Publications 

Relevant publications by LIFT team members are listed here. Not all were supported by NSF funding. Please contact us to request a PDF of any of these publications, if you are not able to access them via the links below.

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LIFT team members’ names are bolded.

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• Merkle, B.G., E.D. Broder, and R.M. Tinghitella. 2026. Embracing the butterfly effect: Institutions must support the individuals actively enhancing capacity for broader impacts. Research Management Review 29(2): 1-25. https://www.ncura.edu/Portals/0/Docs/RMR/2026/RMR_V29_N2_Merkle_etal.pdf 

• Toomey, A., I.D. Marder, B.G. Merkle, L. Rutt, D. Milosavljevic, S. Bhanbhro, J. Bandola-Gill. Rethinking the Language of Research Impact. 2026. Research Evaluation 35(1): rvag027. https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvag027. This paper informed our thinking about our proposed concept of “ethical science communication.”

• Jensen, E.A., M.S. Reed, J. Daybell, L. Rutt, J.R. Pacheco-Mendoza, C. Hafferty, A. Klimczuk, B.G. Merkle, G. Arrigoni, M. Ballesteros, S. Khuri, D. Milosavljevic, I.D. Marder, U. Pool, S. Robinson, L.C. Stringer, A.H. Toomey, S. Taylor, S. Bhanbhro. 2025. Responsible research impacts: Ethics for making a difference. Open Research Europe. https://open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/articles/5-92/v1. This paper informed our thinking about our proposed concept of “ethical science communication.”

• Merkle, B.G., and S. Heard. 2025. Teaching and Mentoring Science Writers: An Evidence-Based Approach. University of Chicago Press. Refereed. Publisher direct link. PI Merkle published this book during the grant period. In it, she robustly discusses teaching scicomm, and the book’s publication and associated press have served to connect our team to numerous additional opportunities for dissemination and recruitment about LIFT resources and research efforts.

• Broder, E.D., B.G. Merkle, M. Balgopal, E. Weigel, S. Murphy, J.J. Caffrey, E. Hebets, A. Sher, J. Gumm, J. Lee, C. Schell, and R. Tinghitella. 2024. Use your power for good: An applied framework for overcoming institutional injustices impeding SciComm in the academy. BioScience  74(11): 747-769. https://doi.org/a10.1093/biosci/biae080. This is the foundational conceptual paper that inspired the LIFT research program. 

• Fisher, R., M. Kocher, J. Clapp, and B.G. Merkle. 2024. Meaningful results with limited resources: Evidence from a program to support graduate students’ scholarly writing. College Teaching early view: 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2024.2407121. The format of this training informed our curricular design and instructor support materials for LIFT Aim 2. 

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LIFT presentations

LIFT team members’ names are bolded.

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• V. Schutte. What to do when your audience is trying to escape: community-building with a cozy web social media strategy. NoCoast Scicomm Conference. University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE. September 2026.

• B.G. Merkle. Taking an instructor-centered approach to developing a scicomm training agenda equipped to meet today’s sociopolitical challenges. NoCoast Scicomm Conference. University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE. September 2026.

• Invited. B.G. Merkle. A unified agenda for enhancing scicomm training in ecology graduate programs, in the session Communicating STEM research: Evidence-based approaches for preparing graduate students for effective science communication. Council of Graduate Schools. Washington, D.C./remote. September 2026.

• B.G. Merkle, K. Hicks, R.M. Tinghitella, E.D. Broder, V. Schutte, R. Swenson, M. Balgopal, E. Valdez-Ward. An evidence-based, practitioner-informed approach: Let’s update scicomm training to equip ecologists to meet today’s sociopolitical challenges. Contributed Research Poster, Ecological Society of American annual meeting. Salt Lake City, UT. July 2026.

• R.M. Tinghitella, E.D. Broder, K. Hicks, B.G. Merkle, V. Schutte, R. Swenson, M. Balgopal, E. Valdez-Ward. Let’s update scicomm training to meet today’s sociopolitical challenges. Contributed Research Poster, Animal Behavior Society annual meeting. Cincinnati, OH. July 2026. 

• K. Hicks, B.G. Merkle, R. Swenson, M. Balgopal, V. Schutte, E.D. Broder, R.M. Tinghitella. Ethical scicomm in today’s world: training for animal behavior students and instructors. Contributed Research Talk, Animal Behavior Society annual meeting. Cincinnati, OH. July 2026. 

• Invited seminar. E.D. Broder. Rapid evolution, plasticity, and the origins of novelty in animal communication. Kellogg Biological Station Michigan State University. April 2026.Invited seminar.

• B.G. Merkle. Using your power for good: Getting support for training and doing scicomm. School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Athens, GA. March 2026.

• Broder, ED and Tinghitella, RM. 2025. “Science communication projects in animal behavior and evolution” as part of the workshop  Revitalizing Teaching and Learning, Animal Behavior Society, Baltimore MD.

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LIFT workshops & trainings

LIFT team members’ names are bolded.

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• B.G. Merkle and V. Schutte. Workshop: How to get credit for doing outreach and how to do it well. North American Society for Bat Research, Fort Collins, CO. October 2026.

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LIFT at conferences 

Team members attended numerous disciplinary conferences to share information about the project and connect with potential participants. 

