Author Archives: Jesse Shore

About Jesse Shore

Jesse Shore is passionate about engaging the community with science and in looking for ways to weave together the arts and sciences. He has been developing science based exhibitions and events since 1984, and was President of the Australian Science Communicators from 2010-2012. His business, Prismatic Sciences, produced five travelling exhibitions for the Royal Australian Chemical Institute for the 2011 International Year of Chemistry and he manages the ongoing national tour. He previously worked at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney as an exhibition project leader and Senior Curator of sciences. While at the museum he was one of the founders of the Ultimo Science Festival, a major National Science Week activity. He is currently collaborating with an artist to create artworks which have a science slant.

Young Tall Poppy Science Award Campaign and the ASC

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I am pleased to announce that the ASC has signed a Letter of Agreement (LoA) with the Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS).

AIPS runs the nationwide Young Tall Poppy Science Awards. Selection criteria for these awards include outstanding research / academic achievement as well as excellence in communication and community engagement to promote an understanding of science. For more information about these awards visit http://www.aips.net.au/tall-poppies/tall-poppy-campaign/.

The winners of these awards participate in education and community outreach programs. The ASC has been looking for ways to involve the award winners in our branch events and national conference. The LoA will help this to happen as it states that a Tall Poppy’s participation in an ASC event will count towards their obligation to particulate in at least two outreach activities in the year following their award.

I will encourage ASC branches to develop events involving the Tall Poppy winners. Such events could explore the stratagems used by these early career scientists to communicate their work and what tools they seek to improve their skills.

The main points of the LoA follow:

“ASC and AIPS recognise:

  • the need to build connections between scientists and science communicators;
  • the need for professional development for both scientists and science communicators in science communication;
  • the importance of partnerships to further science communication objectives; and
  • the need to reward and celebrate science communication excellence.

ASC and AIPS agree that:

  • A Tall Poppy forum or other joint event will be held annually where possible in each State and Territory of Australia as a professional development initiative for ASC members and for the young scientists involved;
  • The Tall Poppy Campaign will liaise with relevant State & Territory chapters of ASC to make this happen; and
  • A Tall Poppy’s participation in such an event will count towards their obligation to participate in at least two outreach activities in the year following their Award

In addition, efforts to cross promote our mutual objectives will be made in any such initiatives, and our achievements will be reviewed after one year of operation of this agreement.”

Jesse Shore

National President

What’s happening with Inspiring Australia?

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I recently had a useful discussion with key people of the Inspiring Australia (IA) team in Canberra. IA is moving in several directions in line with the IA Report and it seems clear that the ASC has many shared interests in this initiative.

One of the main points of discussion was about the upcoming ASC National Conference in February 2012 and potential ways for IA to be involved. We enthusiastically explored several topics covering common ground. I hope we can make some of the suggestions happen as this collaboration would have substantial mutual benefit.

As foreshadowed in the IA Report, the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR) plans to organise discussions and a review of the science prizes it supports. I will collate and forward to the IA team the comments many of you contributed to our ASC-list discussion about science prizes.

To find out which expert working groups IA has underway, check out the Inspiring Australia newsletter. The July issue came out last week. If you want to subscribe send an email to inspiring.australia@innovation.gov.au.

For further information about the newsletter and IA call (02) 6270 2868 or view www.innovation.gov.au/InspiringAustralia.

Jesse Shore

National President

Phil Dooley – JETstar

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Phil Dooley, co-vice president of the ASC, former chair of the NSW branch committee and all-around great person, is leaving us and Australia. He is heading for a life in Oxford where he will be in a science communication position at the Joint European Torus (JET) – Europe’s largest Fusion Device.

Phil injected much energy into the NSW branch over several years and has been a science communication force for good as a member of the National Council and Executive. I’m confident that all ASC members who know Phil will join me in wishing him all the best for his new job in the old world. And we trust that his leap from the Physics department at Sydney University to JET is more than a break-even step (a weak fusion joke).

Phil will be leaving in the latter part of August, giving you time to inundate him with neutrons and other niceties for his journey.

Jesse Shore

National President

Science communication short course providers

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Some time ago I asked people to send me information about the science communication short courses they provided. Since then a number of members have asked me to list the information I received. The list below is only of short courses provided by ASC members or groups with many ASC members. I’ve removed dates of courses as the information was no longer current. You can find a list of tertiary course providers on the website, http://www.asc.asn.au/about/tertiary-programs/, but some of the information is not up to date.

I’m always interested to learn of more science communication professional development opportunities, especially offered by ASC members. The following list is not complete and I am willing to make updates.

