Outreach, Communications, and Development

Scripps faculty interested in education and outreach have access to a wide variety of opportunities to engage audiences outside of academia in learning about their research.

Birch Aquarium at Scripps (BAS): Scripps' interpretive center serves as a primary outlet for outreach at Scripps and specializes in creating innovative exhibits and programs that translate Scripps science for the public. Scripps outreach professionals facilitate and support academic collaboration with BAS as well as other outreach-focused organizations both within and outside the University. Many of these organizations focus on engaging groups traditionally underrepresented in science. Outreach activities are often used as a means of satisfying NSF or other funding agency requirements for “broader impact” statements.

Scripps Community Outreach for Public Education (SCOPE): Our active and well-organized volunteer organization engages Scripps community members in showcasing research conducted at Scripps through pier and lab tours, classroom visits, and other activities both on and off the Scripps campus. Volunteering through SCOPE is an excellent way to learn and practice science communication skills for you and your graduate students and can be used as a component of an outreach plan in research proposals. Guidance on participating in outreach can be found in Education and Public Outreach: A Guide for Scientists.

Scripps Educational Alliances (SEA) works closely with Scripps scientists to facilitate their participation in a wide array of science education and outreach programs and activities, often as a way to satisfy the “broader impacts” requirement of the National Science Foundation (NSF). 

SEA assists with the following:

• Helping PIs understand agency requirements
• Identifying potential educational outreach partners and projects
• Facilitating development of broader impacts (BI)
• Assisting with metrics and reporting for internal and external use

Submitting a proposal? Need help with the Broader Impacts section? Request the BI Support Form.

Contact: Lauren Fimbres Wood, Director of Communications

Scripps Communications Office provides all forms of communication including press release writing, media outreach to local, national, and international media, and managing Scripps website news and social media content. They are especially interested in hearing your story ideas that merit public interest, as well as providing you help with generating media coverage, and highlighting your research, publications, awards and honors, and science discoveries and breakthroughs. Resources and services provided are:

• News and web stories: Scripps Communications manages and populates the News page of the Scripps website. Stories are distributed to a wide variety of outlets, including local, regional, national, and international print, broadcast, and web.
• Social media: Scripps Communications manage multiple institutional social media accounts in support of Scripps’ academic and administrative priorities. They maintain a strong presence for Scripps on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn among other emerging new media tools. Sharing interesting photo and video content from field work and labs is a big priority for the communications team and contributions are welcome.
• Media Contact: Scripps attracts continuous local, national, and international attention. While most media representatives contact Scripps Communications, some reporters go directly to individuals generating news interest. If the media contacts you directly, please let Communications know as they can assist in vetting the inquiry, answering questions, setting up interviews, and providing relevant background information. Communications also maintains an archive of Scripps press coverage so it’s important to know of all contact with the media. Additionally, if a faculty member has an idea for an op-ed or opinion piece, the communications office can help with writing, editing, and placing them. 
• explorations now: Scripps’ award-winning e-publication, explorations now, is published by the Communication’s Office and distributed to 20,000 subscribers. It informs and educates the public, educators, alumni, scientific community, and Scripps’ friends and supporters about ongoing ocean and earth science research and events.
  • You can subscribe to the email sent monthly here. 
  • Contact the editor to make contributions or inquiries.
• Biographies & Background: Scripps Communications maintains the most current materials on Scripps scientists. Keeping them informed of updates is appreciated. If you need assistance in having a bio written, updated, or posted to the website, please contact scrippsnews@ucsd.edu.
• Photo-Video Bank: Scripps Communications maintains an extensive digital image library of photographs and videos of research activities, facilities, research vessels, equipment, and Birch Aquarium. The office can shoot and produce broadcast-quality video of Scripps research, and the office also maintains a collection of GoPro and DSLR cameras that members of the Scripps community can check out to capture their own research. To discuss photo and video needs, or to see if the communications office can hire a photographer to capture your research, please contact scrippsnews@ucsd.edu.
• Communications Training: If you are interested in communications training for yourself or your lab team, the communications office can assist. We offer the following trainings: Media Training, Twitter for Science Communication, Op-Ed Writing, How to Shoot Better Video, and How to Build Better Presentations. Additional communications training is available upon request.
• Design Support: The Scripps Art Director, Chris Toombs, has created pages on the Scripps Portal section of the website with logo usage guidelines and downloads, PowerPoint templates, and more. He may also be available to assist with graphic design requests. Please contact him with questions or for assistance. 

