Monthly Archives: November 2015

Science storytelling: ASC Victoria AGM at the Laborastory, Wednesday 2 December‏

Posted on by
Reply

Come join ASC Victoria for our last hurrah of 2015 as we celebrate with our AGM followed by some of the best science stories of the year at the Laborastory.

The Laborastory brings together five scientists from different fields to tell the remarkable stories of the heroes of their field. Each story is just ten short minutes. They tell the tales of the tragedies and triumphs of the men and women who made science their passion, and left legacies of ground-breaking discoveries that inspire the scientists of today.

We have three tables reserved for ASC members to dine together, have a chat and then enjoy The Laborastory’s “Best of” end of year wrap up. This is your opportunity to hear what the ASC has planned for 2016, or to put your hand up for a role on the committee (further information about the AGM below).

No doubt these tickets will be in hot demand, to secure your ticket and spot on the table and have your say on the direction of the ASC for 2016 RSVP to George Aranda george.aranda@deakin.edu.au.

Where: The Spotted Mallard. 314 Sydney Rd, Brunswick http://thelaborastory.com/
When: Wednesday December 2nd , 2015
Time: The AGM will kick off just after 6pm
What: ASC members who attend the AGM get FREE entry into Laborastory and we will shout you a drink.

Need some inspiration? You can catch up on all Laborastories on YouTube before the event.

Victorian Branch AGM – Further Information

Only paid up ASC members can participate in the formal business parts of the evening, including electing Branch Committee. If you can’t make it on the night do send along a proxy so your voice is heard.

Meeting Agenda

·         Confirm minutes from 2014 AGM

·         President’s report (George Aranda)

·         Treasurer’s report (Anneliese Gillard)

·         Nominations for 2016 committee

·         Other business

Branch Committee Positions

·         President

·         Representative on ASC National Executive

·         Secretary

·         Treasurer

·         Ordinary Committee Members

 

Nominating for committee positions

Nominations for committee positions are open. Self-nominations are acceptable.

The current Committee encourages new applications from ASC members who would like to get involved in shaping and leading activities and events.

Nominations for Branch Committee positions are encouraged in advance of the AGM (please send these to george.aranda@deakin.edu.au). Nominations will also be accepted at the AGM.

Any ASC member based in Victoria can stand for a branch committee position.

Voting by proxy at the AGM

If you cannot attend the AGM you may wish to nominate a proxy, prior to the AGM.

Note proxy nominations cannot be accepted at the AGM. We require them to be emailed to George by 12pm on Wednesday 2 Dec.

You can nominate any ASC member based in Victoria as your proxy, but you both need to be financial members of the ASC.

To nominate a proxy all you have to do george.aranda@deakin.edu.au saying who you are, and which member you are giving your vote to, e.g.

Dear George,

I’d like to assign my proxy vote for the ASC Victorian AGM to Joe Bloggs.

Best wishes,

Jane Doe

Toni

(ASC Vic – Secretary)

Reminder – ASC AGM and Special General Meeting – call for proxies

Posted on by
Reply

Reminder – the ASC AGM is coming up (Canberra, 19 November 2015) and a Special General Meeting (Canberra, 18 November 2015).

 

Please see below for event details. If you can’t make it in person, please nominate a proxy:

  • Download and complete the proxy form, and ensure a copy of this form is with your proxy to take to the AGM – a consolidated proxy form covering the Constitution Special General Meeting on 18 November 2015 and the AGM can be found here (Word and PDF)
    • Check one box only for the adoption of the revised Constitution
    • If you do not provide voting instructions in these sections, you authorise the proxy holder to decide how the proxy will vote
    • Notify the National Secretary, Sarah Lau (secretary@asc.asn.au) – this must be done or the proxy and vote is not considered valid
    • Ensure that the proxy form is completed prior to 12.00pm ADST on Thursday 19 November 2015

Please note that votes will remain confidential at all times. All voting instructions and proxy forms will be collected and destroyed at the conclusion of the AGM.

 

Presidential nomination

We have received one nomination for President – Professor Joan Leach. Joan was nominated by Bianca Nogrady and the nomination was seconded by Pete Wheeler. Joan was ASC President in 2015 and will join the Centre for the Public Awareness of Science as their next Director in 2016. Read more about Joan here.