By listing these courses does not imply an endorsement by the ASC or me as we have not assessed the programs. It is for information only.

Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS)

The Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS) conducts short courses in science communication:

(a)    3-day workshops for scientists at ANU;

(b)    1-2-day workshop for science teachers in Australia and overseas.

Presently, we are looking to formalise another of CPAS’ outreach by converting it into a short-course award.

Would you be interested in particulars about these courses, please let me know.

Dr Sean Perera

Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science

The Australian National University

Canberra, Australia

T: +612 61251073

E: Sean.Perera@anu.edu.au

 

Econnect courses

Econnect has run hundreds of workshops on media, presentation and communication skills for scientists.

Now we are offering a NEW workshop, Planning Science Communication.

Good research deserves a good communication plan, and good communication takes careful planning.

This practical and lively one-day workshop will take participants through a seven-step process of planning a communication campaign.

What do you want to say about the research and why do you want to say it? What is the best method of providing information to the audiences you want to reach?

Designed for science communicators (and scientists!), the workshop program includes case studies, discussion, presentations and planning exercises. By the end of the day, each participant will have an outline communication plan for their project.

“Very practical & useful – we’ll be able to use the material presented in our everyday project work. Very engaging and good level of active participation.” Kelly Bryant, Qld Dept of Environment and Resources Management

Cost per participant is $680+GST (total $748)

ASC Members receive a 10% discount. Group bookings of three or more from the same organisation receive a 10% discount.

To register or get more information, contact Jenni Metcalfe – jenni@econnect.com.au; 0408 551 866, 07 3846 7111

For details on all our science communication skills workshops: www.econnect.com.au/workshops (information on the new Planning Science Communication workshop will be posted next week or email Jenni if you want it now)

 

Writing Clear Science Workshops

www.writingclearscience.com.au

Contact details (email, phone, postal address),

Dr Marina Hurley
Lecturer & Consultant
Writing Clear Science
P.O. Box 2373
Richmond South
Victoria 3121
Australia
0416-097-979
Fax +61 3 94213472

info@writingclearscience.com.au

Name of course

Standard 2 Day workshop

–        Day 1: The Nuts & Bolts of Writing

–        Day 2: Writing Reports and Papers

Additional Modules

–        Writing a Science Report (Undergraduate Level)

–        Editing to Improve Your Writing Skills

–        Writing an Oral Presentation

–        Writing a Grant Proposal

–        Writing a Literature Review

–        Writing a Fact Sheet

–        Writing for Different Audiences

The length of the course,

Standard 2 Day workshop – 2 Days.

Additional Modules – ½ day to 1 day per module.

The skills addressed in the program

–        Understanding the link between critical thinking and effective writing

–        Improve your ability to write accurately, clearly and concisely

–        Improve your editing, proofreading and punctuation skills

–        Improve your sentence and paragraph construction skills

–        Improve your writing efficiency

–        Improve your ability to communicate to your target audience

–        Improve your ability to design documents for diverse audiences

cost to attend course

Open Workshops – Check the website for current pricing.

In-House Workshops – Negotiable based upon location, number of modules offered and number of participants.

Location where the course(s) is offered

Open Workshops – Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra 2-3 times per year.

In-House Workshops – Venue nominated by client.

Name of each presenter with relevant qualifications and experience,

Dr Marina Hurley

Qualifications: Bachelor of Science (BSc), Masters of Science (MSc) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Experience: Research Scientist (Ecology) 1988-2003; Lecturer and Consultant (Science Writing and Communication) 2001-present. Est. Writing Clear Science training consultancy in 2005.

Maximum number of participants per session

Maximum twelve participants

 

SCIENCE COMMUNICATION WORKSHOPS (WA)

 

UWA’s Science Communication Program and Teresa Belcher of Science Communications are offering a new range of workshops for scientists to learn and practice skills that will enable you to effectively communicate your research.

 

Communicating your research: the basics

Understand the relationships between science, the media and the public. Learn to pin-point and target the key messages of your research, and be comfortable explaining your work to different audiences, avoiding jargon, acronyms and technical terms. Practice communicating your message to different stakeholders including other scientists, policy makers, the media and the public.
$330 per person (GST inclusive)

 

Presentation skills for postgraduate students

This workshop of three half days will focus on the key elements of successful presentations and will be conducted via mini-lectures, discussion and activities.  Be prepared to contribute your thoughts and participate in practical exercises. You will gain skills in identifying what key messages you want to convey, understanding how to design your presentations to target your audience and developing and delivering engaging talks. You are provided tuition, are videoed and receive individual feedback.
$495 per person (GST inclusive)

 

