A new web-based platform will soon be launched for open research communication, where the core of various research projects will be conveyed through basic, hand-drawn illustrations and curated multimedia. The concept was created by Dr Ajibola Omokanye at the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, and a startup grant was recently received from Grants and Innovation Office.
All researchers need to communicate their research to the general public, but many lack the know-how for accomplishing this. Today’s media consumers are accustomed to quickly receiving information in a creative and easily accessible form, and this served as the starting point for Dr Omokanye’s solution.
“Illustrations can simplify complex concepts and stimulate discussion,” says Dr Omokanye, who also goes by Jib. “They are also a good way of overcoming language barriers.”
Dr Omokanye feels that science has become an all-too closed world. Many scientific publications are difficult to obtain for those not employed at a university. And if an article is obtained, it is often full of technical jargon that is not only incomprehensible for the general public but also for researchers in other fields.
The new communication platform is called Explainartist and will be accessible via www.explainartist.org. The platform is under construction, with a test site scheduled for launch at the beginning of 2015. Dr Omokanye is recruiting illustrators for the project with varying backgrounds in science. Researchers all over the world will later be able to collaborate to simply and comprehensibly illustrate their research. Explainartist will operate as a social enterprise, i.e. focusing on societal change rather than profit.
“Explainartist will complement other knowledge sources, such as Wikipedia and TED Talks,” says Dr Omokanye. “Illustrations can be shared easily via social media, where two-way communication can be established between researchers and the general public. If we want the general public to become engaged in research in a meaningful way, they must have the opportunity to contribute with their experiences and thoughts.”
He is now working with an expanding network of illustrators and experts in multimedia. Among other activities, he will be holding a workshop in the spring at a research communication conference in France.
Dr Omokanye studied medicine in the United Kingdom, where he also received two masters degrees – one in pharmacogenetics, which deals with how hereditary factors influence the effects of pharmaceuticals, and one in public health science. Six months ago, he became a PhD student – with financing from the EU Commission Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme – working in a project about vaccines for influenza pandemics with Professor Nils Lycke as supervisor. Dr Omokanye says that his considerable interest in illustrating science has been a big help to him as a researcher:
“If I’m working on an illustration and cannot quite manage to finish it, this is often because an important piece of the puzzle is missing in the research. And this piece can be the key to making the research complete.”
When the University of Gothenburg recently held its annual Science Slam in conjunction with Global Week, Dr Omokanye was one of those who competed by presenting his research in just three minutes, with the audience choosing the winning presentation. Although Dr Omokanye did not win the competition, he received style points for his poetic approach with his presentation being set in rhyme.
Dr Omokanye says that he is impressed by the strong forces for innovation in Sweden, and since moving here has recognized many products and innovations he uses everyday originated in Sweden. Even though he came up with his idea while studying in London, it was the positive innovation environment in Sweden that allowed him to transform that idea into reality. On his recent grant from Grants and Innovation Office, he explained “I’m extremely grateful for the support and encouragement I have received from the Grants and Innovation Office. In particular, from Ana-Maria Popescu, Gia Kourouklidou and Andreas Dynefors-Hallberg.”
Explainartist will launch in January 2015, with illustration campaigns for global health and open access research. If you would like to get involved with the Explainartist initiative, email hello@explainartist.org