Research

NIC BENNETT #

nichole.lynn.bennett@utexas.edu
1-803-553-3996

Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations
Moody College of Communication
The University of Texas at Austin
G. B. Dealey Center for New Media
300 W. Dean Keeton (A1200)
Austin, TX 78712

EDUCATION #

Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin
Advertising and Public Relations (ABD), expected May 2024

M.A. The University of Texas at Austin
Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, 2015

B.S. Clemson University
Biological Sciences (Minor in Spanish), 2009

PUBLICATIONS #

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles #

Bennett, N., Dudo, A., Besley, J. C., & Irizarry, Y. (2024). Race-Evasive Ideology in U.S.-based Science Communication Fellowship Director Discourse. Journal of Science Communication, accepted.

Bennett, N., Terrell, R., Ravindran, T., Chen, V., & Dawson, K. (2023). A green moment to share: a theatrical laboratory to explore climate crisis possibilities within single moments. Arts, accepted.

Valdez-Ward, E., Ulrich, R. N., Bennett, N., Cat, L. A., Marcus, T., Menezes, S., ... & Treseder, K. K. (2023). ReclaimingSTEM: A healing-centered counterspace model for inclusive science communication and policy training. Frontiers in Communication, 8, 44.

Bennett, N., Dudo, A., & Besley, J. C. (2022). Science communication fellowship programs as gatekeepers. Public Understanding of Science, 31(7), 940-956.

Bennett, N., Dudo, A., & Besley, J. C. (2022). The form and function of US-based science communication fellowship programs: interviews with program directors. International Journal of Science Education, Part B, 1-15.

Copple, J., Bennett, N., Dudo, A., Moon, W. K., Newman, T. P., Besley, J., ... & Volpe, C. (2020). Contribution of Training to Scientists’ Public Engagement Intentions: A Test of Indirect Relationships Using Parallel Multiple Mediation. Science Communication, 42(4), 508-537.

Bennett, N., Severns, P. M., Parmesan, C., & Singer, M. C. (2015). Geographic mosaics of phenology, host preference, adult size and microhabitat choice predict butterfly resilience to climate warming. Oikos, 124(1), 41-53.

Book Chapters #

Bennett, N., Moon, W.-k., Besley, J., & Dudo, A. (2021). Comparing the literature of science, risk, and environmental communication. In B. Takahashi, J. Metag, J. Thaker, & S. Evans Comfort (Eds.), The Handbook of International Trends in Environmental Communication (pp. 88-111). Routledge.

Bennett, N., Dudo, A., Yuan, S., & Besley, J. (2019). “Scientists, trainers, and the strategic communication of science.” In T. Newman (Ed.), Theory and Best Practices in Science Communication Training. Routledge.

Warren, D. L. & Bennett, N. (2012). “Niches.” In D. Gibson (Ed.) Oxford Bibliographies Online: Ecology. Oxford University Press.

Bennett, N., Dudo, A., and Besley, J. (2022). STEM graduate students’ perspectives on science communication and their sense of belonging in these spaces [White paper]. Center for Media Engagement. https://mediaengagement.org/research/stem-graduate-students-perspectives-on-science- communication

Dudo, A., Besley, J., & Bennett, N. (2020) Landscape of Science Communication
Fellowship Programs in North America [White paper]. Rita Allen Foundation. https://ritaallen.org/app/uploads/2020/06/SciEng-Fellowships-Report.pdf

AWARDS & HONORS #

2023 The Vortex Theatre’s Green New Theatre Symposium
2023 Cohen New Works Festival: A Green Moment to Share
2021 Roderick P. Hart Student Achievement Award, Moody College of
Communication, The University of Texas at Austin, $1000
2018 Austin Critic’s Table Award for Improvised Theater Production
2018 B. Iden Payne Theater Award for Outstanding Improvised Production
2018 B. Iden Payne Theater Award for Outstanding Improvised Technical
Design
2017 B. Iden Payne Theater Award for Outstanding Improvised Technical
Design
2014 Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Departmental Travel Award, $1,000
2014 Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Travel Award,
$500
2011 The University of Texas College of Natural Sciences Outreach
Excellence Award for Science Under the Stars

