Career Resources

You have conquered your experiments, mastered techniques, and crushed your data analysis… now it’s time to tell your story to the world!  It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the idea of sharing complex scientific ideas with an audience. Add to that the anxiety many people experience when they have to speak publicly, and it’s no wonder that so many people dread presenting their research in class, at conferences, or even in casual settings. Drawing on theatre practices, this introductory talk offers several practical techniques that will help anyone improve their presentation skills and their ability to communicate science in a variety of settings. No acting required!

About our Guest Speaker:

Sydney Cheek-O’Donnell is Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, where she teaches new play development, dramaturgy, theatre history, theory, and criticism, and dramatic literature.

Dr. Cheek-O’Donnell’s current research focuses on the application of theatre techniques in non-traditional places, like healthcare settings and STEM education. She is Principle Investigator, with Dr. Gretchen A. Case, on a randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of a rehearsal framework to improve the interpersonal communication skills of medical learners. This study is funded by a Research Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. In addition, Dr. Cheek-O’Donnell regularly collaborates with multidisciplinary teams at the NIH-funded Utah Center for Excellence in ELSI Research (UCEER) to leverage the arts—particularly theatre and storytelling—in the creation of health education and support materials for women and families. Previously, she worked with a multidisciplinary team led by Dr. Nalini Nadkarni and funded through the National Science Foundation to explore using theatre, narrative, and ecological restoration as tools to shift the way people see themselves in relation to science, technology, engineering, and math. Dr. Cheek-O’Donnell recently published a title in Emerald Insight’s Arts for Health Series: Theatre (2021).

Before her turn to applied theatre, she served as a dramaturg on more than 20 professional productions in the United States. Dr. Cheek-O’Donnell earned a PhD in Theatre History and Dramatic Criticism from the University of Washington’s School of Drama in 2004, and received her undergraduate degree from Carleton College in Minnesota.

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