From quantum and aerospace, to sustainable design and biotechnology, research breakthroughs from the University of Colorado Boulder are responsible for important advances that shape our world for the better.

Now, a workshop led by the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information aims to equip researchers with the skills to write and publish commentary, op-eds and other public-facing work.

CMDI, in partnership with the university’s Research and Innovation Office, Office of Collaboration and Center for Humanities and the Arts, will bring the globally recognized OpEd Project to Boulder for a two-day workshop that will include real-time feedback on a draft, advice on how to pitch to media outlets and a month of access to OpEd’s network of mentor-editors.

“The impact of our faculty research is truly changing lives, and it’s crucial that scholars communicate that impact to the public,” said Christine Larson, an associate professor of journalism and the leader of the workshop. “The workshop will help faculty generate ideas, structure public-facing opinion pieces and sell editors on the value of their articles.”  

The workshop interrogates constructions of credibility, authority and persuasion, and walks participants through the elements and structure of persuasive media commentary. 

The OpEd Project has worked with universities such as Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Princeton, Stanford, Northwestern, the University of Arizona, the University of Texas and Yale. It has partnered with the Ford Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and other organizations, resulting in the publication of tens of thousands of opinion and commentary pieces in major news outlets.

The workshop takes place all day Friday, Sept. 12, and the morning of Saturday, Sept. 13. Applications are due by Aug. 1.