GRANTS & FELLOWSHIPS #

2022 Rita Allen Foundation/Wellcome Trust Grant for Arts-Sciences
Collaborations Landscaping Study, $50,000
2022 University of Texas Office of Sustainability Green Fund Award for
Performing Environmental Counter-Narratives, $28,573
2021 Guerilla Science Climate Change and Arts Fellow, $800
2021 P.E.O. Scholar Award, $20,000
2021 University of Texas Graduate Continuing Fellowship, $30,000
2020 Rita Allen Foundation Grant for STEM Graduate Students as Public
Communicators, $50,000
2020 Center for Health Communication Scholars Grant for Investigating the
Impact of Chest Binding on the Health and Thriving of Transgender
and Gender Diverse Youth, $30,000
2019 Center for Health Communication Doctoral Fellow, $500
2019 Research + Practice Fellow for InclusiveSciComm Symposium, $2000
2019 Planet Texas 2050 Internal Grant for Climate Change Adaptation
Through Dramaturgy, $30,000
2018 Graduate School Recruitment Fellowship, The University of Texas at
Austin, $17232
2017 Peggy Girshman Idea Grant to help create a South-Central states
science communicators conference, $2,400
2012 Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior DDIG-like Grant, $8,000
2011 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, three-year
annual stipend of $34,000 plus $12,000 education allowance for
tuitions
2010 Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Start-Up Grant, $2,000

INVITED TALKS #

2024 Participatory Approaches for Teaching Science Communication,
Network for Public Communication of Science and Technology, Virtual.
2024 Science + Art Collaborations: Engaging Communities in the Gulf, Gulf of
Mexico Conference, Tampa, FL
2023 ENFOLD: Science-Art Symposium, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Durham,
NC
2023 Wonder Salon, Gulf Research Network, Virtual.
2023 SciPEP Workshop Equipping Scientists to Communicate about Basic
Research, Inclusivity
2022 Planet Texas 2050 Resilience Roundtable Promoting & Empowering
Youth as Leaders in Climate Justice Struggles, Moderator
2021 Willingness to Engage Series Part One: Indirect Effects of Science
Communication Training on Scientists’ Public Engagement, Alda-Kavli
Learning Center Online Learning for Scientists and Researchers
2020 Reaching Audiences & Communicating Science: Strategic Science
Communication, Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS)
Toxicology Branch
2020 ASPSS Postdoc Science Communication Panelist, MD Anderson
2020 Storytelling for Inclusive Science Communication: Offering
Counter-Narratives, Reclaiming STEM Conference

CONFERENCE ACTIVITY & PARTICIPATION #

Conferences & Panels Organized #

2017-2019 Conference Founder and Organizer for SciComm South, Austin, TX

Papers Presented #

2023 Science Communication “Pockets of Belonging”: Inviting in a Plurality of
Science Identities, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass
Communication, Washington D.C., Aug. 7.
2023 You Should Have Seen This Coming: Interrupting Official Discourses on
Ecological Degradation, Association for Theatre in Higher Education,
Austin, TX, USA, Aug 5.
2023 Performing Environmental Counter-narratives, Pedagogy and Theatre
of the Oppressed Conference, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, June 23.
2023 Race-Evasive Ideology in Science Communication Fellowship Directors’
Discourse, International Communication Association, Toronto, Canada,
May, 27.
2023 Science Communication Activities as Potential “Pockets of Belonging”
for STEM Graduate Students, Public Communication of Science and
Technology, Rotterdam, Netherlands, April, 13.
2022 U.S.-based Science Communication Fellowship Programs: Form and
Function. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass
Communication, Detroit, MI, USA, August, 5.
2022 Examine, Resist, and Repair: Using Applied Drama and Theatre to
Foster Environmental Agency among Youth, Association for Theatre in
Higher Education, Detroit, MI, USA, July 28.
2022 Performing Stories of Ancient Resilience. Planet Texas 2050 Research
Symposium Lightning Talks, Austin, TX, USA, April, 14.
2021 Landscaping Overview of North American Science Communication
Fellowship Programs. Public Communication of Science and Technology
Network, Virtual, May, 25.

Keynote Talk #

2020 Getting Beyond Sharing Facts in Science Communication,
ComSciCon Houston, Rice University, February, 29.

Panel Discussant #

2024 Storytelling and Community, Gulf of Mexico Conference, Tampa, FL.
2023 SciPEP 2023: New Insights for Communicating Basic Science, Virtual
2021 Why do scientists engage the public in basic science?. SciPEP
Communicating the Future: Engaging the Public in Basic Science,
Virtual.
2019 Inclusive Pedagogy Panel, Inclusive SciComm, University of Rhode
Island, September, 28.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE #

2024- Postdoctoral Fellow: Science Communication Identities Project, Knight
Center for Environmental Journalism, Michigan State University.
2023 Graduate Research Assistant: Numbers 4 Justice Lab
(Critical Quantitative Racial Equity in STEM Education), The University
of Texas at Austin
2023 Graduate Research Assistant: Water Recovery, The Media, and
Community Impact, The University of Texas at Austin
2022 Graduate Research Assistant: Art-Science Collaborations Landscape
Study, Center for Media Engagement, The University of Texas at Austin
2021 Graduate Research Assistant for Stories of Ancient Resilience, Planet
Texas 2050, Center for Media Engagement, The University of Texas at
Austin
2021 Graduate Research Assistant: STEM Graduate Students As Public
Communicators
2020 Knight Research Associate at The Center for Media Studies: Scientists’
Twitter Communication During COVID-19
2019 Graduate Research Assistant: North American Science Communication
Fellowships
2013-2014 Graduate Research Intern at Okinawa Institute of Science and
Technology, Naha: Butterfly Genomics of Speciation
Okinawa, Japan
2011-2012 Graduate Research Assistant at Brackenridge Field Laboratory, The
University of Texas at Austin: Ecology and Biocontrol of Invasive Fire
Ants
2009 Graduate Research Assistant, Meta-Analysis of Biological Impacts of
Climate Change

