Translating science into action

Science is a discipline that can make a major difference to society, but scientific results often need some help to be translated into actions. This joint event considers the different disciplines that help convert science content into actions in the community:

– Extension officers are educating farmers about scientific research that can improve their crop yields and farming practices

– Interpretation experts are informing the community about scientific research that helps study and protect natural resources

– Science communicators are promoting scientific research that is making a difference to our health, society and economy.

Join representatives of these three disciplines to discuss the different challenges and techniques involved, and the similarities and differences between them. A panel of experts representing the Australian Science Communicators, the Australasia-Pacific Extension Network and Interpretation Australia will provide an overview of their disciplines, and will discuss how they would tackle a hypothetical situation in the community.

Date: Thursday 1 July from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm Venue: CSIRO Discovery, Black Mountain site, Clunies Ross St, Acton Price: $5 for APEN/IA/ASC members, $10 for non-members, including refreshments RSVP (for catering): ASCcanberra@gmail.com

For more information, including speaker details, see http://www.asc.asn.au/2010/06/science-into-action/

Unravelling the mysteries of chromosomes: Implications of the tight DNA packing for medical genetics and disease Wednesday 16 June, 5.30-6.30 pm Finkel Lecture Theatre, The John Curtin School of Medical Research, ANU More info at: http://billboard.anu.edu.au/event_view.asp?id=61783

Observing climate change effects using the Earth’s gravity field

The Earth’s gravity field varies from place to place and from one day to the next. The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) is a revolutionary satellite system that allows scientists to use gravity changes to observe critical rates of ice mass loss in Antarctica and Greenland. It can also show changes in the water storage in river drainage basins such as the Murray-Darling Basin. This talk will provide an overview of these results as well as outline NASA’s plans for the next such mission by 2016.

Dr Michael Watkins is the Project Scientist for the GRACE and GRACE Follow-On missions at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. He was responsible for much of the development of the GRACE mission and continues to play a lead role in science analysis for the mission, as well as leading the Follow-On mission. Dr Watkins is the also the Mission System Manager for the Mars Science Laboratory, responsible for the development of the operations system and mission design for this next generation Mars rover.

This public lecture follows a day-long conference on the GRACE mission’s science outcomes and future prospects. All are welcome to attend the day’s program during which scientists from Australia and around the world will present information on space gravity satellite missions and associated results on climaterelated studies of melting rates in Antarctica and hydrological signals.

Speaker/Host: Dr Michael Watkins Venue: Shine Dome, Gordon St, Canberra Date: Wednesday, 26 May 2010 Time: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Enquiries: Paul Tregoning on 6125 5510, ANU Events on 6125 4144

Discovery after dark

CSIRO Discovery Centre presents a FREE evening of science fun for grown-ups. You ought to reward yourself after a long hard day at work. CSIRO Discovery Centre invites you to an evening of after-hours fun.

While exciting new local band Graveyards provide the ambience, you can: * bring out your inner child in our hands-on laboratory * let our 3D theatre blow your mind * watch our sticks insects and turtles teach you who’s boss in our Live Creatures show.

To cap off the night, we present an open-mike event. Celebrating International Year of Biodiversity, bring along your own performance piece on the theme of biodiversity, nature, science or discovery. It could be a poem, story, song, drama, comedy piece or party trick! It must be your original creation and not more than two minutes in duration.

Compete for massive prizes – A$1000 in book voucher prizes.

Event details 5.30 pm – Doors open and cocktails served 6.00 pm – Local indie band Graveyards play in the Discovery atrium 6.30 pm – Live creatures show 7.00 pm – SPECIAL OPEN MIKE EVENT – emcee local experimental poet Hal Judge.

Flyer and more details available at http://www.csiro.au/resources/Discovery-After-Dark-biodiversity.html

A position is being advertised for a new manager at the Discovery Science and Technology Centre, in Bendigo, VIC. Please note carefully the contact details below – I’m just the messenger and can’t answer your questions!

The science of…art

Can you picture Einstein’s theories illustrated in clockwork? Or the delicate lacework of a crane fly’s wings captured in ink? Come and explore the nexus of science and art with two leading Canberra-based scientific artists (or artistic scientists?) at this event run by the Australian Science Communicators (ASC) in Canberra. This is part of the Canberra ASC group’s ongoing ‘the science of…’ series.

Join Tim Wetherell, a sculptor and science writer, and Jessica Miller, a visual artist and scientific illustrator, for a colourful and close-up exploration of the links between science and art.

We’ll also be launching the year’s program of events, so come and find out what other exciting things we have planned for the year.

Where: CSIRO Discovery, Clunies Ross St, Acton. When: Monday 10 May from 6pm Cost: $5 for ASC members, $10 non-members Special offer! If ASC members bring a friend, the member gets free entry and the friend gets in at the member’s price! RSVP: asccanberra@gmail.com Free wine, beer and tasty refreshments provided.

About the presenters

Tim Wetherell was born near Bradford, Northern England, in 1962 and having completed school went on to gain a PhD in physics at The University of St Andrews. In 1990 he emigrated to Australia and undertook a Graduate Diploma in Sculpture at The Australian National University. Tim now works as both a professional sculptor in Canberra and as a science writer at ANU. See some of his work at www.timwetherell.com.

