Nominations are now open for the Awards in Science Communication!

For the first year, the ASC is now presenting multiple awards addressing a range of gaps in the current Australian merit landscape.

Nominations close at 12 PM AEST on Thursday 16 May 2024.

The awards will be announced at the ASC Conference in Perth, 19 June 2024.

Previous recipients of the Unsung Hero award have been Lyndal Byford (2022), Jen Martin (2019), Kylie Andrews (2017), Geoff Crane (2016), Kylie Walker (2015), Frankie Lee (2014) and Craig Cormick (2013). The award was relaunched by the 2011 National Executive, realigned from the previous ‘Unsung Hero of Science’ award (read some background here).

The awards

There are now four awards available for members of the ASC to nominate people for. A fifth award (the President’s medal) is not available for members to nominate candidates; it is selected from award nominees or from the sector at the President’s discretion.

The awards are:

• The Unsung Hero of Australian Science Communication award
  • Many of our science communication heroes work behind the scenes. This award recognises those hard workers who are yet to be acknowledged for their impact.
• The Science Communication Hero of Australia award
  • A career-level award recognising impact and achievement within the science communication sector in Australia.
    • Practice awards would be expected to have had many practical impacts and benefits brought to audiences and/or the sector, and to have been highly engaged in building the appreciation for expertise within the sector.
    • Research awards would be expected to have been an advocate for research and education, and conducted and led research that has been enabling or beneficial to the science communication community
• The Inspiring Project in Science Communication award
  • For a research or practice project that is impactful and demonstrates innovative or a best-practice led approach.
• The Scientist Communicator of the year award
  • An award for a researcher who communicates their work (or the work of their field) to audiences with clarity and excellence.
  • Crucially, the quality of the scientist’s science communication expertise is being recognised by this award. Having a large media presence does not necessarily equal success. 
• The Australian Science Communicators President’s Medal
  • Awarded by the President of the ASC, this medal recognises significant contribution to the sector, the ASC, and Australia.
  • Nominations are not received for the President’s Medal, although the President may choose to award someone who has been nominated for another award.

Award Criteria

All Australian Science Communication Awards are assessed against the following criteria:

1. Engagement with the Australian science communication sector
   • Nominees (an individual or group) must be currently residing in Australia and actively engaged in the Australian science communication sector.
2. Impact in Australia
   • The work of the nominee must have had impact in Australia.
   • Impact internationally can be considered but is not weighted as highly as domestic efforts.
3. The nominee’s contribution has been significant for… 
   • [Unsung Hero] a period of time (at least five years, but typically more) by which time that they should by now have been recognised.
   • [Hero of Aus] a long period of time (over a decade).
   • [Inspiring Project] a single definable project.
   • [Scientist communicator] at least three consecutive years in science communication activity in Australia.
4. Special criteria
   • [Unsung Hero] Nominees should have not yet received significant recognition for their contributions to science or science communication.
   • [Scientist communicator] Additional to their science communication impact, the nomination must outline the significance of the nominee’s scientific contribution. This will be easier for those whose scientific work is publicly accessible (published in journals or industry reports).

General Notes

Engagement in the Australian science communication sector is interpreted broadly to include, but is not limited to, pursuits such as:

• teaching or outreach (in science or science communication),
• broadcasting or reporting on science,
• script and book writing,
• science promotion,
• policy advice or program development in the sciences,
• health or climate communication,
• research into science communication, 
• interpretation of science within cultural institutions, and
• [for the scientist communicator award] research in STEM and then the dissemination of this research to audiences outside of the nominee’s field.

Awards may be made to a nominee whose work is across many fields, but the science communication component of their work must be highly significant. The Scientist Communicator’s primary work must be in STEM research that they then use science communication practice to engage the community.

Impact can be relevant to a range of areas, including but not limited to:

• contributing to the public or decision-makers’ understanding of science, 
• increasing the sector’s value or quality of science communication,
• improving the practice of science communication, 
• improving policy within the sector through advocacy or advice, or 
• increasing the appreciation of decision makers for science communication expertise.

Nominators should give careful consideration to what counts as impact in science communication and demonstrate this in their nomination. For example:

• A science communication professional working for a Government or Government-funded entity may score better if it is demonstrated that their strategic leadership led to positive change for the sector, e.g. changes in public or decision-maker attitudes or behaviours.
• A prolific communication researcher may score better if it were demonstrated that they conducted outreach within the sector to facilitate the translation of their work into practice.
• A scientist who communicates may score better if it were demonstrated that their contribution to science communication as a practice was significant and unrecognised.

For the purpose of the Unsung Hero award, an absence of prior recognition is a critical aspect of eligibility. This will intentionally rule out many popular science communicators, leaders and journalists. This will also mean the nominee may be largely unknown within the Australian Science Communicators membership.

