This month we write from different continents with Tom still traveling Europe after the PCST conference where we put forward our bid to host PCST2027. You may have had the opportunity to attend the webinar on PCST but for those who couldn’t make it, Tom has promised to give a thorough update on how PCST went, however it’s been hard to resist the warm sun of Malta. In short, we did not win the bid, and we’ve received some feedback that will inform any future bid attempt. 

Last month we also had a webinar with the ASC’s Science Meets Parliament delegates. We hope to have the recording online soon – just as soon as we recover access to our YouTube account! Stay tuned.

Looking forward, it’s time for us to be thinking about the next ASC conference, and it’d be great to get some help with this and create a conference committee. Expressions of interest are open for those who wish to help, gain experience or be a part of organising the next conference wherever it may be. Some of you may be aware of some of our initial ideas but nothing is confirmed so be creative. Fill in this form if you’re interested in being a part of the organising committee.

Finally we’d like to end with a reminder that we’re always on the lookout for people who want to help ASC, or are looking to gain experience in ways that ASC can help. If you’re wanting more experience interviewing, writing articles, policy, government or advocacy work, website, project or event management, please get in contact. We’d definitely appreciate the help.

We hope this note finds you in good spirits. Last month, our colleagues Claire, Phil, Adam, Preeti, and Isabella represented the ASC at Science Meets Parliament. They had the opportunity to engage with policy-makers and stakeholders, and reported having a great and inspiring time. We will post a detailed blog and webinar about the event and their experience soon.

In the past month we have also provided input into two national policy issues and extend our gratitude to those members who contributed. We contributed to STA’s submission on Developing Advanced Manufacturing in Australia and secondly, both of us have contributed to a roundtable with the Chief Scientist on the refresh of the National Science Priorities and Statement. We expect to share these submissions publicly soon. We thank those who have contributed to this process – your insights and perspectives are invaluable. If you are interested in contributing to the policy sub-group in the future, please let us know (contact@asc.asn.au).

Looking ahead, we know many will be attending the PCST conference in Rotterdam (April 12-14). Tom will be attending, presenting our in-person bid for the 2027 PCST conference. We wish Tom and all ASC members the best of luck, and look forward to hearing about your time and gathered insight.

You may have noted that we’ve started to publish some pieces on the ASC2023 conference, including most recently, Prof the Hon Kim Carr’s speech on A Scientifically Engaged Australia. Keep an eye on our blog as we continue to publish resources and pieces there.

Finally, we have become aware of a contract issue within the Inspiring Australia Network that has ramifications for science communicators and the community in the ACT. We are following up with our colleagues in this space and investigating how the ASC can best support. We will keep you informed via our blog or email but should you wish to have additional engagement, feel free to get in touch.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to another exciting month of science communication!

Tom & Jirana

You’d think that we’d be taking a break and resting after what was a very busy and overcommitted month, however, after finishing the conference and EMCR intensive (which you can read about here), we switched gear and have been hurriedly finalising our bid for PCST 2027. Hopefully March will bring us some respite before Tom travels to PCST, and Jirana holds down home-base. Please let us know if you’re going to Rotterdam as well.

As some might remember, we talked about having a Special General Meeting during the conference to address ticket pricing and strategic direction. We weren’t able to make it work in time, and have opted to hold a virtual meeting instead. Once we’ve everything ready, we’ll let you know via email. 

The conference brought about many action items, and we’ll start actioning these while we still have momentum. Looking forward, we’ll start connecting with branches this month, start planning out events for the year, focus on putting the new strategic plan into place … and hopefully have a second to breathe! If you have webinar or event ideas for professional development of the ASC membership, please let us know about it and email office@asc.asn.au with your idea.

If we haven’t said it enough already, thank you for making the conference amazing. We’ll let you know about the next one as soon as we can – in the meantime, if you’d like to help out with the next conference, please get in touch office@asc.asn.au.

We start this issue of SCOPE with a huge thank you to the membership for your continued support and our re-election into the Co-President role. We’re a little daunted by the list of things we’re tackling over the next 12 months, but we are excited by the challenge and the potential for success. A bit thank you also to Jen (VP), Cass (Treasurer), Ruby (co-secretary) and Kate (co-secretary) who put their hands up to be on the National Committee. We’re really excited with what this team has to offer, and feel privileged to have their expertise, willingness and support.

Also at the AGM we farewelled Kali Madden and thanked her for her years of service to the ASC. We are looking forward to having the opportunity to properly embarrass her at the conference in February. Get your stories and photos ready! We also held the inaugural Honours & Masters Research Symposium and Careers Night. The talks will be online soon for anyone who wasn’t able to attend.

Along with early-bird tickets being available now until 31 December, we are pleased to share that abstract submissions for the ASC conference are open. The link to tickets and abstract submissions can be found on the conference page, along with the timeline for when early bird and hybrid tickets run out. We understand that it is a busy time of year, but we do ask that for anyone who is considering presenting a case study, some research, or something else, to please fill in the form as soon as practical.

Our new Executive Committee members were elected at our 2022 Annual General Meeting in November this year. The Committee is responsible for managing all the ongoing strategic and operational needs of the ASC at a national level.

Please join us in welcoming the new team! They’re excited to be leading you into the new year.

Dr Tom Carruthers and Jirana Boontanjai: Co-Presidents

Tom and Jirana are experienced science communicators and former Co-CEOs of Pint of Science Australia. Their professional experience spans education, government, non-profit and agency sectors.

As Co-Presidents, together they lead all strategic, operational and community engagement responsibilities for the ASC. This will be their second year in the role.