Jessica Miller is a visual artist and scientific illustrator. She completed a bachelor degree at Newcastle University (Natural History Illustration) and now lives in Canberra. She works full time at the Australian National Botanic Gardens and is currently managing a project to supply weed images to a Government website. She also studies Natural Resource Management at ANU. Jessica has recently worked on botanical illustrations for CSIRO magazines and the Flora of Australia, and is really interested in the debates around the validity of art used for science. See some of her work at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=421145&id=757515149&l=ad711077df.

Liz Yuncken Memberships and Publications Manager CSIRO Education

Phone: +61 2 6276 6264 | Fax: +61 2 6276 6641 elizabeth.yuncken@csiro.au | www.csiro.au Address: PO Box 225 Dickson ACT 2602

PLEASE NOTE The information contained in this email may be confidential or privileged. Any unauthorised use or disclosure is prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please delete it immediately and notify the sender by return email. Thank you. To the extent permitted by law, CSIRO does not represent, warrant and/or guarantee that the integrity of this communication has been maintained or that the communication is free of errors, virus, interception or interference.

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

_______________________________________________ ASC-list mailing list list@asc.asn.au http://www.asc.asn.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=97&Itemid=115

Hello ASC members

I’m researching the inner workings of science shows and theatre and would greatly appreciate the thoughts of presenters on ASC. My research aims to delve deeper into a show’s impacts, especially their emotional and motivational effects.

I’d really appreciate if any science show/theatre presenters out there could complete the survey at:

http://tiny.cc/presentersurvey

Pretty please spread the word – I’d appreciate any thoughts on other networks I can distribute this through.

Thank you Graham Graham Walker PhD Candidate Centre for the Public Awareness of Science The Australian National University Email: g.walker@anu.edu.au Web: http://cpas.anu.edu.au Telephone: 02 6125 9224 (overseas until mid June 2010)

Hi all Some Canberra ASCers are attending the lecture “More than meets the eye: conservation as a public health imperative” at ANU on Friday night and will follow up with dinner afterwards. We haven’t organised a venue at this stage so if you have any particular suggestions get in touch!

http://billboard.anu.edu.au/event_view.asp?id=59965

Public Lecture More than meets the eye: conservation as a public health imperative

Speaker/Host: Dr Aaron Bernstein, Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston Venue: The Finkel Lecture Theatre, The John Curtin School of Medical Research Date: Friday, 16 April 2010 Time: 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM Enquiries: Ros Hales on 6125 5627, ANU Events on 6125 4144

Biodiversity loss, namely a reduction in the variety of life on Earth, continues relatively unabated worldwide. Biodiversity loss represents far more than a loss to experience nature’s beauty or to benefit economically from nature. The simplification of the biosphere has profound and well-known consequences for human well-being. Biodiversity serves as a repository for new medicines and as a source of insights into human disease. It can provide a check up on the spread of infectious diseases and it also delivers a host of goods and services such as food, water and air purification, and regulation of climate.

In this lecture, Dr Bernstein will present examples, including evidence from recent emerging infectious diseases in Southeast Asia such as SARS and Nipah virus, that biodiversity is a public health matter. He will argue that human well-being is tied to the well-being of all species and that we must take care of biodiversity if we are to take care of ourselves.

Aaron Bernstein, MD, received his AB from Stanford University and medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed residency in the Boston Combined residency in Pediatrics of Harvard Medical School and the Boston University School of Medicine and has since joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston where he works as a pediatric hospitalist.

He is a lead author and co-editor of Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity, the most comprehensive and accessible account available of the ties between human health and the natural world, and which has been named one of the best biology books of 2008 by the Library Journal.

In 2008 he was named a Harvard University Zuckerman Fellow.

Dr Aaron Bernstein’s speaking tour has been made possible by the Thomas Foundation Conservation Oration presented in partnership with The Nature Conservancy.

Presented by the Institute for Population Health, ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment.

Liz Yuncken Memberships and Publications Manager CSIRO Education

Phone: +61 2 6276 6264 | Fax: +61 2 6276 6641 elizabeth.yuncken@csiro.au | www.csiro.au Address: PO Box 225 Dickson ACT 2602

PLEASE NOTE The information contained in this email may be confidential or privileged. Any unauthorised use or disclosure is prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please delete it immediately and notify the sender by return email. Thank you. To the extent permitted by law, CSIRO does not represent, warrant and/or guarantee that the integrity of this communication has been maintained or that the communication is free of errors, virus, interception or interference.

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

_______________________________________________ ASC-list mailing list list@asc.asn.au http://www.asc.asn.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=97&Itemid=115

CSIRO’s largest research division, Plant Industry, has a rare opportunity for a science communicator looking to take on a new role. Two Communication Officer positions will soon be available, providing a great opportunity for two communications professionals to join Australia’s largest and most highly respected research organization. Working with some of the world’s leading plant scientists to promote groundbreaking research to the general public, the roles will suit someone with a science communication background who can transform sometimes complex science into something newsworthy. Both roles are for a period of 12 months, starting in May 2010. The position description and selection criteria can be found here: https://recruitment.csiro.au/asp/job_details.asp?RefNo=2010%2F50

Please use the contact details listed with the selection criteria if you need more information about the position.