For this entire semester (and probably for subsequent semesters), I’ve been zeroed-in on the idea of “scientific communication”: the act of clearly communicating science to people.

Of course, the ability to effectively communicate science is an imperative skill all scientists should know how to do. And yet… I’m being “taught” how to write scientifically by people who barely know how to write a fucking legible lab manual,  let alone communicate science effectively. 

It’s incredibly frustrating, to say the least. 

But, this unfortunately isn’t an issue isolated to just a couple classes I’m taking this summer. I’d argue that most scientists can’t write for shit. I mean… just look at the average scientific journal article. Some of those articles aren’t just hard to read because of the nature of their content. They’re hard to read because the people writing them don’t know how to actually write. 

That said, it doesn’t surprise me that most scientists can’t write. It doesn’t surprise me that most scientists are terrified of breaking grammar rules in order to make their stuff more understandable and relatable. Most scientists became scientists because, to them, doing science was much more worthy of their time than consuming and authoring creatively-written books. Naturally, that means that most of the time scientists are forced to sit down and write a paper, they write it as painfully bland and illegible as possible. 

Also, I get it: scientific writing is often supposed to be very technical and redundant. Not all writing gets to be extravagant works of art. Most of the writing in science is meant to read more like an instruction manual rather than a fantasy novel, which is just fine. My issue doesn’t lie with the technical side of scientific writing. My issue lies with the fact that, even within those parameters, far too many scientists can’t write for shit. 

It’s possible to write a lab manual that’s easy to follow and relays every crucial step necessary to run an experiment. It’s possible to write about scientific topics in an engaging, relatable way. It’s possible to break down huge, complicated topics into bite-sized bits of information a literal preschooler can understand. 

But, for whatever reason, far too many scientists- including a couple people who’ve tried to teach me how to write scientifically in college- can’t write for shit. Not only does that drive me up the wall, but it makes me think that the inability for so many scientists to communicate effectively, is the reason why so much federal science funding has been cut. 

I mean… why should the general public be okay with giving billions and billions of dollars to scientists to run important research, if the scientists themselves can’t tell people why their particular research is important? 

Worse, instead of looking inward and figuring out ways to fix their communication skills, far too many scientists have decided to blame the “rise of anti-intellectualism” on the fact that public trust in science across all demographics is at an all-time low. Maybe, in some ways, they are correct to blame anti-intellectualism on the public’s growing distrust of science. However, calling science skeptics “stupid” and “ignorant” to their faces, rather than trying to understand why those people came to be so skeptical of scientists in the first place, is not helpful. 

Yet, that’s exactly what far too many scientists and “science communicators” have been doing in response to the federal funding cuts to science. 

Hell, I’ve noticed that my professors and TA’s have been a little hostile towards their own students due to the stress of current events. At least, that’s how I’ve felt this semester. My instructors have not been quiet about the impact federal funding cuts have had on the university’s ability to conduct research. Especially low-level research that is intended for us undergrads to do to gain experience. 

But, I’m not the one trying to gut science. I’m trying to help science progress by becoming a scientist myself. I’m stubborn enough to work towards my goal of becoming a scientist, even though it feels like the whole world’s stacked against me, because I know that this assault on science can’t possibly last for long. 

Still, a lot of people are jumping ship. Not just because of current events. But because of the way they’re being treated by their instructors.