• Minor awards or scholarships are not considered significant.
• Recognition such as winning a Eureka awards, OAMs, honorary doctorates, fellowships, being published in collections such as the ‘Best Australian Science Writing’, being a Chief Executive of an organisation or being promoted to Professor level at a university, or having a large national public profile for their specialist topic would be considered exclusionary.

Selection Process

Selection is based primarily on the written information provided on the nomination form by the nominator. The committee may access the public record to verify claims or check whether a nominee is eligible (e.g. whether Unsung nominees have already been recognised by another award), but will not consider projects or impacts not included in the nomination form.

A selection committee of representatives convened by the Secretary (Awards) from the Australian Science Communicators will assess all nominations. In rare instances, the selection committee may request further information from nominators before making their final decision. After assessment, the committee will recommend award recipients via the Secretary to the Executive Committee for approval.

It would not be uncommon for an individual to be nominated by multiple nominators. In this case, the Secretary (Awards), at their discretion, may pool the nominations to consider together. The Secretary (Awards) may also direct the selection committee to consider a nominee for an award they have not been nominated for.

In years with high-quality applications, the award committee may award up to two project awards and up to two career awards for the year, one in scicomm practice, and one in scicomm research.

The Australian Science Communicators reserves the right to make no awards should the committee consider that the quality of candidates does not warrant awards, or should the nominated candidate(s) not satisfy the selection criteria.

The Australian Science Communicators’ Executive Committee decision is final. We welcome constructive feedback to improve future rounds of selections.

Membership requirement for Award Nomination

The nominator must be a current financial member of the Australian Science Communicators, but the nominee need not be a member. While not essential, the nominator should first consult with the nominee and any referees to ensure the nominee is aware of and gives consent to the application.

Each nomination must comprise a fully completed award nomination form. Incomplete forms may not be considered.

Take a look at the schedule and you won’t be able to help but get excited about the fantastic socials planned. Events like the Scitech Extravaganza, the Sundowner Networking event that’s sponsored by CPAS and WABSI, the Gala Dinner at the gorgeous Western Australian Museum and MORE! 

We have built this site dedicated to all things conference related. You’ll be able to learn about our Keynote speakers, and see updates on talks and presenters as we confirm the program. 

Please note – we are already building the program with the fantastic and diverse abstracts already submitted however we can still accept late abstracts that will be considered should there be thematic gaps in the program. 

Many of your questions will be answered in the FAQ section – particularly the “are there any hotel discounts?” 

Lastly, we hope you’ll find the mobile app that’s linked to the program helpful. Customise your own agenda and easily stay updated on the go! 

More questions? Get in touch via email at asc2024@asc.asn.au or send a note in via the contact page on the new website.

Shanii Phillips, ASC Council Member: Vice President, Policy

The Australian democratic system is truly like no other. In no other country in the world are ordinary citizens allowed to walk into Federal Parliament and bump into MPs, Senators, and political staffers to have open and honest conversations. Science Meets Parliament 2024 (SMP), hosted by Science and Technology Australia (STA), provided a unique opportunity for researchers, industry professionals, science communicators, policymakers and parliamentarians to come together, share, listen and learn from each other about the best way to incorporate science in public policy.

Several members of the ASC Council attended the two day event, including:

• Shanii Phillips: VP, Policy,
• Camille Thomson: Secretary, Events,
• Preeti Castle: Secretary, International Engagement,
• Tahnee Saunders: Secretary, Awards, and
• Jacqueline Stephens: General Council Member.

Note: Jodie Haigh ASC’s VP, Treasurer was in attendance at the event in her role as STA’s Communications Manager.

While ASC President, Tom Carruthers, didn’t attend the daytime workshops and meetings, he was able to join us for the SMP Gala Dinner and National Press Club Address, delivered by STA President, Professor Sharath Sriram.

The event

Most of us were wearing multiple hats at SMP, juggling priorities of our own work and research, as well as advocating for the role of science communication and the opportunities the ASC could provide. Like any good team of science communicators, we set up a group WhatsApp to share updates and commentary with each other during the event. Throughout our shared conversations, there was a strong theme of hope yet frustration. The key themes discussed by the keynote speakers and panellists focused on the importance of using good communication principles when scientists were engaging with parliamentarians and policymakers, but there was a distinct lack of acknowledging that what they were talking about was science communication. In a room filled with over 350 incredible STEM professionals, recognised and celebrated for doing cutting-edge research and excelling in their respective fields, why weren’t the professional and scholarly pursuits of those whose role it is to facilitate knowledge creation between science and other stakeholders being recognised?

