ISAAA Inc. Conducts Training of Trainers on Science Communication

A two-day training of trainers was conducted by ISAAA Inc., in partnership with the Department of Agriculture's Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries Biotechnology Program (DA Biotech). The event was attended by 22 researchers from five government agencies and three state universities.

Scicom Frontliners: Trainers' Training on Communicating Pinoy Biotek is a training held from September 6-7, 2023, at Acacia Hotel Manila that aims to train researchers to popularize scientific information to make it accessible to non-technical audiences. Equipping researchers to train others to be better scientist communicators is expected to speed up the transmission of information on biotechnology to the public. The training serves as an initial step towards building a community of practice, composed of biotech experts with excellent communication skills.

The training was designed for DA Biotech-funded project teams, as part of ISAAA and DA Biotech's project, Pinoy Biotek. The participants were composed of representatives from the Fisheries Biotechnology Center, Philippine Rice Research Institute, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 7, Philippine Coconut Authority-Albay Research Center, Philippine Fiber Development Authority, University of the Philippines Diliman, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), and the University of Eastern Philippines.

The training discussed various topics, such as introduction to science communication, public engagement and crisis communication, writing, social media, public speaking, and addressing media interviews. The participants also underwent a mock interview for newspapers and radio to prepare them for future encounters with the media.

Among the experts who shared their knowledge and experiences were Avril De Guzman Madrid from UPLB, Dr. Ronan Zagado from PhilRice, Mikael Francisco of FlipScience, Yvette Tan of Manila Bulletin and Agriculture Magazine, Lyn Resurreccion of Business Mirror, Hermelina Tenorio of Broad Streamcast Communicators, and experts from ISAAA Global Knowledge Center on Biotechnology, namely Kristine Grace Tome and Clement Dionglay.

The welcome message was given by Dr. Claro Mingala, Director of the DA Biotech, while the closing remarks were delivered by ISAAA Executive Director Dr. Rhodora Romero-Aldemita. Kristine Grace Tome, Lucille Grace Punzalan, and Janine Escasura moderated the training.

For inquiries about the event, please send an email to knowledge.center@isaaa.org.