 

Special General Meeting: To discuss and vote upon an updated ASC Constitution to bring us into line with current association rules.

When: Wednesday 18 November 1.00pm – 3.00pm
Who: Current ASC members
Where: Teatro Vivaldi Restaurant, ANU Arts Centre, University Avenue, Canberra ACT 0200 http://vivaldirestaurant.com.au/
RSVP: secretary@asc.asn.au Cost: Free (attendees can order lunch individually if desired)

 

AGM: The AGM is an opportunity for members to hear about the year’s events at the national level, and also to have their say about what should happen in the year to come. It also includes reports from the President and Treasurer.

When: Thursday 19 November 2015, 2.00pm
Where: Green Couch Room, Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, Physics Link Building 38a, ANU (Ground Floor)
RSVP: secretary@asc.asn.au
Cost: free for ASC members (only currently financial ASC members are eligible to attend the AGM)

 

The following items are current as of 6 November 2015:

 

 

 

Book Review: Houston, We Have a Narrative by Randy Olson

Posted on by
Reply

“Houston, we have a problem.” This line from Ron Howard’s fiction film about the Apollo 13 space accident needs no introduction. In reality, however, astronaut Jim Lovell made a slightly different report to NASA Mission Control on April 13, 1970: “Houston, we’ve had a problem.”

So did Hollywood get it wrong? The line in the film is not a verbatim copy of the historical record, but the film version is punchier and more immediate. It’s also the version everyone seems to remember. From the communication perspective, Hollywood got it very right.

Hollywood’s insight into science communication is the subject of Randy Olson’s latest book, Houston, We Have a Narrative: Why Science Needs Story. We’ve all been encouraged to tell better stories, but it can be hard to know where to start. Olson might just be the storytelling guide that you’ve been looking for.

Narrative structure is at the core of Olson’s approach to science communication. Many narratives conform to a structure where there is an initial state and things are proceeding as normal, but then there is a problem. Therefore, the protagonist must find a solution. In other words, Houston, only when you have a problem do you have a narrative.

Olson distils this familiar narrative structure into an indispensable three word template: And, But, and Therefore (ABT). The strategy of increasing narrativity by replacing “ands” with “buts” and “therefores” is not Olson’s invention—Olson traces the principle from South Park co-creator Trey Parker back to screenwriting instructor Frank Daniel—but Olson gives the idea new life by reformulating it as an elegant communication tool.

Houston is filled with examples of how the ABT structure and other forms of screenwriting wisdom can be used to enhance your science communication. What’s more, Olson isn’t just talking about communication with the public. Professional communication between scientists is the focus of this book. Not even journal abstracts escape the scrutiny of Olson’s storytelling microscope.

Houston re-treads much of the same territory as Olson’s previous books, Don’t be Such a Scientist and Connection. Indeed, many of the strengths and limitations of Olson’s previous work are also on display here. What distinguishes Houston from Olson’s earlier writing is its explicit focus on science communication. Olson takes care to anticipate and rebut the criticisms that some scientists raise about his approach. In case you’re wondering, using narrative structure doesn’t mean “dumbing down” or misrepresenting your science.

Olson has never been one to pull his punches. Consistent with his previous work, Olson writes in a conversational and irreverent style. The problem is that some of his remarks about academia are so scathing that Olson risks alienating a large part of his target audience.

Olson’s enthusiasm for narrative may also go too far for some readers. Despite stating that narrative is not a panacea, Olson argues that achieving an intuitive understanding of narrative is “the only long term hope for combatting the problems facing scientific research and science communication.” At times, Olson seems to conflate good communication and good narrative structure. Other aspects of communication, such as an awareness of audience, receive limited attention in this book.

Fortunately you don’t need to share Olson’s singular focus on narrative structure to enjoy Houston or benefit from Olson’s storytelling insights. Narrative might not be a panacea, but Olson’s storytelling templates deserve a place in every science communicator’s toolkit.

The demise of science journalism and rise of science communication?

Posted on by
1

Are you a science journalist or a science communicator?

For people outside the science communication sphere, this question might seem like an exercise in splitting hairs, but for those of us whose day-to-day lives are embedded in this arena, it’s actually quite important.

However it can be difficult to find clear, unassailable points of distinction that distinguish science journalists from science communicators. Is it who’s paying? Is it the determination of an underlying message? These seem like obvious answers but the often strong underlying agendas of publishing companies make things less clear-cut.