Using social media for public engagement and communication of your science

Confused about how social media can really help you to communicate your research? This workshop will provide an introduction to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, demonstrating how they can benefit you in your work environment. Learn about tweeting, hashtags and ‘following’ people. Appreciate the use of groups, fan pages and social networking in expanding your network and spreading news of your research.
$330 per person (GST inclusive)

 

Writing winning press releases

What makes a good news story and how do you attract the attention of a journalist? Learn how to structure and write a winning press release that has all the key information required to tell your story. Understand the time frames the media works to and how to distribute your release effectively.
$330 per person (GST inclusive)*

 

Media Skills – Getting your message across in interviews

You will learn how to prepare yourself for radio and TV interviews, be interviewed on your topic by an experienced broadcast journalist, receive extensive feedback from a broadcast journalist and use the feedback in a second workshop interview. Lunch is also included.
$495 per person (GST inclusive)*

**There is a discount price ($660, GST inclusive) for enrolling in both Writing winning press releases and Media Skills – Getting your message across in interviews workshops.

 

Turning your research into success stories

As a researcher you’re often required to write about your work whether it be in a proposal to secure more funding, a contribution to an annual report or describing your work to the public. Step away from the traditional scientific way of writing about your research. Learn how to write a success story about your research following a formula that will ensure success.
$330 per person (GST inclusive)

 

Registration for the workshops can be down by completing the enrolment form found online at: http://communicatingscience.org/

 

All workshops will be held in the Centre for Learning Technology in the ground floor of the Physics building at UWA Crawley campus.

Visitors can park free on the dates of these workshops in the yellow student parking zones.

Morning tea is provided.

If you have queries regarding these workshops, contact Nancy Longnecker | 08 6488 3926 | nancy.longnecker@uwa.edu.au | http://communicatingscience.org/
Teresa Belcher | 0488 594 324 | teresa@sciencecommunications.co.uk | www.sciencecommunications.eu/

Teresa Belcher – Managing Director

Science Communications Ltd

Email: teresa@sciencecommunications.co.uk

Website: www.sciencecommunications.eu

Communicating your research…

Europe:

Silbury Court, 420 Silbury Boulevard, Milton Keynes MK9 2AF, UK

Tel (UK): +44 (0)845 805 0309

Australia:

PO Box 200, Bull Creek WA 6149 Australia

Tel (Australia): +61 (0)8 6364 0903

Mobile: +61 (0)488 594324

 

Media training courses

Our media training course is designed for scientists and anyone who needs to communicate complex and technical ideas via the media.

It will help you improve your chances of being accurately reported, and you will learn what to expect when the media covers a story.

Three working journalists will come in over the course of the day and you will conduct practice interviews for TV, radio and newspaper. The workshop structure is licensed from our friends at Econnect Communication.

Please feel free to forward this onto any colleagues who you believe may be interested.

The courses run from 9.30am to 5pm, and cost $740 + GST per person which includes coffee, morning and afternoon tea and lunch.

More details below and at www.scienceinpublic.com/training.

Courses provided in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra

Media and communication training for scientists

We run a one-day training course to help you present your work via the media to the public and your stakeholders. We focus on helping you present science—even complex and technical material—in a way that attracts attention and helps journalists cover your story accurately. The workshop structure is licensed from our friends at Econnect Communication.

Over the course of the day you will learn the communication skills needed to refine and present your story to maximise your chances of getting your message across.

We bring in three working journalists to talk about how news is put together in TV, radio and newspapers, and what they need to help them cover a story.

Getting your message out in a timely, interesting and appropriate fashion is half the battle in getting good media coverage—and we cover all of those aspects.

Our course differs from the adversarial approach taken by many other media training courses. Journalists who have helped out in the past include Gerard Scholten from Channel Ten, Bridie Smith from The Age, and Donna Demaio from 3AW news.

We will work with you to extract the essence of your story, and to shape your story to suit the intended media and your other audiences.

You will experience a typical interaction with the journalists—a TV interview, a radio interview and pitching your story to a print journalist. Many people find this the hardest, but most rewarding part of the day. You will get your TV and radio interviews to download and keep after the course.

Previous participants tell us that after the course they feel more prepared for media interviews, and less afraid of the whole process. They also see the benefit of the training for presenting to and writing for stakeholders, customers and the public.

We take no more than 12 people in each course, so all participants experience one-to-one interactions with each journalist.

You will learn:

how to get your message out as accurately as possible

how to write and organise a good media release

what makes a good story on TV or radio or in print

what to expect when the media covers a story

how to control the media agenda

what to do when a journalist knocks on your door or phones you

good interview techniques

how to handle the difficult questions.

