Azer Bestavros featured in Boston Globe: “Acting Classes Give Scientists Tools to Pitch Their Work”
Azer Bestavros, Professor of Computer Science and Founding Director of the Hariri Institute for Computing, was featured in a Boston Globe article on communicating science. In a program founded by Alan Alda, Boston University scientists took acting classes to learn how to pitch their work. “The exercises seem silly and trivial, but they make you vulnerable and open to other people,” said Alda. “You’re not spraying them with knowledge. You’re connecting with them. The more you’re aware of the other person’s response, the clearer you are going to be and the more impact you could have….”
Bestavros attended an improvisational training session and shared his experiences with politicians on Capitol Hill:
One computer scientist, Azer Bestavros, lamented that most people assume he fixes computers for a living. “Don’t ask me what version of Microsoft Windows to buy,” he said, drawing sympathetic chuckles from his colleagues.
As director of BU’s Hariri Institute for Computing, Bestavros must travel to Washington several times a year to advocate for grant funding and promote specific projects. “Meetings in DC are very different from teaching students in a class where you’re in charge,” he said. “The power dynamics shift.”