Monthly Archives: February 2013

The problem with science reporting

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Susannah Elliott CEO of the Australia Science Media Centre talks to Radio National – Media Report about the lack of science journalists.

Australian journalism isn’t covering science based stories very well.  And these include disease, obesity, climate change, natural disasters and the Murray-Darling. But increasingly science is being ghettoised into the sensational or the quirky, as fewer genuine specialists remain in journalism and understaffed newsrooms struggle to keep up.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/mediareport/the-problem-with-science-reporting/4518686

 

ACT: The triumphant return of the Science of Beer

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27 February 2013
6:00 pmto8:00 pm
The ACT Branch of the ASC invites you to our first social event of the year
 
– The Science of Beer –
 
Proudly presented by Lachlan McOmish the owner of the Wig and Pen, this event will be a great way for ASC members and those interested in having a fun night out, to meet and mingle with other science communicators in the Canberra region, in a nice social setting.
 
Similiar to previous years, Lachlan will again provide a brief talk about beer brewing and the science involved and then lead tours (~20 minutes) of the on site brewing facilities, for those interested. 
 
Please let us know in your RSVP if you are interested in attending the tour as a number limit applies.
 
Where: Wig and Pen – 53 Alinga St –
When: Wednesday 27th of Feburary, 2013
Time: 6pm (tours start from 630pm, then feel free to stay as long as you like and mingle, eat, drink and be merry)
Cost for ASC members: Absolutely free and a complimentary pot of beer on arrival 
Cost for non members: $5 to cover catering
 
Finger food platters with a vegetarian option will be provided (additional beers and dinner meals at own cost)
 
PLEASE RSVP via eventbrite link – click here – by the 25th of February.
 
You can turn up on the night but we are discouraging this as we would prefer an RSVP for catering purposes, to avoid dealing with cash on the night and as seats are limited.
 
Came last year, no worries. Still come along, be social, network, meet new members and see what other fun filled events the ACT branch has on offer this coming year.
 
All enquiries asccanberra@gmail.com 
 
Look forward to seeing you
ASC ACT Committee
 
Please note that if you join up prior to the event we may not have your name on our database so please bring your registration confirmation email

WA event – Inspiring Australia update and evaluation roundtable

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27 February 2013
5:45 pmto7:30 pm

Join Australian Science Communicators WA, Inspiring Australia WA Group, Scitech and The University of Western Australia for an Inspiring Australia update session and evaluation tool roundtable.

If you want to know what’s happening in the national science communication landscape, and if you want useful evaluation tools to use with your own science communication programs, this is the event for you!

Everyone involved in science outreach and engagement is invited to join this free event. Refreshments will be provided.

Please register at http://ia-wa-evaluation.eventbrite.com.au/ to assist us with catering and planning.

Wednesday 27 February
5.45pm for a 6.00pm start
Scitech
Sutherland St, West Perth, WA

There will be two components to the event:
1) Dr Simon Carroll, Director – Science Partnerships at Scitech and Inspiring Australia liaison in WA will provide an update on the latest Inspiring Australia developments
2) Sarah Lau, ASC and Asst. Prof. Jo Elliott, Research Assistant Professor in Science Communication at UWA will lead an evaluation roundtable to discuss the outcomes from the Inspiring Australia evaluation tool in 2012, and help shape the release of evaluation tools for 2013.

In the second part of the event, you will be asked to contribute your thoughts and input on evaluation of science engagement strategies, and detail your own experience. Specifically, we would like to know:

  • What are you trying to achieve with your science engagement programs?
  • What kinds of science engagement programs are you running?
  • How do you measure the effectiveness of your programs and whether you have achieved your aims?
  • What kinds of evaluation tools and questions would you find useful?

This is your opportunity to shape the evaluation tools resulting from the Inspiring Australia program.

The outcome from this session and Asst. Prof. Elliott’s work will be a set of evaluation tools to be used by the science engagement community across 2013.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Sydney: Free drinks on Friday 15 February

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15 February 2013
6:30 pmto8:30 pm

ASC NSW branch is having a get-together in Sydney on Friday 15 February, and we’d love to see you there.

If you’re a member, we’ll shout you a drink. If you’re not, come along and join! (Or just come anyway.)

City of Sydney RSL
565 George Street, Sydney
(near Liverpool St).

We’ll be in the level 2 bistro.

Entry to the RSL is free: you just need to sign in.

This is the first of our Friday branch meetings for 2013. For the full list of dates, see http://www.asc.asn.au/blog/2013/02/08/friday-meet-ups-in-2013/.

Information: Helen Sim 0419 635 905 (ring or text)

Friday meet-ups in 2013

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ASC NSW will be holding regular meetings for members in 2013 — a mixture of special events and social get-togethers. They’ll generally be on the third Friday of each month (apart from the December meeting).

Dates
February 15
March 15 (the AGM)
April 19
May 17
June 21
July 19
August 16
September 13
October 18
November 15
December 13 (the Christmas party).

