MBI Science Communications Unit

The effective communication of scientific discovery is a crucial aspect of any research. It can inspire new ideas and hypothesis, which in turn can lead to new discoveries and technologies. It can educate the next generation of scientists, foster collaboration and innovation through sharing of ideas across disciplines, and equip the public to make informed decisions.

The Science Communications Unit at MBI works towards enhancing awareness of progress made in the field of mechanobiology to the general public, science enthusiasts, young students and scientists working in alternative fields. This is achieved by promoting the latest findings in our own research, and in the field in general, through the media, the production of online educational resources, and outreach events.

MBI Research and People

Promoting our groundbreaking research and our expert scientists to the general public is one of the major focuses of the Science Communications unit.

Our ‘Featured Research’ articles summarize, in an easily comprehensible manner, high-impact findings from MBI researchers and their collaborators. These articles are made available through the MBI website, and published internally for MBI researchers and visitors.

Working with the NUS University Communications Office, these articles are also packaged as press releases, and provided to the local print and online media. To date, MBI’s research has been featured in the local media including the Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao, TODAY newspaper, Asian Scientist, and ChannelNewsAsia, as well as various international print and online media outlets.

MBI in Social Media

We are also responsible for maintaining MBI’s social media presence, and will regularly share news and research highlights, as well as information on major events, achievements and awards on both MBIX accounts and BlueSky.

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MBInfo: An online educational resource

MBInfo (https://www.mbi.nus.edu.sg/mbinfo/) was the main educational output of the Science Communications Unit. It provides review-style descriptions of the mechanics underlying various cellular processes. In addition to describing the basic concepts in Mechanobiology, it is supplemented with high-quality illustrations and animations that are produced in-house.

While we are no longer updating MBInfo, we have kept it archived as a educational resource.

As an online educational resource, MBInfo caters widely to the needs of undergraduate and postgraduate students interested in learning about the mechanical regulation of cellular processes. MBInfo can also be tailored for use in teaching modules, or to be used by academics in cell and molecular biology lectures.

Outreach

Our outreach efforts are primarily focused at inspiring young minds and encouraging more students to pursue studies in STEM subjects. We reach out to high school and undergraduate students from both within Singapore, as well as international institutions, by hosting outreach events at the MBI. Through a number of well-planned activities, we offer the students a glimpse into the life of a scientist, and introduce to them the importance of interdisciplinary research.

Groups that visit MBI get to listen to a talk from one of MBIs Principal Investigators, before heading into the MBI labs for a tour. During this time visitors are guided around a series of insightful demonstrations that showcase our state-of-the-art research facilities, and the experimental methods employed at the MBI.

While we cannot accommodate all outreach visit requests, please contact us if you have a groups interested in learning about mechanobiology.

Services to MBI researchers

In addition to the above roles, we also offer services to MBI researchers. These include

Assistance with research grant applications
Production of high-quality 2D and 3D graphics or publications and journal covers
Production of 3D molecular and cellular animations
Assistance with scientific presentations, posters and banners
In-house photography and photo processing