COMMUNICATING CLIMATE CHANGE AND OTHER RISKY BUSINESS

Jenni Metcalfe – convenor, Hot Air Symposia.

Tuesday August 10th, 6.30 PM Clarendon Hotel, 156 Devonshire St, Surry Hills Members free, non-members $10 RSVP: ascnsw@gmail.com by 5 PM Fri 6th Light refreshments provided, first drink free

What could Galileo see in space? What can we see today? And what will future telescopes, being planned and built now, show us? Visiting astronomer Dr Kim-Vy Tran will talk about where astronomy is going. This talk is suitable for children aged 10 and up.

Where: Questacon, Canberra When: 6 pm, Thursday 29 July How long: 1 hour

URL: canberra.questacon.edu.au/events/#July2010 http://canberra.questacon.edu.au/events/#July2010

Enquiries: Sonia Morabito, Questacon Tel 02-6270-2949 SMorabito@questacon.edu.au

cheers,

Helen

Posted on behalf of Carly Siebentritt

Make a science-inspired zine (small self published booklet) this science week and win a scientist to dinner, a subscription to COSMOS magazine or a felted brain.

Competition closes on 31 July, 2010.

For more information go to http://www.re-science.org.au

Dear ASC-ers, We are running a media training course for scientists at the Australian Academy of Science in Canberra on Wednesday 4 August. This course is open to all scientists and anyone who needs to communicate complex and technical ideas via the media. Please feel free to forward this onto any colleagues who you believe may be interested. The course will help you improve your chances of being accurately reported, and understand what to expect when the media covers a story. Three working journalists from television, print and radio will come in over the course of the day and all participants will conduct practice interviews. The courses run from 9.30am to 5pm. The cost is $650 + GST per person and includes coffee, morning tea and lunch. We are also running courses later in the year:

· Thursday 19 August at the Clare Café, Carlton, MELBOURNE

· Wednesday 15 September, SYDNEY

· Friday 24 September at the Clare Café, Carlton, MELBOURNE

· Wednesday 13 October at the Clare Café, Carlton, MELBOURNE

· Wednesday 17 November at the Clare Café, Carlton, MELBOURNE

I’ve included more details on the course below. You can also download a flyer at www.scienceinpublic.com/blog/training To book yourself, or members of your organisation, into one of these courses, please email Niall Byrne on niall@scienceinpublic.com.au. For more information please contact either myself or Niall Byrne on (03) 9398 1416.

Kind regards, Sarah

Sarah Brooker Director, Science in Public 26 Railway Street South, Altona VIC 3018 +61 3 9398 1416 +61 413 332 489 sarah@scienceinpublic.com.au www.scienceinpublic.com.au

Media and communication training for scientists These one-day training workshops focus on science and scientists. The workshop will help you create and present a compelling view of your research to the media, the public and your stakeholders. It will help you improve your chances of being accurately reported, and to understand what to expect when the media covers a story. All participants are involved in practice interviews with working journalists. The workshop has evolved over the years, and now includes a strong emphasis on how to shape your story to suit the media and your other audiences. We concentrate on how to extract the essence of your story and how to work with the media to get the story across. This contrasts with the adversarial approach of much corporate media training. Three working journalists will join us in the course of the day to talk about newspapers, radio and TV, and conduct practice interviews. Journalists we have used in the past include Gerard Scholten from Channel Ten, Bridie Smith from The Age, and Donna Demaio from 3AW news. Previous participants tell us that after the course they feel more prepared not just for media interviews, but also for other presentations to stakeholders, customers and the public. This workshop is a modified version of the courses developed by our colleagues at Econnect Communication and is licensed from them. Each course is limited to 12 participants.

Who: The courses are suitable for anyone attempting to communicate complex, evidence-based ideas via the media – scientists, engineers, technologists and others. This practical workshop will help you:

· know what to expect when the media does a story

· practise your interview techniques with working journalists

· get your message out as accurately as possible. Specific topics include:

· understanding what makes a good story on TV, radio or in print

· interview practice with working journalists

· taking control of the media agenda

· making the big announcement

· knowing what to do when a journalist knocks on your door

· handling the more difficult questions

· writing a good media release.

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It’s down to a brilliant, select few, with the announcement of the finalists for the 2010 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.

The shortlist of scientific excellence recognises the year’s most innovative and influential scientists, together with the country’s top science communicators and teachers. In 2010, projects making the final cut range from the mathematics of defence, to the benefits of genetic junk and the fun to be found in test tubes. To find out who is in the running to win a Eureka Prize go to www.australianmuseum.net.au/eureka/enter

The finalists’ announcement coincides with the opening of voting in the People’s Choice Award. The six finalists will be profiled on ABC TV’s Catalyst on 29 July, and from 22 July to 15 August, anyone can cast their vote for the scientist of their choice. Who will you choose: The chicken whisperers? The geologist with a new theory of mountain-making? Or one of the other four contenders? Information about all of the People’s Choice Award finalists and how to vote is at: www.australianmuseum.net.au/eureka/vote.

The People’s Choice Award and all the winners of the 2010 Eureka Prizes will be revealed on 17 August at a star-studded gathering of the country’s top researchers, innovators and thinkers at the Randwick Pavilion at Sydney’s Royal Randwick Racecourse.

