Capacity building in SciComm with Dr Graham Walker

·43 min·4 clips

Dr. Graham Walker has trained hundreds across three continents since 2003 to make science accessible worldwide.

Dr. Graham Walker, a science communication expert from the Australian National University, joins host Ben Newsome to discuss his global capacity-building work. Walker has dedicated two decades to training science communicators across the Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. He convenes postgraduate programs at the National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS). His initiative, Science Circus Africa, has directly trained over 500 staff members. Those trained individuals have subsequently reached an audience of 73,000 people across ten different African nations. Walker emphasizes creating "dynamic partnerships" and working directly "on the ground" to build sustainable networks. He is deeply involved in the practical development of science and technology outreach programs internationally. A core part of his methodology involves training people through interactive science shows and hands-on workshops. Walker expresses a particular passion for the performative and engaging aspects of science communication. The conversation highlights the importance of moving beyond one-off events to establish lasting local expertise. Walker notes that effective capacity building requires adapting to specific cultural and regional contexts. He shares his extensive experience in evaluating the long-term impact of such training initiatives. A surprising insight is the sheer scale of indirect reach achieved through training a core group of facilitators. The discussion reveals that building local capacity can create a multiplicative effect, far exceeding the reach of a single visiting expert. Walker's work demonstrates that sustainable science communication relies on empowering local champions. The tone is conversational and collegial, with both host and guest sharing a clear enthusiasm for practical science outreach. The style is educational and experience-driven, focusing on real-world projects and outcomes. This episode is ideal for educators, NGO workers, or anyone involved in designing or funding international STEM outreach programs. Listeners seeking a purely theoretical discussion of science communication may find the focus on on-the-ground case studies too applied.

As heard by us

Science communication is framed as a craft shaped by audience, relevance, and feedback.

The Physics Ed podcast presents this conversation with Dr. Graham Walker as a broad look at science communication across science shows, hands-on work, paper, fringe festivals, comedy, drama, sculpture, and museum interpretive signage.

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Why you'd press play

If you work in science communication, this one is practical about matching the method to the audience.

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