Where does a scientist first learn the formal communication of research in talks and papers? Typically it's during doctoral training, where senior graduate students, postdocs and advisers pass on their knowledge and experiences. But this is too ad hoc. The remedy for the situation seems obvious: require, as part of a graduate degree, a formal course in science communication.

Even better would be to have this formal training in every undergraduate science degree, regardless of intent to pursue doctoral research. That way, scientists going into different walks of life can better communicate with non-scientists, such as work colleagues, the general public and the media. The ability to effectively communicate one's ideas and thoughts is becoming increasingly important as society and economics grow more intertwined with science and technology.

Such a proposal is hardly new, but is still all too apt. So who should be responsible for teaching at least the more formal aspects of scientific communication? In the United States, enterprising undergraduates have seized an opportunity. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has funded a journal run by undergraduates for undergraduates that has the public support of the NSF's Rita Colwell (see page 13). Submitting to and working for this journal have been positive experiences for those who know about this resource, but it does not satisfy the wider needs of all undergraduate scientists.

The Division of Undergraduate Education at the NSF has several programmes for enhancing undergraduate science literacy and communications skills. But there is no programme that specifically aims to improve science communication for science majors. Perhaps we should look to a model developed in the physics and astronomy department at University College London, where all degree students are trained in essay writing, conducting research and giving presentations during each year of their study.

There is surely a need to spread this type of programme more widely. Anything to spare us all from more conference talks with no take-home message aided by wordy slides in tiny typefaces presented by tongue-tied, mumbling scientists.