Ruth Carr Coordinator, Australian Museum Eureka Prizes

Australian Museum 6 College Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia t 61 2 9320 6230 f 61 2 9320 6074 www.australianmuseum.net.auwww.australianmuseum.net.au/eureka

Inspiring the exploration of nature and cultures

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ALIVE UNTIL 19 SEPTEMBER 2010 A dynamic program of events celebrating the International Year of Biodiversity TALKS

> >> Hi Everyone >> >> Places are filling fast for what is going to be a fascinating talk (and >> demonstration) by Nobel Laureate and Quantum Physicist, Dr William D >> Phillips. The US based Dr Phillips was invited by the School of Physics to >> give a talk as part of Sydney Ideas. >> >> This talk, that will not be recorded, will be held on Wednesday 4 August at >> the Seymour Centre at 6.30pm: >> http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2010/professor_william_d_phillips. >> shtml >> >> University of Sydney staff, students and alumni can attend for free but you >> will need ID. If you have any problems getting a seat secured please RSVP to >> me and I’ll put together a list of SoP staff and students for seat >> allocation. >>

Phil

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Dear fellow ASCers,

One of the things to come out of the ‘Inspiring Australia’ report is the formation of an ‘expert working group on science and the media’ (Recommendation #10 – Strengthening the media’s role in communicating science). The focus is on the mass media, including new media (social networking, blogging and citizen journalism will be considered briefly but it will be impossible to do this area justice within the timeframe we have and it is envisaged that a broader new media working group will be established by DIISR at some point). A copy of the full ‘Inspiring Australia’ report can be downloaded at http://www.innovation.gov.au/inspiringaustralia

AusSMC has been asked to lead the working group and help it come up with a series of recommendations to feed into the national Inspiring Australia strategy. Many ASC members have expertise in the area of science and the media and indeed some of you are either on the panel or will be contacted individually to contribute to the process.

This email is to let the ASC community as a whole know of the group’s existence and to invite you to make short submissions to the panel if you would like to. Because of the tight timeframe and limited resources, submissions should preferably be limited to one page (and no more than 2 pages) and need to be received by the AusSMC by the end of August. Please make them as relevant to the main tasks of the group as possible.

The group’s main task will be to develop a national strategy to strengthen the media’s role in communicating science. This will involve:

a) A review of the current Australian situation for science and the media;

b) Analysis of opportunities to improve media (including new media) coverage of the sciences;

c) Identifying methods to support and encourage programs/activities that increase the potential for media and new media engagement with the sciences; and

d) Identifying options for enhanced connections between the media and scientists.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts. I am especially keen to hear about any papers you have written or read that provide some hard data and/or analysis to the current situation or that enable comparisons between Australia and overseas.

Cheers

Susannah

Dr Susannah Eliott

Chief Executive Officer

Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC)

Street address: The Science Exchange, 55 Exchange Place, ADELAIDE SA 5000

Postal address: PO Box 237, RUNDLE MALL SA 5000

Ph: (08) 7120 8665 | Fax: (08) 8231 7333 | www.aussmc.org http://www.aussmc.org/

The Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC) is an independent, non-profit service for the news media, giving journalists direct access to evidence-based science and expertise. The national centre is advised by a Science Advisory Panel and governed by a Board of Management. It is supported by a wide variety of sectors with each contribution capped at 10% of total running costs. Foundation sponsors are the ABC, APN News & Media, Cochlear Foundation Ltd, CSIRO, Fairfax Media Ltd, the Govt of SA, Innovative Research Universities Australia, Macquarie Bank, Media Monitors, News Ltd, New South Wales Govt, Orica Ltd, Queensland Govt, ResMed Inc, the Royal Institution of Australia, the State Govt of Victoria, Network Ten and the University of Melbourne. Gold Sponsors are ATSE, Cisco Systems Inc., CSL Ltd, IBM Australia, Johnson Winter & Slattery, Shell Australia Ltd and the University of Adelaide. Supporters include AMTA, FASTS, Microsoft, Powerhouse Museum and Flinders University.

Disclaimer: Please note that any views expressed are the personal opinions of the experts named. They do not represent the views of the AusSMC or any other organisation unless specifically stated. The AusSMC attempts to provide a range of views from the scientific community. The AusSMC can help journalists find an expert on a topical area of science. For more details, contact us.

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Sydney Shove Thursday 29th July. ================================

THURSDAY 29th July is our next shove, we have :

Dr. Marianne Jauncey and Jennifer Holmes.

Respectively, Medical Director and Clinical Services Manager at the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre, Kings Cross.

The topic

WIN ONE OF THREE PROF BUNSEN SCIENCE PACKS Prof Bunsen is giving away three amazing science packs that are bursting with exciting science activities perfect for amateur scientists, science teachers, children and their parents. *Each amazing science pack includes*:

• A Fun Fly Stick to levitate and fly foil objects around the house using electrostatics; • A Rubber Flubber Experiment Kit for engaging rubber science labs; • A 3D Mirascope that will instantly project an illusive image of an object; • A Fountain Connection to create a water fountain inside a soft drink bottle; • A pack of Colour Changing Ducks and • A Mighty Seltzer Rocket to be blasted off using fizzy tablets. *For your chance to win one of 3 amazing science packs, valued at $100 each, tell us in 50 words or less the most memorable experiment you performed as a kid*.

To enter email your answer to competitions@cosmosmagazine.com. Please ensure you include your mailing address and telephone number. Terms and conditions can be found at http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/competitions/

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