As an elected Fellow of AIMBE (American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering), Professor Amy Wagoner Johnson was invited by the organization to serve on a workshop panel focused on the importance of advocacy in bioengineering and medical research.
Wagoner Johnson and three of her colleagues in the field spoke to an audience of diverse career stages and disciplines about the best practices, resources, and strategies for effectively engaging U.S. policymakers and the general public in STEM outreach and science communication.
Wagoner Johnson’s presentation “Science Advocacy via Science Communication” centered on many of the concepts she teaches in her Science Communication for ME course (ME 598), including the importance of storytelling and empathy in advocating for and communicating science and engineering research to the general public.
Wagoner Johnson is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, with affiliate appointments in the Department of Bioengineering, the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, and the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. She holds an Andersen Faculty Scholar appointment.