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• No Coast Scicomm (Lincoln, NE, July 2026)

• Ecological Society of America (Salt Lake City, Utah, July 2026)

• Animal Behavior Society (Cincinnati, Ohio, July, 2026)

• International Society of Behavioral Ecologists (Turin, Italy, July 2026)

• ARIS/National Alliance for Broader Impacts (San Juan, Puerto Rico, April 2025)

• Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (Minneapolis, Minnesota, July 2025)

• Animal Behavior Society (Baltimore, Maryland, July 2025)

• Joint meeting of the American Society of Naturalists, the Society of Systematic Biologists, and the Society for the Study of Evolution (Athens, Georgia, June 2025). 

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (Boston, MA, February 2025).

• International Writing Across the Curriculum (Fort Collins, CO, July 2025).

• National Association of Researchers in Science Teaching, (Washington, D.C., March 2025)

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LIFT impacts

Beyond publications, resources, dissemination, and trainings, LIFT’s work is having a notable impact. Our research team has been recognized in the following ways:

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• In 2025, the LIFT team received the Communication and Engagement in Practice Award from the Communication and Engagement Section of the Ecological Society of America. (award details here)

• In 2025, for her work with LIFT and additional scholarship, LIFT PI B.G. Merkle received the inaugural Excellence in Publications and Creative Works Award from the Research and Economic Development Division of the University of Wyoming.

• In 2025, B.G. Merkle and other co-authors won the Best Paper Award (award details here) from the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and the Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science for Reed and Merkle et al. 2024, “Reimagining the language of engagement in a post-stakeholder world” in Sustainability Science, and was also the highest cited paper in the journal in 2025. This paper, although not directly funded by the LIFT grant, helped shape our ethical scicomm concept and principles and enhanced visibility of our work.

• In 2024, after Scicomm LIFT had been recommended for funding, LIFT PI B.G. Merkle was elected an Early Career Fellow of the Ecological Society of America for work that directly informed and led to Scicomm LIFT. The award citation reads, in part, “Bethann Garramon Merkle was elected a Fellow for her pioneering work in science communication and her research focused on institutional-level social change.” (award details here)

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Additional activities & products

In addition to LIFT-specific products, the LIFT team also gave numerous additional talks, sat on panels, and produced other work that was informed by and/or complemented Scicomm LIFT efforts. 

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• Invited panelist. B.G. Merkle. Histories of Emotion in Teaching in Your Discipline panel. Department of American Cultural Studies, University of Wyoming. Laramie, WY. September 2026.

• Invited. B.G. Merkle. Careers in Science Communication Panel. Office of Membership, Ecological Society of America. ESA annual meeting. Salt Lake CIty, UT. July 2026.

• Invited keynote. B.G. Merkle. Cultivating community: Tools for helping people care about plants. University of Minnesota Extension, Statewide Master Gardener Conference. Chaska, MN. June 2026

• Invited. B.G. Merkle. Workshop: Strengthening the role of Master Gardeners as effective science communicators. University of Minnesota Extension, Statewide Master Gardener Conference. Chaska, MN. June 2026.

• Invited. B.G. Merkle. Workshop: Reckoning with career sustainability in higher ed: Setting integrated personal and professional goals. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver. April 2026.

• Invited facilitator. B.G. Merkle and A. Hagy. Creative approaches to grant writing, week-long residency workshop. University of Wyoming-Neltje Center for Excellence in Creativity and the Arts, Banner, WY. May 2026.

• Invited. B.G. Merkle. Panelist, Exploring Careers in Ecology. Ecological Society of America. April 2026. (recording)

• Invited. B.G. Merkle. Scicomm careers panel. BIOL 3005: Science Communication. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver. February 2026.

• B.G. Merkle. Enhance student writing by enhancing your feedback. Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning, School of Graduate Education, and Communication Across the Curriculum Program, University of Wyoming. January 2026.

• Invited facilitator. B.G. Merkle and A. Hagy. Creative approaches to grant writing, week-long residency workshop. University of Wyoming-Neltje Center for Excellence in Creativity and the Arts, Banner, WY. October 2025.

• Merkle, B.G., and S.B. Heard. Mentoring scientific writing efficiently and effectively. Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution. Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. July 2025.

• Invited facilitator. B.G. Merkle and A. Hagy. Creative approaches to grant writing, week-long residency workshop. University of Wyoming-Neltje Center for Excellence in Creativity and the Arts, Banner, WY. May 2025.

• Invited. B.G.Merkle. Thinking like a writer. EEB Graduate Program, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas-Austin. February 2025.

• Invited. B.G.Merkle. Enhance student writing by enhancing your (faculty) feedback. Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas-Austin. February 2025.

• Invited. B.G.Merkle. Enhancing your mindset and narrative skills to enhance your writing. Stengl-Wyer Fellowship Program, University of Texas-Austin. February 2025.

• Invited panelist. B.G. Merkle. Access and Engagement in Ecology. Program in Ecology and Evolution Symposium, University of Wyoming. Laramie, Wyoming. February 2025.

• Invited. B.G. Merkle. Public Engagement with Science Training Landscape panel. Research!America. November 2024. (recording link)

• Invited. B.G. Merkle. Publishing in a writing career. For Creative Writing 5560: Publications & Collaborations, Creative Writing MFA Program, University of Wyoming. Laramie, Wyoming. November 2024.

• Merkle, B.G. Power for good: Leveraging scicomm insights to enhance institutional capacity. Department of Zoology & Physiology, University of Wyoming. Laramie, Wyoming. October 2024.

• Invited. B.G. Merkle. Assessing your scicomm for impact workshop. For Biodiversity Institute, University of Wyoming. Laramie, Wyoming. September 2024.