project their work since they typically employ a lot of technical terms, and Ghana also has a limited number of reporters who cover science. He also urged the participants to work closely with the media to get their research works out there.
Mr. Kwesi Debrah, Multimedia Journalist walked participants through planning media engagement, criteria for science/medical stories, becoming visible and practical skills in effective research communication.
In his final remarks, Professor Francis Kemausuor, Director of the Brew-Hammond Energy Centre, acknowledged that the training will assist scientists in remaining relevant in both the public and scientific sectors. “KNUST aspires to be one of Africa’s best schools, which means that we researchers must be well-known in order to represent the university.” According to him, the Seminar was extremely beneficial to the University in terms of increasing teachers’ exposure in both the public and scientific sectors.
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