How can you help and what can Scripps Communications do for you?

Contact Scripps Communications. 

• Submit story ideas that highlight your research, publications, awards & honors, science discoveries and breakthroughs. These can be used to help promote you and your work. Please give Communications as much advance notice as possible, so there is adequate time to write press releases, develop media lists, and pitch news coverage.
• Keep Communications in the loop on interesting projects and field work before they happen. Communications can advise on how to capture photos and video from projects, and determine capacity for media coverage.
• Let Communications know if you have a blog or other social media account. They continuously promote via Scripps’ social media and can include your social media information.
• If the media contacts you directly, keep Communications informed as they can assist you with answering inquiries, setting up interviews, and finding out more about a reporter or outlet.
• Keep your biography or CV up to date. Communications appreciates having the most recent material on file in case it is needed for promotional purposes.
• If you have photos or videos about you or your research, consider contributing these to the video/photo archives.
• Photos of field and lab work are especially of interest for Scripps social media channels. Content can be shared for consideration by emailing the communications team. 

Scripps Communication department clarified that you are able to list your affiliation for editorials, as it falls under the domain of academic freedom. Faculty across University of California are frequently signatories to statements and editorials while listing their affiliation. Particularly if labeled as an “editorial” or “op-ed,” as it is then clear it is your  opinion as opposed to a university or institutional position. The UC Policy is listed below.

All individuals or organizations using University properties and services must avoid any unauthorized implication that they are sponsored, endorsed, or favored by the University. 

In personal and other non-official correspondence, statements, or other material represented in a variety of media, including but not limited to printed matter, the Internet, and film or television relating to commercial, religious, or political activities or issues, the University title of a faculty or staff member or the title of a student government official shall be used only for identification. If such identification might reasonably be construed as implying the support, endorsement, or opposition of the University with regard to any commercial, religious, or political activity or issue, the identification shall be accompanied by a disclaimer: an explicit statement that the individual is speaking for himself or herself and not as a representative of the University or any of its offices or units. Similarly, such correspondence, statements, or other material issued by a Registered Campus Organization shall be accompanied by a disclaimer to the same effect if it might reasonably be construed as implying the support, endorsement, or opposition of the University.

Email: supportscripps@ucsd.edu or call (858) 822-1865

The Scripps Development Office strives to increase private support that will enable Scripps to continue to innovate and excel, to lead and to influence, to collaborate on a global stage and to shape a more positive future for our planet and its inhabitants. Donors that are most likely to give are those who see the value in supporting environmental science and education at Scripps and the significance their support will have. Therefore, we need to communicate clearly with prospective donors about how Scripps can make a difference to society by creating a healthier planet for future generations. Scripps research is addressing some of society's greatest concerns such as climate change, loss of marine life, new drugs from the sea, earthquakes, and the ability of sound science to improve decision-making substantially.

Scripps relies on private gifts to support new buildings, student fellowships, endowments, seed funding for new programs, and matching funds. Because Scripps now receives less than 12 percent of its budget from the state of California, private support is more meaningful than ever. Birch Aquarium at Scripps receives no state appropriation. They rely on gifts to supplement their admission and rental income.

Past private support has funded:

• Graduate and undergraduate student fellowships
• Postdoctoral fellowships
• Visiting Scholars that collaborate in geophysics
• Pilot research efforts that could support future projects or proposal development
• Career development awards for early career scientist
• Endowed faculty chairs in climate change, marine biodiversity and conservations, and natural history.
• Research on coral reef restorations, ocean pollution, fisheries, climate change and resilience to hazards, human health and the oceans, innovative technologies and more
• Award winning Feeling the Heat exhibit at Birch Aquarium at Scripps
• Perspectives on Ocean Science lecture series at Birch Aquarium at Scripps
• Robert Paine Scripps Forum for Science, Society and the Environment (Scripps Seaside Forum) and other capital infrastructure projects
• Scripps Oceanographic Collections sponsorships

As a faculty member, you can make a difference and help us communicate with prospective donors. If you are interested in establishing or furthering existing collaborations on a local or global stage, contact the Development Office. The Development Office welcomes the opportunity to discuss your research, and the mutual benefit it might have to Scripps and your research program.