Information: Helen Sim 0419 635 905 (ring or text)

Update from the National President

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From Rod Lamberts, ASC National President …

The commencement of 2013 has been filled with a flurry of activity for me, most of which involves getting my head around the nuances of the presidential seat.

The start of the year has also marked the start of some exciting initiatives for the Australian Science Communicators, some of which I can reveal here.

First, we are working away in the background to prepare our advertising campaign for the General Manager Position. Of course, once this is ready, information will flow through the ASC list, website and all our other communication channels.

Second, both thanks to and in concert with Jesse, I have been injected into the Inspiring Australia conversations on behalf of the ASC. There are many wonderful opportunities in this partnership and I look forward to exploring them more.

I am also hoping to announce two Vice Presidents soon. Of course, I need to make sure the people I’ve spoken with are still keen before naming names and labels!

And finally, I’m in the midst of planning a way to progress the development of the the ASC code of conduct.

Many exciting initiatives are slowly taking shape as I dust out the cobwebs of 2012 and begin to lurch properly into 2013.

I appreciate any feedback, thoughts or comments on any of these initiatives.

Cheers,

Rod

Rod Lamberts
National President

 

Inspiring Australia update: Poo Power! is ready to light the world

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The range of projects funded by Inspiring Australia’s Unlocking Australia’s Potential program is breathtaking, with a spread across animal, vegetable and mineral topics. Here’s news about one project that combines at least two of the three.

 

 

 

 

While cleaning up after your dog, have you ever thought, ‘What a waste of perfectly good dog waste!’? Probably not, but Duncan Chew has.

Self-described ‘dog poo entrepreneur’ Duncan Chew was among the recipients of an Inspiring Australia grant in 2012. His project, Poo Power!, uses science to address the issues of how can our cities and communities live more sustainably, and further what do we do with the 1,350 tonnes of dog waste produced in Australia annually?

The answer is to light the world (or at least urban parks of Melbourne) with Poo Power! The project will see a series of biogas generators turn dog waste into energy for lighting up Melbourne parks, at the same time as engaging audiences on the issue of ‘what is waste?’, and the potential opportunities posed by reassessing waste management practices.

So, as part of the Sustainable Living Festival, Duncan Chew and Melbourne filmmaker James Boldiston will be presenting on the project and its various arms at noon on Saturday 16 February 2013 in ‘The Big Tent’ at Federation Square.

And as part of the wider State of Sustainability program, a second Poo Power! event will be held at Village Rivoli Cinemas on Thursday 21 February 2013 at 6:30pm, where James Boldiston’s humorous documentary, Dog Poo: The Truth at Last, will receive its Melbourne premiere.

Full event details and ticketing are available at www.poopower.com.au . For more information about Poo Power! or for media requests, contact the team at info@poopower.com.au .

This Inspiring Australia initiative is supported by the Australian Government through the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education in partnership with the Yarra Energy Foundation.

Inspiring Australia update: Nominations Open for 2013 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science

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The 2012 awards event for the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science was outstanding. A number of ASC members are involved with the Prizes and it would be good to hear their views on what the program means to them. Here’s the first announcement from Inspiring Australia about the 2013 prizes.

Inspiring Australia is pleased to announce that first-stage nominations for the 2013 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science are now open.

The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science is a core component of the Inspiring Australia program designed to inspire a sense of national pride by promoting activities that recognise and reward the achievements and successes of Australians in the science and science teaching.

The five prizes are:

  • The Prime Minister’s Prize for Science (A$300,000);
  • The Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year (A$50,000);
  • The Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year (A$50,000);
  • The Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools; (A$50,000); and
  • The Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools (A$50,000).

In addition to the prize monies, each recipient will also receive an award certificate and a medallion with lapel pin, presented at a black-tie dinner in the Great Hall of Parliament House.

Updates to Selection and Nomination Guidelines

For 2013, a number of updates of the selection and nomination guidelines have taken effect, to the effect that:

  • Past recipients of the Malcolm McIntosh and Science Minister’s Prizes are eligible to be nominated and considered for Prime Minister’s Prize for Science award, subject to eligibility criteria being met.
  • For the Malcolm McIntosh and Science Minister’s Prizes, nominees must have achieved outstanding research results within a full-time equivalent research career of ten years, including research conducted as part of studies for a Master’s degree or PhD.
  • In recognition for the schools associated with the winning science teachers, the A$50,000 cash component of the Science Teaching Prizes will be share equally between the prize recipient and the school in which the prize recipient was teaching at the time of nomination.  The school’s share of the monies must be used to finance a project or projects that will improve the school’s capacity to teach science.
  • Nominations for all five Prizes will be conducted in two stages, a first stage simplified submission with those shortlisted nominees then invited to submit a detailed nomination as part of the second stage.

Nominations for the 2013 Prizes close 14 March. See http://www.innovation.gov.au/scienceprizes or email pmprize@innovation.gov.au for further details.