ACT Careers event Zoom: tomorrow evening (Thu 21 Oct)



Want to build your career in science communication? Then the science communication careers event is for you.

On Thursday October 21, the Australian Science Communicators ACT Branch will deliver their annual careers showcase event with a panel discussion to highlight a range of career opportunities. Breakout networking rooms will follow to give you the chance to speak directly to professionals in the field and have your questions answered.
Join us from your home, workplace or couch and discover where a career in science communication can take you.

Our three panelists for the event are:
1. Isla Nakano – Science communicator & digital content producer. [More information about Isla]

2. Dr Simon Torok – Director of Scientell. [More information about Simon]

3. Cassandra Diamond – Executive Manager of Business and Operations for CSIRO Education and Outreach . [More information about Cassandra]

This event is being held online via Zoom, moderated by Toss Gascoigne.

Date and time: Oct 21, 2021 05:30 PM in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney

Registration is required and free for all prospective scicomm job seekers in Australia.

Register via Zoom

Members Q&A series – Joan Leach 24 July 2020

Join us for the next event in our members Q&A series where we will be joined by Joan Leach, Director Director of the Australian National Centre for Public Awareness of Science at the ANU (colloquially known as ‘CPAS’) since January 2016. CPAS’s research and teaching interests are varied and interdisciplinary- covering science communication, public engagement, policy, knowledge brokering, risk, and ethics. We’ll explore how CPAS is responding to the challenges and opportunities this year has thrown at us, what sci-com research we should be paying attention to and how sci-com teaching at CPAS has translated to online delivery. Friday 24 July 4pm AEST (BYO knock off drinks!) via Zoom webinar Register now via this link This event is free for all current ASC members – to join or check your membership status visit http://www.asc.asn.au/join/      

Official notice of the ASC AGM, Canberra, 19 December 2017

The ASC AGM is coming up in Canberra (and also online) on Tuesday 19 December 2017.

The 2017 AGM is an opportunity for members to hear about the year’s events at the national level, and to have their say about what should happen in the year to come. It also includes reports from the President and Treasurer.

When:
Tuesday 19 December 2017, 6.00pm AEST

Where:
Whisky Room, upstairs at the Civic Pub, 8 Lonsdale Street, Braddon, Canberra ACT
Doors open at 6pm for a 6:30pm start. Food and drinks available. If in Canberra and coming to the pub, reserve your seat here: https://www.trybooking.com/TDXL (seats are limited!) May include: meeting, drinking, socialising, games, etc

Virtual:
A Skype (or other) meeting will be set up for those unable to attend in person.
We will also be able to Livestream the event. More details to follow.

RSVP:
secretary@asc.asn.au

Only financial ASC members are eligible to attend the AGM.

Agenda

Proposed agenda items, notices of motion and treasurer nominations must be received by 6pm AEST Friday 8 December 2017, and can be sent to Teresa Belcher, National Secretary (secretary@asc.asn.au).

Treasurer vacancy

Members also have the chance to elect a new National Treasurer. Due to family commitments, our current treasurer Pete Wheeler is resigning after 5 years of service. We’d like to thank Pete for being such a stalwart contributor in the engine room of the ASC, overseeing the association finances and related compliance and reporting in times of change, and keeping the national executive up to date on all things finance during this time.
Nominations for Treasurer should be accompanied by a nomination statement (<400 words) of skills/experience in relation to the position. Note that notices of motion require a proposer and a seconder, and nominations for Treasurer need to be agreed by the nominee.

Proxies

Members unable to attend the AGM in person can give proxies to other members attending the meeting. This means that unless members are at the physical meeting in Adelaide, you will need to designate a proxy to vote.

To designate your proxy:

  • Download and complete the proxy form, and ensure a copy of this form is with your proxy to take to the AGM (Word and PDF)
  • Notify the National Secretary, Teresa Belcher (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 6pm AEST Friday 15 December 2017

Please note that votes will remain confidential. All proxy forms will be collected and destroyed after the AGM.

