Do you have something on your mind that you’d like to tell the world? Cynthia Leifer, associate professor of microbiology and immunology, was frustrated about parents who opt their children out of vaccinations, so she placed an op-ed article on CNN online. That led to live interviews with the Huffington Post Live and the BBC, all pegged to news about a measles outbreak at Disneyland.

Leifer had help. Through the university’s Public Voices Program, she attended a series of workshops to learn how to move from academic writing to the mass media and how to pitch to editors, while a professional journalist mentored her work. Leifer was one of 20 faculty members in last year’s inaugural program.

The Office of Faculty Development and Diversity is accepting applications and nominations for the second year of Public Voices Fellowships. Fellows will participate in four daylong workshops over next semester and into the fall. The curriculum combines game-based learning with research on influence, including how ideas spread, when and why minds change, how credibility is built and how impact is created. In addition, fellows can join monthly conference calls with media insiders (TED, CNN, Wikipedia, etc.), receive weekly customized news alerts and are assigned to work with journalist-mentors for one-on-one coaching throughout the year. Upon completion of the fellowship, they have access to the national OpEd Project’s network of journalist “mentor-editors” for continuing support.

In part, the program is designed to increase Cornell’s impact in the media, but also to increase the diversity of public discourse. The Op-Ed Project has enlisted universities, think tanks, foundations, nonprofits, corporations and community organizations to recruit women and members of underrepresented minorities and provide them with resources to present their ideas in national media. According to the Op-Ed Project, “The voices we hear from in the world come from a tiny fraction of society – mostly Western, white, privileged and overwhelmingly male.”

Deans are invited to nominate tenured faculty members for the fellowships. Individuals may self-nominate but are required to get a letter of support from their chair or dean. Nominations should be submitted by Nov. 16. Up to 20 fellows will be accepted.