As part of an initiative to provide multi-media training for CSCH affiliates, the UConn Collaboratory on School and Child Health partnered with the Public Health House Learning Community to host a live filming of TED-like talks on October 30, 2017. Over 80 undergraduate students and graduate students constituted the live audience as four CSCH affiliates gave live presentations. Drs. Rory McGloin and Stephen Stifano in the Department of Communication coordinated the event, acting as both producers and hosts as they worked with both the audience and the presenters to talk about the process of preparing for live presentations and the procedures involved in the production of exciting video presentations.
The Four CSCH Live Talks featured:
- CSCH Steering Committee Member Lisa Sanetti with Teacher Wellbeing: Secure Your Own Oxygen Mask First Before Attending to Others.
- Co-Director Sandra Chafouleas as she discussed Think about the Link between Learning and Health: Schools as the Hub for Whole Child Success.
- CSCH Affiliate Jaci VanHeest with The Boy Who Learned How to Play.
- CSCH Affiliate Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo with The Importance of School-Home Intersections: Language, Culture, and Health in the Florida Heartland.
The event was a huge success, serving as a unique learning opportunity for students at various stages of training, providing practice in the art of communication about science, and generating multi-media footage. Dr. VanHeest, faculty director of the Public Health House, noted the many positive comments by students following the event. In a debriefing with Public Health House students, student Carly Danziger shared her surprise at learning more than she expected to: “I thought that it was interesting to be a part of a live filming. I learned that children’s health isn’t just what happens at the pediatrician; what happens at school is very important.”
“I was especially excited about Dr. Chafouleas’s focus on ‘gears’ of functioning and the school as a hub within the WSCC model,” said Danielle Stern, a graduate student in UConn’s school psychology program.
Drs. McGloin and Stefano worked with 13 CSCH affiliates throughout the fall of 2017 to develop their knowledge of effective communication about science, and to enhance their presentation skills in several different mediums.