We all breathed a collective sigh of relief (and did a silent happy dance at the back of the room) when, after us strategically posting two probing questions in the live Q&A, Anna-Maria Arabia (CEO of the Australian Academy of Science) picked up the torch during the Day 1 post-lunch panel and eloquently explained the role and value of professional science communicators in improving connections and discussions between the worlds of science and policy.

“[Science communication skills] are typically not trained for [during science degrees]. There are some [scientists] who are naturally good communicators … but not everybody is that person.”

Enter the science communicator, who has specific skills in bridging the communication needs of whatever that audience might be with the scientist or technologist or STEM professional. It is a unique set of skills. There is a practice and a science behind it … It is very much an engagement exercise, it happens at lots of levels, and part of that science communication will unfold when you meet with parliamentarians, it will unfold when you speak with policymakers, with media, and each one of those takes different strategies.” 

While Anna-Maria’s words were welcomed and encouraging, and provided us a fantastic ice-breaker to discuss our work with other delegates, it was just one step in the right direction. It highlighted that, as science communicators, we need to actively take more opportunities to advocate for the value we can provide in fostering connections between science and policymakers, the media and the community. As discussed by Jodie Haigh during our post-event debrief, science communication needs to get better at our ‘corporate communications’ and showcase what we can do and the services we can provide to the STEM community and other stakeholders, including media, community leaders and policymakers.

Meetings with Parliamentarians

One of the unique aspects of Science Meets Parliament is learning how to effectively pitch your research and engage with parliamentarians, and then being able to put that into practice right away with pre-organised meetings with federal politicians. 

The ASC Council representatives had the privilege of having meetings with the following parliamentarians:

• Ms Kate Thwaites, Member for Jagajaga
• Mr Daniel Mulino, Member for Fraser 
• Ms Allegra Spender, Member for Wentworth
• Ms Janet Rice, Senator for Victoria
• Mr Peter Khalil, Member for Wills

Prior to the two day event at Parliament House, STA ran online workshops for delegates to hear from previous attendees and experts, providing pro tips on how to pitch yourself effectively and prepare for a meeting with a parliamentarian. Most of us only learned who we would be meeting with a few days before the main event, leaving limited time to research our parliamentarians, understand their priorities and what they were working on, and then find a way to communicate our work and research in a way that they would connect with and understand. In other words, there was a little bit of scicomm improv going on! The good news is, everyone left their parliamentary meetings feeling positive. ASC Council members discussed the importance of science communication to aid buy-in from institutions to support science-led policy, enabling industry and government to access new knowledge for better policy outcomes, promoting diversity in STEM, and highlighting the need for science communication to be recognised as a specific area of expertise.

Why should Australian Science Communicators members attend Science Meets Parliament?

Science Meets Parliament is an event targeted at early-to-mid-career STEM researchers who want to learn more about the best ways to engage politicians and policymakers with science research – so why should science communicators attend? For those of us that work daily to break down complex topics, get to the point quickly, and already understand the importance of our targeting messages to our audience, the sessions may simply feel like a refresher. For those of us still honing our skills and building up our scicomm repertoire, these sessions could be just the additional support you are looking for. Even some of us veterans still took away key insights, like refraining from being a “waterfall” of information (as described by Dr Cathy Foley, Australia’s Chief Scientist, in her opening speech), but focusing on being a “well”, allowing your audience to ask questions and draw out information from you that is relevant to them and their needs. Most importantly, you will be placed in the same room as hundreds of other people working in STEM, and the same building as the people in charge of running the country. 

Apart from the scheduled meetings with parliamentarians, we all found it was a fantastic opportunity to network with other members of the Australian scientific community, understand their needs and challenges, and identify collaboration opportunities. It’s also a valuable opportunity to increase awareness about the ASC to both STEM professionals and parliamentarians and their advisors, positioning ourselves as “go-to experts” for issues related to science communication. Making yourself a useful asset to people trying to make a difference in the world can go a long way, and continuing those conversations beyond Science Meets Parliament is important to nurturing those relationships so we remain at the forefront of people’s minds when they need someone who can bridge the gaps between science and other stakeholders. 

What can we do next?

During our debrief session, Tahnee brought up the excellent point that a lot of scientists choose their career paths because they want to do science research. The current expectations of researchers to not only conduct their research, but develop curricula and teach university students, manage labs, write grant applications and now find time to participate in community outreach and effectively communicate their science can be overwhelming. While some scientists have embraced the opportunity, it is not universal – and this is where science communicators can fill a need. We can ‘remove the burden’ from science researchers by offering our expertise as science communicators, who have the skills and time to translate findings, craft messages for different audiences and, equally importantly, are up to date with the latest science communication research (which is a vastly different scholarly pursuit from natural and physical sciences). By identifying a clear need and demonstrating that we can fill that, while improving our ‘corporate communications’, we can continue to elevate science communication and increase awareness of the important role that we fill in the worlds of science, policy and the wider community. 

