Years ago I proposed that each doctoral student prepare, alongside his thesis, a "poster-session" summary aimed at a high-school audience. In many STEM cases, this requires quite a lot of supporting material (e.g. what a vector is, what chelation is, etc). This has three good effects: The student learns how to explain his work to the layman, interested laymen can learn where their tax dollars are going, and the university gets some exposure.
The notion faced polite lack of interest.
But the UW is trying an experiment. They are offering a cash grant for students to add a chapter to their thesis explaining either the significance of their work or how they came to work on it--trying to convey the excitement that inspired them.
That seems like a step in the right direction. Academic researchers are commissioned to "find out what's over the next hill" and report back--and we're not always good at the "reporting back" part.
Of course some "disciplines" would be a little embarassing to translate (see chapter 20)
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CS Lewis proposed something similar for candidates for ordination, that they be required to fully explain a basic doctrine of the church in language understandable by a layperson. As one might gather from observing the Church of England the last seven decades, this has not been adopted.
And now it's too late, as the candidates for ordination do not believe the basic doctrines anymore anyway.
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