To book yourself, or members of your organisation, into one of these courses, please email niall@scienceinpublic.com.au.

For more information please call me on (03) 9398 1416 or email me at niall@scienceinpublic.com.au. There is also a flyer about the course online at www.scienceinpublic.com/training.

 

Jesse Shore

National president

 

Many thanks to our departing Scope editor, Laura Miles

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Our tireless editor of Scope, Laura Miles, is leaving the position after three years of service. She is making room in her busy diary for a range of other opportunities which have opened for her.

The National Council thanks Laura for her valuable contributions to the ASC. I add my appreciation for her work with Tim Thwaites, James Hutson, Kali Madden and me to improve our communications and refine our membership strategies. Laura has been a thoughtful voice in many discussions about complex matters.

We will be advertising for the position of Scope editor and I hope we have willing and capable hands being raised to take on this important task.

Laura is of course unique and therefore irreplaceable. Happily the ASC has members with different unique qualities and one of you will have the opportunity to stamp their mould on the position.

I wish Laura all the best in her other endeavours and I expect we will continue to seek her council on a range of issues.

Jesse Shore
National President

A science communicator’s holiday?

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When planning to travel interstate or territory I encourage members to contact the local branch committees. You might find they are running an event or workshop that meets your interests or that they can provide you an opportunity to present something yourself to share your expertise. You’ll also have some valuable and enjoyable networking and socialising.

 

There are potential taxation benefits and real professional gains in mixing a bit of science communication with a holiday. This is even more so for a business trip. So make use of the branches for fun and profit.

 

This is also a way to make contacts in our non-branch regions. The NT and Tasmania are slowly growing in member numbers but do not yet have local branch committees. The same goes for central and northern Queensland (members in several states suffer the tyranny of distance but especially Queensland folks).

 

If you are heading in those directions, contact Kali Madden <office at asc.asn.au>. Kali can look into putting you in contact with members interested in exchanging science communication perspectives (perhaps over a drink or dinner).

 

Several of the branches have contact details of their committee members on the ASC website. It’s worth an email or two to seek the benefits of networking.

 

Jesse Shore

National President

Congratulations to ASC Victoria – now 101 members strong

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Numerical milestones have both symbolic and real meanings. It great to see that our Victorian branch has recently exceeded the hundred mark in number of members. NSW is not far behind and ACT is also closing in on the century. ASC membership is growing across the nation and we are nearly at 500 members. These are significant symbols along our path.

The aim is to associate these rising numbers with an increase in meaningful activities and services within the volunteer framework of the organisation. So it’s good to note that the VIC branch has an event-full second half of 2011 and other branches also have busy programs.

We have a load to share (as in ‘lots’ and ‘effort’) to run events, offer networking and professional development opportunities, and meet the needs of the members. This means translating increasing member numbers on the books into more hands on deck.

Full steam ahead.

Jesse Shore
National President

Ideas for ASC branch events

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ASC branch committees always need good ideas for events. Last December I posted a list of 30 events the branches ran last year and I think it’s worth mentioning some topics which are worth borrowing.

For the latest ideas check the events listing for each branch on the ASC website.

New ideas are very welcome. Email them to me if you don’t have the contact details of your local committee. Or post them on the asc-list.

  • The science of art: a sculptor and science writer explore the links between science and art
  • Discovery After Dark: music and cocktails at CSIRO Discovery Centre (i.e. make use of your local science communication sites – botanic gardens, zoos, museums, university sci-com study centres, etc)
  • How to improvise: active impro(visation) workshop
  • Translating science into action: explores disciplines that help convert science content into community actions
  • Pies at the pub for Pi Day: pies at the pub and maths games and entertainment for Pi Day 22 July
  • Trends in science documentaries: (i.e. what other trends should we explore?)
  • Successful Freelancing for Science Communicators: (I highly recommend this topic)
  • Communicating Climate Change And Other Risky Business: How should we use science to communicate about climate change and other risky environmental issues?
  • Speed networking – like speed dating with science – a social networking opportunity
  • Science of beer and meet other science communication folk: (at a brewery, where else)
  • Science blogging – who and why?: basic intro to science blogging
  • The Dilemmas of Science Reporting: Complexity, risk, and the dissident voice: veracity without complexity, communicating risk and dealing with dissidents – including ourselves
  • Updates on “Inspiring Australia” activities: (i.e. invite your local IA project officer)
  • Evaluating Effectiveness: best practice in evaluating science communication activities
  • Media training workshop: preparing a science research story for the media, case study of website story, examples of over-hyped science stories
  • Video editing workshop: film a simple science demonstration, edit the footage and produce a fun bit of science video.
  • Annual General Meeting and Quiz Night: (e.g. fun following procedures)
  • What do the public really think? public surveys, polls and focus groups
  • Science Centric 2010: massive networking event for those who explain, teach, present, write, blog, twitter, film, illustrate, animate or otherwise communicate science or technology, news, ideas, concepts or research?
  • The Naked (or dressed) Scientist: invite good science communicators who are also science prize winners to reveal their communication insights, methods, inspirations, etc
  • Masterclass on the social media world: (a new and evolving world of communication)
  • End of Year Celebration and lunch with Chief Scientist (as guest speaker)

