How Superheroes Helped Communicate Complex Science

Background:  CDC’s Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) program integrates the public health disciplines of epidemiology, bioinformatics, and laboratory science to analyze novel, known, and emerging pathogens. Through next generation genomic sequencing technologies and high-performance computing, coupled with epidemiology, AMD helps scientists investigate disease-causing agents in ways never before imagined.

Program background: AMD’s cutting-edge science is of interest to policymakers and partners and OAMD receives frequent requests to tour the “AMD laboratory.” However, CDC uses AMD technologies across the agency, not just in a single laboratory. In addition, while sequencing data is fascinating, the sequencing equipment itself is not particularly visually remarkable. To help tour visitors understand AMD’s impact on public health, OAMD communications staff developed a series of Scientific Superheroes posters to line the walls along the tour route. These poster explain AMD and its three intertwined disciplines, while simultaneously demonstrating how AMD impacts public health. In addition to being posted in the main laboratory used for AMD tours, the posters are available for printing on the AMD public website.

Evaluation Methods and Results: We used a series of Twitter messages through December and January to promote the posters. We tracked web visits, Twitter engagements, and poster downloads to measure the reach of the messages.

Conclusions:  By creating superhero representations of AMD scientists, we are able to reach beyond our initial audience of policymakers and partners and engage more general audiences. More importantly, the posters have had a positive impact on scientific staff and increased their engagement and interest in communications and plain language.

Implications for research and/or practice:  While initially intended to inform visitors and provide eye-catching appeal on laboratory tours, the posters have had an additional impact on scientific staff. The initial series prompted other AMD program investigators to pitch ideas for their own superheroes and we are developing additional posters based on those ideas.