The following items are current as of 22 November 2017:

Pre-National Science Week Mixer – Victoria

Have you got an upcoming event to spruik as part of National Science Week? Or maybe you’d like to hear about the events happening in your area?

Join the Australian Science Communicators Victorian branch and other science-enthusiasts for an open mic and networking night. We’ll open the floor to National Science Week event-holders who’ll share what they’ve got planned for the big week ahead. There will also be door prizes up for grabs.

If you’d like to talk about your event in 1 minute on the night, please contact us via the link below. If you can’t make it along, we’ll be happy to show your promotional material.

The Wild Melbourne Journey – A case study in science communication

The Wild Melbourne Journey

Wild Melbourne

This is a FREE event but places are limited so register your attendance here and stay tuned for updates at the Facebook even page here.

 

And that’s a wrap! Here’s a story from our day at the beach #scistoryASC

Thanks to Sarah Keenihan for this post

Science is renowned for being factual, emotionless and objective.

So how on earth can we convince non-scientists that it’s also beautiful, revealing and intimately connected with life?

By creating stories.

On Friday June 3, ASC South Australia was delighted to host the event Storytelling in Science Communication: a day at the beach.

With a full house in attendance, we explored the role of storytelling in science communication, and considered the importance of culture, character, structure, mood, narrative, emotion, vulnerability, voice, crisis and resolution in attracting and enthralling audiences as we write, draw, talk and perform science.

We also discussed how digital tools can be used to support storytelling in science communication, including the creation of well-structured written content, the use of bespoke and meaningful images, putting audience at the forefront of communication design and thinking, the importance of multi-faceted production (audio, visual and textual content) and using social media effectively to attract and sustain audience interest.

A number of links and tools were mentioned throughout the day: here is a reference list to remind attendees and share ideas with others who weren’t able to be there.

Other useful links:

A very big thanks to all our attendees for this event. It was great fun to put together and we hope you found it useful and inspiring!

 

 

 

 

 

 

You ask the questions… turning the tables on the media on 27 June.

·         Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in a newsroom?

·         Who decides what stories to cover and when?

·         Where do science stories fit in?

·         And how do you get your research in the news?

Join us on Monday 27 June to find out as the Australian Science Communicators, Royal Society of Victoria, and Science in Public team up to introduce you to our local Melbourne science (and science-interested) journalists.

We’ll bring together a panel of working journalists from print, TV, and radio to tell us about what they do, and what they look for in a story. 

The panel will give you an introduction to the needs and challenges of TV news, radio, and the daily press.

We’ll kick off with a few questions like:

·         What turns science into news for them and their audiences

·         What they need to tell your story

·         How you can help them engage their audience and stay true to the science.

Then you can turn the tables and ask them your questions.

This event is FREE, but you’ll need to reserve your place via Eventbrite.
When
: Monday 27 June – nibbles and networking from 6pm, forum to start at 6.30pm


Where
: Royal Society of Victoria, 8 La Trobe St, Melbourne
Register at
:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/meet-the-press-melbournes-science-journalists-tickets-25768278615

Event reflection – ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’

As science communicators, when we write about scientific discoveries for public consumption, we often search for the ‘so what?’ in the story – what are the implications for human kind and how will this discovery improve our lives for the better? But for discoveries in pure mathematics, there is often no application at all. Or at least an application may not be known right away.

This month, ASC Victoria continued its series of science movie nights in Melbourne with the screening of ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ – a bio pic based on the short but incredible life of self-educated genius mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887- 1920).  It’s a story that explores the art and divinity of pure mathematics, as well as Ramanujan’s own struggle against British superiority and the rules of ‘empiricism’ or having to prove his mathematical theorems.

Dr Kevin Ormann-Rossiter – physicist, science historian and writer – primed us before the screening, giving some insights into Ramanujan’s world.  Ramanujan, he explained, was revolutionary not only for his mathematical discoveries but because he led the way for Indian academics to travel to England for study and to gain recognition on the world-stage. Much of what’s  known about Ramanujan’s journey from clerk in Madras to fellow of both Trinity College, Cambridge and The Royal Society, is through the accounts of Cambridge Mathematician GH Hardy – the man who brought Ramanujan to Cambridge, helped publish his work, and formed with him a kind of  ‘odd couple’ partnership.  Spoiler alert though:  Ramanujan’s life was cut unfortunately short when he succumbed to illness at only 32.