Dr Jen Martin: Vice President

Jen founded and leads the University of Melbourne’s Science Communication Teaching Program and hosts the Let’s Talk SciComm podcast. She also talks about science on radio, writes for a variety of publications and MCs events.

This is her second term in the role of Vice-President.

Cassandra Layne: Treasurer

Cassandra is part of the communications team at the Australian Academy of Science and a glass artist. 

She took over the treasurer responsibilities earlier this year after former treasurer, Aiden, stepped down.

Ruby Stoios and Kate Bongiovanni: Co-Secretaries

Ruby is an aquatic ecologist and evolutionary biologist with an interest in science communication.

Kate is a science communicator and climate researcher investigating how volcanoes affect our climate.

Both Ruby and Kate are new to the role.

We’d also like to thank past Executive Committee members for their contributions:

• Michelle Riedlinger – stood down as Secretary early in the year. We thank her for her contribution and continued advice and counsel.
• Amy Chen – jumped in as Secretary for the year and has been a powerhouse of coordination. She stood down in November at the AGM. Thank you for your contribution and passion.
• Aiden Muirhead – stood down as treasurer mid 2022. We thank her for her contribution to ensuring the strong financial position of the organisation.
• Joh Howes – Vice President this year is standing down as she is moving overseas. We wish her all the best of luck in her future endeavours.
• Lisa Bailey – Former President, who has provided a wealth of knowledge and support throughout the course of this year, and her continued advocacy.
• And, of course, thank you to the many past members of the Executive Committee from previous years, who have all contributed to the success of ASC!

We took a double take when we went to write this month’s edition as it’s been one year since we were elected – how time flies!

This month we are looking forward to what has become ASC Day, Wednesday 16 November. First we will be holding the AGM – please RSVP as soon as possible.

Following the AGM, we have the Honours & Masters Research Symposium featuring students from across the country as they share their work over the past year. To conclude the symposium, we are holding the annual ASC careers event online. Make sure to register now to access this exciting event. The same link gives access to both events as part of the symposium.

Looking forward, we’re frantically doing the behind-the-scenes work to make sure we have an exciting, thought provoking and educational program for the conference. Check out the conference page and keep an eye out for early-bird registrations and abstracts opening this month.

See you all at the AGM and symposium!

The months really do seem to rush faster and faster as we approach the end of the year! We’re working hard on the February 2023 conference, but it’s a lot of load on the tiny conference team whose personal/professional lives are very busy. If you can spare some time and help us out, please get in touch. We aim to have more communication about the conference coming out this month, stay tuned.

Also, we’d like to share that the 2022 AGM will be held on November 16. We strongly encourage any members who are interested in assisting ASC in establishing the new strategic plan to join the committee, no prior experience is necessary. All we ask is for passion and some time to support the ASC into its new era. All financial members are requested to RSVP for the AGM, and for those who can’t attend, please submit a proxy using the same form.

We’re also keen to share that through the strategic review, we’ve identified a gap in opportunities for honours and masters students completing research projects in science communication. In response, we’ve initiated an annual symposium in November for these students to present their research to the wider ASC community. We’re currently looking for submissions, and once a date is confirmed, we will advertise the event for attendees and encourage the entire SciComm community to come along and support these students. Keep an eye on SCOPE, the ASC-List and social media for updates and progress on all of the above.

J&T

An internal delay with us sending SCOPE this month has meant we are coinciding with the day much of the world pauses to acknowledge the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. We acknowledge her significant impact on the world over the past 70 years as Australia’s Monarch, and pay our respects. We’ve written a little more on this below.

We made it to September – we hope you’ve had a grand science week and hopefully a few days to rest and recharge after what will have been a very busy month for many in our community.

We’re nearing the final stages of our discovery process as part of the strategic review. We recognise that not everyone was able to attend the roundtables, so the team is underway with a form that covers the broad concepts covered. We will send out a note via the ASC mail list and on our socials as soon as it is ready, along with a more detailed update on the whole process, so keep an eye out.

Last week we held what was the last of our National Council meetings for the year (the next time we all get together will be the AGM in November). It was a great moment to take stock and look forward to next year. Most excitingly, we finalised the date for the next ASC conference. Get in touch via the form linked in the below segment if you’ve an interest in being involved with the organising committee.

Until next month, T&J

Welcome to possibly the busiest STEM event month in the year. For those not in the outreach sector, National Science Week is around the corner, held this year 13-21 August. There is still time to register an event on the national website – even if it is a private one. This small step helps demonstrate to our national leaders the interest and passion of the STEM outreach movement in Australia, and helps justify the continued national support for the festival.

If you are running an event, remember that both JCOM and PUS journals accept case studies. The evaluation resources available on the science week website can help, and there are academics within the membership who are keen to assist. Reach out to us if you’re keen for us to put you in touch with someone who can help.

For those of you who are regular readers of SCOPE, you’ll know that the Executive Committee has been dedicating the majority of our resources into the ASC strategy revision over the past 7 months. With the conclusion of 4 public and 1 internal round table (and a number of targeted interviews), this process is well underway. There’s still more to complete over the coming months, but we are quietly confident the effort will be worth it, resulting in a valuable and implementable strategy the whole membership can get behind. 

It is our vision to have a draft strategic plan outlined for the organisation in time for discussion and review at the next conference that we hope to hold within 9 months. We will soon be assembling a conference committee so if you’re keen to be involved, please get in touch.

And finally, while we are proud of the progress we have made this year toward the strategy and operational review, our passion for events has us itching to deliver something not centred on strategic review. We’ve a shortlist of ideas and will be putting the word out very soon on some exciting things to get involved with.

All the very best of health and success for Science Week.

T&J