TEACHING EXPERIENCE #

Curriculum Development #

2021 Teaching Assistant for Science Communication (Online Graduate
Seminar), The University of Texas

Teaching Assistant #

2023 International Advertising, The University of Texas
2023 Entrepreneurial Communication, The University of Texas
2019 Public Relations Techniques, The University of Texas
2018 Advertising and Integrated Brand Promotion, The University of Texas
2015 Scientific Inquiry Across the Disciplines, The University of Texas
2011 Field Biology, The University of Texas
2010 Evolutionary Ecology, The University of Texas
2010 Physiology and Functional Anatomy, The University of Texas
2010 Introductory Biology, The University of Texas

Theatre Workshops #

2024 Guest Facilitator Theatre of the Oppressed for Trauma-Informed Care,
Dell Medical School UT Austin
2023 Guest Facilitator Theatre of the Oppressed for Gender-Affirming
Care for Nursing Students, UT Austin
2023 Building Community, Reclaiming STEM in the National Park Service,
Virtual
2023 ARTiculating SCIence, Texas A&M, College Station, Texas.
2023 Theatre of the Oppressed: Exploring our Struggles with Social Justice in
Science Communication, Public Communication of Science and
Technology Pre-Conference, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2023 Embodying Our Struggles with Environmental Justice Using Theatre of
the Oppressed, Planet Texas 2050 Symposium
2022 Theatre of the Oppressed for Health Equity, Dell Medical School
2022 STEMprov: Improv for Science Communication, The University
of Texas at Austin Career Engagement and Society for Advancing
Gender Equity
2020- Performing Environmental Justice Youth Participatory Action Research
2020 “Handle Me With Care: Afrofuturism and Harm
to Black Bodies in Medicine,” Museum Theater Piece for Art Galleries for
Black Studies and University of Texas Honors Nursing Students
2019 STEMprov: Improv for Inclusion and Belonging at Inclusive SciComm,
University of Rhode Island

Data Science Workshops #

2018-2024 Machine Learning and Python Courses for Biologists, Transmitting
Science, Heraklion, Crete, Virtual
2019 Python Machine Learning in Biology, The University of Glasgow,
Glasgow, UK
2017-2019 Data Science Instructor, Curriculum Writer, General Assembly
2013-2015 Python and R Instructor, Software Carpentry
2013-2015 Co-Founder and Instructor for Peer-Led Introduction to Biological
Statistics and R Course, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, The University of Texas at Austin

SERVICE #

Department & University #

2021 Graduate Student Search Committee Member for Open-Rank,
Open-Department Faculty Hire in Computational Communication

Conferences #

2023 Inclusive SciComm Symposium Advisory Committee
2022-2023 Graduate Student Committee Member for Association for Education in
Journalism and Mass Communication Communicating Health, Science,
Environment, and Risk Division (AEJMC ComSHER)

Journals #

2023- Invited Manuscript Reviewer, Science Communication
2023- Invited Manuscript Reviewer, BioScience
2022 Invited Manuscript Reviewer, Public Understanding of Science
2022 Invited Manuscript Reviewer, Journal of Science Communication
2021 Invited Manuscript Reviewer, Public Understanding of Science

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS #

2023- Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed (PTO)
2022- Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
(AEJMC)
2022- National Communication Association (NCA)
2022- International Communication Association (ICA)
2022- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
2022- American Drama and Theatre Society (ADTS)
2022- Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE)
2019- Pubic Communication of Science and Technology (PCST)

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT/OUTREACH #

2024- Board Member of Reclaiming STEM Board Institute
2024- Communications Lead, Action Lead for Turnout Tuesdays (Recruitment)
with Showing Up for Racial Justice
2023 National Academies of Engineering Extraordinary Impacts / Alan Alda
Center for Communicating Science on Society Symposium Content
2022- Street Forum ATX Mutual Aid
2020- Organizer/Facilitator with Undoing White Supremacy Austin
2018- Founder, Facilitator, and Curriculum Developer for STEMprov: Improv for
Scientists
2022-2023 Board Member of ATX Science Communicators
2018-2023 Member of B. Iden Payne Theater Awards Council
2016-2019 Building Connections: Improv for Autistic Youth at The Hideout Theatre
2018 Technical Director for Out of Bounds Comedy Festival