An ad hoc committee will plan and convene a public workshop to explore infrastructures that may be needed to encourage and support life scientists in their efforts to communicate with or engage the public in science. The workshop will look at communication infrastructure across a range of life science institutions, including federal agencies, academia, industry, and nonprofit organizations. Workshop presentations and discussions may explore questions such as what institutional policies guide science communication; what types of institutional support structures (departments, programs, training, etc.) encourage life scientists to communicate; and should and how can institutions connect their life scientists with external communication and engagement infrastructures (media, boundary organizations, science centers, and others). These types of questions will be explored through two primary lenses:
1. Infrastructure barriers that may inhibit effective science communication
2. Novel approaches to infrastructure that facilitate effective science communication