As someone who’s never been gifted in mathematics, I’m fascinated and awed by people with mathematical minds. The first time I ever heard about Ramanujan was actually via The Simpsons. At Simon Singh’s public lecture in Melbourne a few years ago ‘The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets’, Singh talked about the number 1729 and why it is slipped into the odd Simpsons episode by the show’s writers. It’s called the Hardy–Ramanujan number and the story behind it gives a small but compelling insight into the brilliance of Ramanujan’s mind. Hardy one recounted a visit to Ramanujan in a nursing home:

‘I remember once going to see him when he was lying ill at Putney. I had ridden in taxi cab number 1729 and remarked that the number seemed to me rather a dull one and that I hoped it was not an unfavourable omen. ‘No,’ he replied. ‘It is a very interesting number. It is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways.’

It’s a key scene featured in the film that fans will likely anticipate.

For mathematicians and math fans such as those behind the Simpsons, using the number 1729 is a silent homage to Ramanujan and a symbol of love for his work. But for the rest of us, The Man Who Knew Infinity offers an accessible inroad through which we can gain a greater appreciation for the beauty of pure mathematics and the freakishly talented humans who are able to play with it.

By Victorian Committee Member – Laura Boland

Sharing amazing science stories at FameLab 2016

Thank you to Sarah Lau for the post.

I recently had the honour of MCing the WA semi-final of FameLab 2016 at the WA Maritime Museum in Fremantle.

FameLab sees early career researchers share their research in a three minute presentation – using everything from props to poetry, but certainly no PowerPoint!

Beginning in 2005 at the Cheltenham Science Festival, FameLab has grown through a partnership with the British Council to include over 5000 researchers in more than 25 countries, becoming one of the leading international science communication competitions.

In WA, the 12 competitors spent the day leading into the semi-final in an intensive science communication workshop with leading science communicators and broadcasters (and ASC luminaries), including Frankie Lee, Renae Sayers and Kylie Sturgess.

The evening then lit up with the finalists showcasing a diversity of styles and topics to an appreciative audience.

The judging panel had the challenge of evaluating each presenter and presentation on ‘content, clarity and charisma’.

It was a tough call, but the winner of the WA semi-final was Mahmoud Bassal from The University of South Australia, with ‘The Cancer Conundrum’, about genetic and metabolic changes in Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.

Mahmoud also took out the Audience Choice Award.

The runner–up was Toby Brown from ICRAR-University of Western Australia and Swinburne University, with ‘Chasing Shadows’, about how dark matter shapes our Universe.

Programs such as FameLab are important in promoting excellence in science communication and demonstrating the many benefits of communicating research in interesting and accessible ways.

On a personal level, it is a very rewarding experience to be part of a program which helps early career researchers build their communication skills to expand the reach and impact of their research.

If you are in WA this week, you can see some of Australia’s best and brightest early career researchers share their work at the national FameLab final at the WA Museum in Perth on 5 May 2016.

FameLab 2016

ASC movie nights are back in 2016!

infinity email

Join us on Wednesday 11 May at Kino Cinemas to get the know THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY. Starring Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) and Jeremy Irons (Batman Vs Superman), it tells the life story of the extraordinary Indian mathematician and autodidact, Srinivasa Ramanujan. With no formal training in pure mathematics, he made extraordinary contributions to fields of mathematics, including mathematical analysis, number theory and infinite series. His life story was the inspiration for the academy award winning film, Good Will Hunting.

Prior to the screening we will hear from Dr Kevin Orrman-Rossiter, accomplished physicist, science historian, freelance science writer and reviewer.

As always, the cheap price includes popcorn.

Looking forward to seeing you all there.

https://asc-vic-themanwhoknewinfinity.eventbrite.com.au

When: Wednesday, 11 May 2016 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (AEST)
Tickets: $20, including free popcorn