The Scicommer: 8 Dec

The global newsletter for science communication

Welcome to your weekly roundup of science communication news and events.

The end of 2020 is approaching but the Scicomm Diary still looks very busy. There are quite a few conferences now scheduled for 2021 so I have added these into the schedule.

I wonder if by the end of 2021 people will be able to gather in person? I hope so.

Are you someone in works in scicomm practice and have a show, offering or training you want to promote? Please let me know by Tuesday 15 Dec - I am going to compile a list for the end of the year.

Do you know others that might get some useful information from the newsletter?

Enjoy reading the newsletter? It costs me a little for the domain and thank you for those that have already contributed. It is really appreciated!

News this week

‘Communicating Science & Research Information to lay public'. The Malawi experience’ a great blog post by Rodrick Emmanuel Sabakunsi on the Public Understanding of Science Blog.

‘SciCommSci Club: Facilitating Dialogue Between Research and Practice in India’ was featured on the Public Communication of Science and Technology website. A fantastic post with links to lots of resources and information.

‘The Swiss Cheese Model of Pandemic Defense’, in the NY Times, a model first proposed for communicating industrial safety has now been modified for pandemics by virologist Ian M. Mackay at the University of Queensland, in Brisbane, Australia.

Tomás Ryan, an associate professor in the school of biochemistry and immunology at Trinity College Dublin and a member of the Independent Scientific Advocacy Group calls for scientists to improve their communication skills in an op-ed piece for the Irish Times, ‘Silent majority supports goal of zero Covid, Government strategy disconnected from the public which backs stricter measures’.

At the 5th Academic Forum on China-Pakistan Scientific, Technological and Economic Cooperation the “CPEC Science Communication Network” was launched by Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing Science and Technology Association (BAST), Beijing Academy of Science and Technology (BJAST), Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), and Pakistan Scientific & Technological Information Center (PASTIC). Featured in the Technology Times, Pakistan. More on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

How can work experience in lab spaces take place under restrictions? This blog from The Biochemist covers the transformation of the in2scienceUK placement programme designed to promote social mobility and diversity in STEM. Read how they transformed their science engagement (UK).

A book review of ‘Effective Science Communication’ in Optics and Photonics News.

Madhya Pradesh: Reviving puppetry for science, technology communication is subject of 5-day workshop in Bhopal. In the Free Press Journal (India)

Palatinate (The University of Durham Student Newspaper, UK) features an interview with Dr. Robert Sternberg and states, ‘There is a great need for writers with a scientific background’.

‘The press club as indicator of science medialization: How Japanese research organizations adapt to domestic media conventions’ was published in Public Understanding of Science (paywall). This paper presents a non-Western perspective to science medialization (the medialization approach assumes that there is a mutual resonance between science and the mass media).

Watch

You can see all the highlights from the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement conference that took place last week via their Youtube channel, including daily roundups, a playlist of videos of online engagement projects and examples of practice.

What does it take to be a successful science communicator? A discussion by the School of Media and Public Affairs The George Washington University.

Call for Submissions

‘Science & You’ International Conference call for papers in either French or English is now open. The conference is organised by Université de Lorraine and will take place 16 - 19 Nov. 2021, in Metz, France. ‘Science & You’ brings together research and practice of science communication and public engagement. The theme of the 2021 Conference is "Science Communication: Take a Step Back to Move Forward".

Science Communication Papers of Interest (with the PCST Archive)

“As ideas of interactivity were becoming more popular in science communication Mark Bos and Cees Koolstra examined the concept in detail in a paper presented to the 2006 PCST conference in Seoul, Korea. They proposed a framework for its application and analysis that drew on various disciplinary perspectives, and they argued that advocating for interactivity based only on its effectiveness actually represents a reversion to one-way communication.”
Brian Trench, Public Communication of Science and Technology Network President.

The Scicomm Diary

Lifeology has launched a new December science communication challenge - “Describe your science career” (this looks great)

The Bristol Science Film Competition 2021 is open (deadline May 1 2021).

FESTIVAL OCT - MARCH 2021: ScifestAfrica is taking place online for 6 months with a number of different events and discussions taking place.

CONFERENCE 6 -12 Dec: European Citizen Engagement and Deliberative Democracy Festival (virtual) and I think it is free.

EVENT 9 Dec: London Public Understanding of Science Seminar Dr. Maria Kiladi, Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) University College London ‘'Propagandistic Efforts' and 'Eugenics of the Study': The popular and academic version of Eugenics in Britain between 1900 and 1933’. Virtual, free (UK)

EVENT 9 Dec: The Challenge of Learning: The Future of Education (from Nobel Week Dialogue)

CO-WORKING 10 Dec: The next Science Communication Co-working session all welcome. Virtual.

VIRTUAL CHRISTMAS QUIZ 10 Dec: Charity Christmas Quiz (and a bit of networking) all welcome. From Science London. Virtual.

EVENT 16 Dec: SciCulture Dialogue Event to discuss new ways of working. All welcome and free (run by the University of Malta). Register by 11 Dec.

WEBINAR 16 Dec: Responsible Artificial Intelligence. Hosted by RRI in Horizon Europe. Open to all and free. Register via the link.

CONFERENCE 19 Jan: UK Science Festivals Network Conference. Tickets now available. Virtual (UK but open to all)

CONFERENCE 24 - 28 May: Public Communication of Science and Technology Conference. Rescheduled from 2020. Virtual (global)

CONFERENCE/EVENT May: The Citizen Science Association is hosting CitSciVirtual, a new online event for educators, community leaders, scientists, students, technologists, data scientists and more. The call for submissions is open now. (USA but global)

CONFERENCE 16-19 November: Science & You (France)

Opportunities

• EUSEA (European Science Engagement Association) is looking for a Project Dissemination Officer 4,000 - 6,000 EUR/month, based remotely.

• University of Cantabria Communication for EUNICE project 30.000€ per year Santander, Spain

• European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) Head of Media and Public Relations Office 4 824 EUR/month Poland

• Asthma UK Interim Head of Health Advice £33k pa pro-rata for 21 hours a week £55k pa FTE (UK)

• Invitation to tender for the creation of Patient and Public Involvement training with Crohn’s & Colitis UK (£10,000)

• APC Microbiome Ireland is looking for a Communication and Public Relations Manager to showcase how APC research is making a difference to society both nationally and internationally. €50,000 pro rata (Ireland)

• Inverse is looking for a Card Story Editor, New York, USA/Remote

• NATURE is looking for a Locum Bureau Chief, Asia Pacific, Nature (Sydney preferred; Melbourne, Washington DC, and London considered)

• Fusion and Fission Energy and Science is looking for a Communications Specialist and Writer, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN, USA

• High Country News is hiring a Climate Justice Fellow. Fellows are paid a stipend on a bi-weekly basis of $1,187.25. USA/ Remote

• More jobs last weeks newsletter.

If you are hiring please let me know! I would love to be able to share more opportunities around the world.

That’s all for this week

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