And so it was that we (being the Australian Science Communicators NSW branch) recently assembled a crack team of science journalists and science communicators to help find the answer. Our panel event featured ABC Science editor and journalist Dr Anna Salleh, Regional Executive Editor at Nature Publishing Group Stephen Pincock, media/communications manager for the UNSW Faculty of Science Deborah Smith, and former Sydney Morning Herald science editor Nicky Phillips, now at Nature.

It turns out that the intersection between science journalism and science communication is complex and messy and –particularly in this new era of online media –more important to debate than ever.

The reason is that science journalism – being defined as the kind of ‘objective’, critical reporting and analysis that our panel is most experienced in – is on the decline, at least in the mainstream media. There are fewer dedicated science journalists and editors, and instead the job of writing about science and scientific discoveries is often given to general reporters.

This is not to say these people don’t do a good job, but it means there’s a greater risk that a science story will be a rehashed press release, will be sensationalised, will be click-bait, because the reporter doesn’t have the experience to know that a study in ten people is not the final word, that a cancer cure in mice does not translate to a breakthrough in humans, or that a fifty per cent increase in relative risk does not mean everyone has a one in two chance of getting the disease.

What we are seeing instead is a lot more good quality, well-written science communication going on. Defining exactly how this differs from science journalism is tricky, but science communication covers everything from the Neil Degrasse Tysons and Derek Mullers of this world to the I F**king Love Science website to science blogs to podcasts like Science Vs.

We’re also seeing research organisations investing more time and money into producing high-quality communications about their science. It may be a glossy, self-produced magazine produced by a custom publishing company, written by journalists, illustrated with professional photographs. Even mainstream publishing companies such as Nature Publishing Group are providing that service independent of their traditional publishing arm.

This rise in ‘native content’ – advertising content designed to match its publishing surroundings – does create some dilemmas both for publishers and journalists. If the content is not clearly marked as being paid for, it risks diluting the publisher’s brand, which means publishers like Nature take a very ‘church and state’ approach to their traditional and custom publishing arms. For journalists, particularly freelances, it can lead to conflicts of interest if one is asked to write a critical news piece about a research organisation that one also writes content for.

More than ever before, there is a wealth and diversity of great science communication happening, mostly online but also in print, audio and on TV, by experienced science communicators who present the science in context and in proportion.

From the perspective of a more science-literate community – something I wholeheartedly support – this is an overall positive development. As a freelance writer, it is also the source of a good chunk of my income, as research organisations look to science journalists to help develop this content to appeal to a general audience.

The downside to this transition away from science journalism to science communication is that we are likely to see less of the critical, independent reporting and analysis that science – as with any other human endeavour – should be subject to. It still happens in science magazines such as Science, Nature, New Scientist, Scientific American and Cosmos (long may they survive and thrive). But here again, the internet is delivering new approaches that don’t rely on the traditional publishing model, such as the Retraction Watch website.

I’ve been asked a few times lately if science journalism is dying in Australia. The short answer is ‘no’. The long answer is that it’s not dying, but it is undergoing a metamorphosis. What will emerge on the other side of this process is anyone’s guess. Most likely we will see a far a greater diversity of science communication choices available for the general public, but like all things internet, the challenge will be sifting the gold from the dross.

If you want to see the video of our science journalism vs science communication panel, watch it here.

President’s Update

Posted on by
Reply

Thank you to Joan Leach for the President’s Update.

Save the date! 11 March 2016

I’m very pleased to announce that the next ASC conference will be in Brisbane in March 2016. We have tried to tie in our next meeting with the World Festival of Science so that our members who are involved can make their travel dollars go further. Also, we hope that as the WFS announces its program ASC members might satisfy their curiosity at the festival and enjoy networking time with ASC members as well. Our venue and program will be announced shortly. But, circle that date and plan to be in Brisbane. We’re going to organise the 2016 conference into one packed day for ASC and break out events during the World Festival of Science. More news coming…

Issues for AGM?

ASC is gearing up for its AGM and a SGM to consider the ASC constitution. If you have any queries you would like to put to me personally, please do so at j.leach@uq.edu.au. I’m also very interested to hear about colleagues who would like to join the executive of ASC so please get in touch if you’d like to get more involved.