Jesse Shore
National President

ASC national conference 2012 – PCO appointed; time for brainstorming

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We’ve appointed Waldron Smith Management as the professional conference organiser for ASC 2012. They worked well with us previously when they were the PCO for the very successful 2007 World Congress of Science Journalists, held in Melbourne and hosted by ASC.

Our next steps will be to work with the PCO to develop the conference budget and get the basic infrastructure moving. Then Rod Lamberts, the chair of our national conference organising committee, can unleash the keen ASC committee to start working on the program and numerous other details.

Brainstorming is welcome across the nation. Last year the NSW branch held a brainstorming session which produced a lot of ideas that Tim and Kali incorporated into the conference. I encourage all the branches to organise similar events as soon as feasible to dream up what they would like to see as part of the conference. Send the results to Rod (he will attend these events if possible) and he will collate them for his team.

The conference will be in Sydney from 27-29 February, with perhaps a welcoming event on Sunday 26 Feb.

Jesse Shore
National President

WCSJ2011 June 27-29, Doha, Qatar – the countdown begins

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27 June 2011to29 June 2011

 

With less than three weeks to go until the World Conference of Science Journalists 2011 in Doha, Qatar, conference rooms are being readied, lunch menus fixed, hotel rooms prepared, airport shuttles booked and most importantly speakers are putting the finishing touches to their presentations.   If you have yet to book your place for what will be an inspiring, provocative look at the past, present and future of science journalism there are still delegate places available.   To register for the Conference visit: http://www.wcsj2011.org/user/register .  Rates start at just $400/273 EUR for the full conference (lower rates are available for students).   Hotel accommodation has been arranged at a special rate of 200 Qrs per night equivalent to $55/38 EUR.  You can also enjoy the Conference’s special airline discount with Qatar Airlines (up to 25% off listed prices) visit http://www.wcsj2011.org/visasforqatar for details.

It is not often that science journalists take time out to reflect on their profession, and only every two years that we do this on an international scale – so act now to make sure you don’t miss out.

The WCSJ2011 – bringing cultures together
The World Conference of Science Journalists is a bi-annual event of the World Federation of Science Journalists.   The co-hosts for 2011 are the Arab Science Journalists Association (ASJA) and the National Association of Science Writers (NASW).

The Main Menu – The Programme

A word from the Programme Director, Deborah Blum
As this is the first world conference to be held in an Arab country and in a developing region of the world, we wanted this program to represent those perspectives  and  to be inclusive of journalists – and journalistic storytelling – from a range of countries and cultures not often represented in international conferences.

Here you will find science writers from Egypt, Pakistan, Qatar, and Lebanon sharing their stories with journalists from Chile, Argentina and Brazil, adding their knowledge to that of reporters from Russia, China, India and Japan, joining their work with communicators from France, England, Italy, the Netherlands, Greece, and building on the perspective of science writers from the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Our program begins and ends with perspectives on journalism in the Arab world, concluding with a look at journalism and democracy. We are proud that the conference is representative of the original location of the conference in Cairo, Egypt, and acknowledges the generosity and commitment of Qatar Foundation to keeping this meeting in an Arab country.  Within this program, you will also find a wide range of issues on both a regional scale (the challenges of storytelling in Africa, in Latin America, in Asia, for instance) and on a global scale (explorations of climate change, emerging diseases, agriculture, natural disasters, and the physical sciences).  There are sessions for those seeking to improve their skills in everything from narrative storytelling to the latest in digital skills. You will also find explorations of media ethics and science ethics, lessons on how to create a great radio program or a brilliant documentary film and on how to use social media and what that use may mean for the future of journalism. To help navigate these, you’ll find a program clearly organized by “tracks” ranging from biomedical to best practices.

For the full programme visit http://www.wcsj2011.org/program.  The Conference venue is the brand new Student Centre of the Qatar Foundation’s Education City.   Education City covers 14 square kilometres and houses educational facilities from school age to research level and branch campuses of some of the world’s leading universities, making this a superb setting for the WCSJ2011.  For more on the venue see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_City