Storytelling and Science Communication

Course Title: Storytelling and Science Communication

Course coordinator: Raffaella Mulas

Location: Department of Mathematics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Timing:
The course will take place in October–December 2025. 

Participants:
The course is open to 10 VU Master’s and PhD students in Mathematics.
We aim for a balanced and inclusive group, with attention to gender diversity. We may open the course to Bachelor's students, students from other VU departments, or students from other Dutch universities, if needed to ensure a balanced and complete group.

Note: No EC will be awarded for this course.

Funding: The course will be funded through the VU Startpremie Grant awarded to Raffaella Mulas.

Course Description

The goal is to help students learn how to communicate science in a clear, personal, and engaging way. The course will be highly interactive and end with a live theater show, titled Science speaks: Stories that move minds. In this final show, each student will have 7 minutes to share (without slides):

• A scientific topic in an engaging way,

• A historical note about science,

• A personal story about their journey in science,

• Or (even better) a mix of all of the above!

To prepare for the performance, students will take part in:

• An introductory session by course coordinator Raffaella Mulas, followed by a presentation by outreach coordinator Nicos Starreveld on the wide range of mathematics outreach initiatives in the Netherlands;

• Two workshops on the communication of mathematics, led by Katie Steckles and Ekaterina Eremenko;

• Two storytelling workshops led by storytelling coach Joseph Kearney;

• A public speaking session with coach Michela Quilici;

• Feedback sessions focused on writing and story development, with support from the course coordinator and invited mentors.

Please note: Students are expected to have a first complete draft of their story ready by November 20. This will ensure they can benefit fully from the public speaking session and the feedback sessions, and prepare for the final performance.

After the Science speaks show, students will also be encouraged to bring their stories into schools and/or at outreach events, in collaboration with Platform Wiskunde Nederland (the Dutch platform for coordination and promotion of mathematics) and in particular Nicos Starreveld.

The full list of people involved in the course is available here.
The course schedule is available here.

Application

Apply here! The application deadline is August 31, 2025.

✨ Note: Everyone is a speaker, and you don’t need to be confident or experienced to apply!
If a part of you feels willing to apply, don’t let fear stop you. This course is here to support you.