Recruiting future talent in ecology and evolutionary biology

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Disseminating primary research is fundamental to ensuring continued advancement in ecology and evolutionary biology. Studies reported in this journal and others are eagerly distributed within experienced academic echelons or are perhaps lucky enough to make it into journal clubs, but all too often fail to move beyond seasoned academics to a wider audience where they might inspire new talent. If we describe the near future ten years from now, how will we remember the past decade in terms of how young people were recruited into science and technology? In the face of basic scientist shortages in many of the leading fields, public engagement has become a timely phrase that is still slow to catch on, but gone are the days when the media was used as a major public engagement tool for science education. However, young people are engaging with new forms of media at a rate never experienced before. The past decade has witnessed a vast amount of new technology catapulting the accessibility of social-networking, entertainment, and other types of new media to an unprecedented level. Researchers must not compete for the attention of young people against existing technology and social media, but must use current platforms to their advantage.Partnerships between authors and publishers have never been more important in creating rich, immersive experiences that showcase ecological and evolutionary biology research. Inspiring the next generation of scientists does not have to be laborious; however, it does require the use of unconventional tools. Simply creating digital versions of paper articles doesn’t cut it in today's war for attention. The up and coming standard for the way primary research is contextualized and presented centres around delivering a multimedia experience. Collaborations between authors and publishers that combine their research findings with interactive animation, high quality presentation, engaging and succinct text, and a forum for discussion, give students and other interested people an opportunity to explore the building blocks of ecology and evolution with fascination.Inspiring prospective students to engage in science and technology has to start by showing them not only where they fit in, but also how to participate. Giving prospective graduate students a sense of a research group's personality in addition to its work may be one of the most important factors in a student's decision to apply. Providing a personal narrative in any type of social media, whether it be through a purpose-built website or platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, is often one of the most overlooked incentives any research group can give young people.The rising popularity of dedicated social networking sites for academics, such as Academia.edu, shows their importance. However, if your goal is to inspire students who are new to ecology and evolution, you must look elsewhere. Why are large numbers of university admissions departments using social media platforms? The answer is simple enough; it's where the students are. Facebook updates students on what their friends are interested in and which groups they are fans of. As young people continue to spend an unprecedented amount of time online, using Facebook pages and Twitter can increase awareness and support of your research group by initiating a viral spread of content and name recognition from user to user.If the only aim of your online strategy is to promote primary research and increase outreach, then success is more easily quantified. Some highly successful strategies, in terms of known numbers, include MIT's OpenCourseWare Project (with over 13 million views on YouTube) and The New England Journal of Medicine Facebook group (with over 82 000 fans). If the goal is to increase applications from potential students, however, success becomes more difficult to measure without additional administrative surveying.Investing some time and effort now in presenting your research in a stimulating way can pay off considerably. University research groups and publishers are becoming more confident in the value added by having a strong online strategy. The value of having a presence that extends beyond a predictable website into social-networking sites might not seem obvious at first. However, showing potential students that your research group is at the forefront of developments in public engagement will do wonders for name (and brand) recognition. Ultimately, scientists can no longer rely on the mainstream media or their universities’ mere presence online to ensure continued interest in ecology and evolutionary biology. It is up to us to do the inspiring now.