Volunteer for Pint of Science!

Posted on by
Reply

Thanks Emma Ceccato for this opportunity!

Are you interested in sharing science with the public?

Do you enjoy relaxing with friends at the pub?

If the answer to both is YES, then Pint of Science Australia is for you!

Pint of Science is an international festival that aims to showcase the amazing research of local scientists to the general public in the relaxed venue of the local pub. In 2015, the Pint of Science Australia festival expanded to include Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Brisbane, hosting fantastic events over 3 nights.

For 2016 – we want to expand even more to include more themes and even more cities across Australia – and we need you!

Events in 2016 will take place from 23-25 May, and will incorporate the following themes: Beautiful Mind (neurosciences), Atoms to Galaxies (physics, chemistry) Our Body (life sciences) Planet Earth (geosciences) and Tech Me Out (engineering, computer science).

We are looking for volunteers for various roles: city coordinators, team coordinators, social media reps and fundraisers. Each team will source out a venue, speakers and activities for the night.

This is an incredible opportunity to be a part of our ever growing festival so if you are interested in getting involved, please register your interest here or email contact@pintofscience.com.au with what you’re keen to do, tell us a little bit about yourself and how we can best reach you.

ASC online shop

Posted on by
Reply

Thanks to George Aranda for the story behind the new ASC shop!

In October the ASC-Victoria organised an event for The Martian. To celebrate this event I asked James Hutson how he felt about putting together a t-shirt, around the great line in the film “I’m going to have to SCIENCE the shit out of this.” Unbeknownst to me, James had been involved in discussions with a previous incarnation of the ASC exec years ago, about the idea of putting together an online shop with all sorts of ASC merchandise. Chatting to the current ASC executive, they were all very keen to revisit the idea of an ASC shop, and the feedback from the ASC community on Facebook has been great. There have been a handful of sales, include several requests to increase or reduce the level of swearing on this first t-shirt.
Hopefully we can come up with more ideas for t-shirts and other items that can fill the ASC shop!
George Aranda wearing a T-shirt from the ASC online shop

George Aranda wearing a T-shirt from the ASC online shop

Meet the Scientists event – NSW

Posted on by
Reply

Unwind with a FREE DRINK courtesy of your local ASC, nibble finger food and enervate your neurons with the ASC NSW Christmas event, as we chat with well-known scientists who are successfully communicating their research. We’ll ask them why they f*king love communicating science, how they do it, and we’ll challenge them to describe decades of science research in the space of a single tweet!

They explore the stars, seek the roots of evolution, and spend their days playing with eight-legged beasties.

Scientists are also increasingly at the forefront of communication channels across multiple platforms. Join us as we chat to Australian scientists making their mark in both research and communication; on TV, radio and social platforms.

Don’t miss this fun night. Come and have a drink and some simulating discussion with your local ASC branch, and chat to some science communication all-stars featuring Scientia Professor Rob Brooks, Dr Lisa Harvey-Smith and Lizzy Lowe.

Wednesday, 9 December 2015 from 6:30 PM

Pyrmont Point Hotel, Margot’s Room – 59 Harris Street Pyrmont, NSW 2009

Tickets $15 for members and $25 for non-members.

GET YOUR TICKET NOW

Scientia Professor Rob Brooks

Rob Brooks_web

Evolutionary biologist Rob Brooks studies sexual reproduction and how it shapes the lives of humans and other animals. He heads the “Sex Lab” at UNSW where he is Scientia Professor and Director of the Evolution & Ecology Research Centre. His work has shaped how we understand the evolution of mate choice, how sex alters the aging process, and the links between sex, diet, obesity and death. He has won major prizes for both research and popular science communication. His popular writing, including his first book Sex, Genes & Rock ’n’ Roll: How Evolution has Shaped the Modern World, explores the power of evolutionary thinking to illuminate the human condition.

Dr Lisa Harvey-Smith

image

Dr Lisa Harvey-Smith is an astronomer at the CSIRO and studies the birth and death of stars in our Galaxy. She is the Project Scientist for the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), a telescope comprising 36 large radio ‘dishes’ under construction in the Western Australian outback. Lisa is leading the ASKAP early science project, which will study the evolution of galaxies through approximately 7 billion years of cosmic history and is due to start in 2016. Harvey-Smith is an accomplished science writer and speaker and was a finalist in the 2015 Eureka Prize for Promoting the Understanding of Australian Science Research. In 2012 she was listed in the Sydney Morning Herald’s “Top 100: Most Influential People”. Harvey-Smith regularly speaks in schools and is involved in a mentoring program for young indigenous people in WA.