Overall, #SMP2024 was a unique and fantastic experience, with amazing opportunities to network with scientists, science communicators, politicians, policy advisors and everyone in between from across the country. In a world where we have grown so comfortable with virtual meetings, it’s still nice to step back and (re)connect with people in the same room as you. And finding a way to be “in the room where it happens”, showcase your passion, advocate for your field and highlight the importance of what we do, is something you can’t really put a price tag on. 

What’s next? It’d be great to see the ASC cohort at Science Meets Parliament continue to grow so we can continue to create awareness of our value, both adjacent to the lab and the party room. If you’re interested in learning more about the Australian Science Communicators’ goals for Science Meets Parliament, please reach out to us via office@asc.asn.au, and we can start making our game-plan now for the ASC at Science Meets Parliament 2025!

About the role

For an immediate start, the ASC is seeking the support of a temporary contractor with technical skills in membership database migration/management and web development who can invoice for their time. We expect this role to run for approximately 1 to 3 months, with the potential for ad hoc support needed for the next 6 to 12 months. We are seeking someone who can start immediately.

We expect the project’s scope to include two major parts: database backend set-up and development and frontend website development. At this stage, we are happy to receive applications from people with the capability to perform in both of these areas or the first part only.

Key accountabilities

• Provide technical support for migrating our membership database onto our new membership system,
• Ensure the new system is configured correctly for effective membership and data management for now and in the future,
• Provide technical support for team members and troubleshoot any issues that arise in relation to the migration,
• Build a new website for the organisation to meet our needs (part 2 of the project), and
• Other activities as appropriate and requested by the Executive Committee.

We are looking for someone who:

• is technically competent across web and data platforms,
• has excellent communication skills,
• can manage their own time and priorities, and
• can rapidly problem-solve around complex technologies and systems.

You’ll find this role easier if you:

• have relevant knowledge of association/membership management systems and experience in database migration (especially with Membes),
• have web development experience,
• have an awareness of data privacy regulations and principles,
• are familiar with the principles of using a CRM and accounting software (such as Xero), and
• are familiar with integrating access across systems and websites.

We will accept EOI’s from anyone who considers themselves capable to complete the core role, and encourage all to apply even if you do not meet all criteria explicitly.

This role will be contracted at an hourly rate of $30–50 (ex. GST) pending experience. Including additional load during the conference season, the estimated time requirement is between 6–10 hours per week (more initially as you become familiar with our systems).

Please do not hesitate to get in touch via office@asc.asn.au if you are interested in discussing the role and your suitability. The role will be filled once a suitable candidate has been found. This expression of interest will remain open for at least one week from 3 April 2024.

About the Australian Science Communicators

The Australian Science Communicators is the peak body for science communication in Australia. Established in 1994, it represents a body of over 200 members with an interest in science communication.

This event is being run by our friends over at the Science Journalists Association of Australia who have extended an invitation to ASC members to join. We are grateful to the SJAA for this professional development opportunity for our members.

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Bianca Nogrady will run two workshops covering everything you need to know to become a successful freelancer

April 4 and April 11
for current SJAA & ASC members

Freelancing used to be viewed as something you did between in-house jobs. Now it’s a thriving, viable and exciting career path in science journalism that can give you flexibility, long-term security, and variety.

In this two-part online workshop, experienced freelance science journalist, Bianca Nogrady will cover everything you need to build and maintain a great career as a freelance science journalist, including:

• the pros and cons of freelancing
• setting up your business
• working out your niche
• starting out
• finding stories
• pitching
• choosing when to say ‘yes’ and when to say ‘no’
• the money questions
• invoicing and getting paid
• how to make yourself indispensable to editors

There will be lots of opportunity for questions, and this is aimed at everyone from early-career to established journalists. So come hang out and learn from one of the best.

The 1 hour sessions will be on Zoom for ASC & SJAA members. The recordings will be available for SJAA members only.

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This opportunity is available for current members of the ASC and SJAA only. Members can register for one or both sessions below:

Session 1
4 April 2024; 1 hour online
7:30pm AEDT | 7:00pm ACDT | 6:30pm AEST | 6:00pm ACST | 4:30pm AWST

Session 2
11 April 2024; 1 hour online
7:30pm AEST | 7:00pm ACST | 5:30pm AWST

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Any questions about the above event, please reach out to the events inbox at events@asc.asn.au

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This event is being run by our friends at the SJAA, and ASC members have been offered complementary access. We are grateful for the opportunity.

This is aligned with the ASC’s strategic priority of engaging with our friends and colleagues both here in Australia and overseas to deliver shared value where we can. We expect to see more shared member-only events with SJAA and with other peak bodies unlocked for ASC members into the future.