Lizzy Lowe

17779888076_40681a93d3_o

Lizzy is a PhD student at the University of Sydney studying the effects of urbanisation on spiders. She uses outreach to introduce people to the amazing world of arachnids and start conversations about the importance of biodiversity in cities. She particularly enjoys visiting primary schools because kids are much more appreciative of creepy crawlies!

Now ex-Scope Editor!

Posted on by
Reply

It’s been two years and four months since I first took up the post as Editor of the ASC newsletter, Scope. A lot of things have happened in that time… Ebola outbreaks, Royal births, water on Mars and Australia on its fourth Prime Minister for the period. Closer to home, the previous 28 months have seen my world turn upside down too (or up the right way, depending on how you look at it)!

In June 2013 I was working as a Communications Officer for CRC CARE in Adelaide – a Cooperative Research Centre focusing on the measurement, prevention and remediation of environmental contamination. I had some spare time on my hands and had decided to get involved in some community activities, so when the chance to step in as Scope Editor came up I thought I would give it a go.

The Editor role is a great one. You get to work with ASC members all over the country (and occasionally the world). You also work with the ASC communications team which is a committed bunch of people – all very good at what they do. Of course, as with any role, there is some hard bits too! A lot of chasing for content and deadlines… but for the most part the job is certainly a good one.

But, as is often the case when things are tonking along nicely, I had a proverbial spanner thrown in the works. Although to call it a spanner is probably a little misleading… a spanner suggests it is something bad. This spanner certainly wasn’t bad, but it sure was disruptive!

My background is in medical research – I completed a PhD in Craniofacial Biology at the University of Adelaide in 2011. I have always loved bones and loved working with skulls in research. I honestly couldn’t tell you why I love bones so much, but I have blogged about my childhood favourite bones in my blog Craniophiles. (As a side note, my blog Craniophiles was started as a project for my Masters in Science Communication at ANU. The subject was Science Communication and the Web – which was advertised in the previous issue of Scope. I highly recommend it!)

My spanner came in the form of a job opportunity. It was the job of my dreams – I would be partly in the lab, working with bones, and partly working my scicomm skills talking about bones. The downside… it was on the other side of the world. Now this might not sound scary to some, but for me – a cheerleader for team Radelaide being the best place in the world to live, and a total mummy’s girl – it was pretty scary. But, with the job of my dreams on offer I decided it was time to throw off the security blanket that was little old Adelaide and move over the sea to live with the queen. Turns out you can’t just move in to Buckingham palace… but that is a story for another time.

In addition to not being able to move in with the Queen, you have to cook your two minute noodles for three minutes here!

In addition to not being able to move in with the Queen, you have to cook your two minute noodles for three minutes here!

 

And sometimes mysterious white powder falls from the sky

And sometimes mysterious white powder falls from the sky

My job over here is as wonderful as I had hoped it would be. In addition to getting back in to the lab, I have been responsible for creating a website and social media for the project. I had been involved in a few website redesign projects (with Puratap and CRC CARE) previously, but starting from scratch opened my eyes to a different set of challenges and has been a great learning experience. You can check out our website, facebook and twitter if you want to follow where we are up to!

Don't let the look on my face fool you, I do love it here!

Don’t let the look on my face fool you, I do love it here!

Even when things like this happen...

Even when things like this happen…

Because when I'm not destroying gloves I get to do cool things like this!

Because when I’m not destroying gloves I get to do cool things like this!

Sadly, working as the Scope Editor long distance has become a bit too challenging so I decided to hang up my hat. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as the Editor of the ASC’s Scope newsletter. Thank you to everyone who has been of assistance along the way and made contributions. I am confident that you are in great hands with the new co-editors Tara and Jessica and that the newsletter will continue to grow and improve from here.

If you want to keep in touch and follow what’s happening over here don’t forget to look up the Origins of Bone and Cartilage disease project website, twitter and facebook, and Craniophiles blog, facebook and twitter.