Tag Archives: Vic

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

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·         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

ASC movie nights are back in 2016!

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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
 

ASC online shop

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Thanks to George Aranda for the story behind the new ASC shop!

In October the ASC-Victoria organised an event for The Martian. To celebrate this event I asked James Hutson how he felt about putting together a t-shirt, around the great line in the film “I’m going to have to SCIENCE the shit out of this.” Unbeknownst to me, James had been involved in discussions with a previous incarnation of the ASC exec years ago, about the idea of putting together an online shop with all sorts of ASC merchandise. Chatting to the current ASC executive, they were all very keen to revisit the idea of an ASC shop, and the feedback from the ASC community on Facebook has been great. There have been a handful of sales, include several requests to increase or reduce the level of swearing on this first t-shirt.
Hopefully we can come up with more ideas for t-shirts and other items that can fill the ASC shop!
George Aranda wearing a T-shirt from the ASC online shop

George Aranda wearing a T-shirt from the ASC online shop

Event review: The Laborastory

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Thanks to George Aranda for the event review!

“I had the good fortune of being part of a special edition of “The Laborastory” for National Science Week. The organisers of this local monthly staple of science storytelling stepped up and convened the event at St Michael’s Uniting Church in Melbourne’s CBD. Some 600 people turned up on the wintery evening to listen to science communicators such as myself, Chris Lassig, Katie Mack, Clare Hampson, and Teresa MacDonald. We talked about some of our favourite scientists in front of the church’s massive pipe organ, with projection artwork and a science choir (The Gaussian Ensemble). Great to be part of such a creative night of science communication, which was recorded, and the audio can be found at http://thelaborastory.com and video on Youtube.”

The Laborastroy, at St Michael’s Uniting Church in Melbourne’s CBD.

The Laborastroy, at St Michael’s Uniting Church in Melbourne’s CBD.

Some 600 people attended the event.

Some 600 people attended the event.

 

National Science Week Victorian Event Holders Meeting for 2015

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National Science Week is Australia’s largest national festival. Running each year in August, over 1,000 events take place across the country with more than 1,000,000 people involved.

The National Science Week Victorian Coordinating Committee invites you to our National Science Week (SWk) Victorian Event Holders meeting. Join potential and committed event holders for an evening of networking, collaboration opportunities and a discussion of science communication in Victoria.

Event: National Science Week Victorian Event Holders Meeting for 2015

Date: Wednesday 22 April
Time: 4:30pm – 6:00pm
Venue: LAB14, 700 Swanston Street, Carlton
Refreshments provided.
Numbers are limited, please RSVP to Carly on (03) 9252 6472 or carly.siebentritt@csiro.au

National Science Week 15-23 August 2015, www.scienceweek.net.au 

 

Vic Event: Pre National Science Week Mixer: Open Mic Night

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24 July 2014
6:30 pmto9:30 pm

National Science Week (http://www.scienceweek.net.au) will be here soon (August 16-24) and we’d like to celebrate it with an Open Mic Night. Come on down to our Pre National Science Week Mixer and mingle with people who have events as part of National Science Week.

When: Thursday 14th August, 2014, 6:30-9:30pm
Where: Markov, Carlton (350-352 Drummond Street, Carlton, http://www.markov.com.au)
$$: This event is FREE.
Who: Come on down and please bring any interested people you know

We will be inviting science-minded people from all over Victoria, including Melbourne Skeptics, Inspiring Australia, Young Scientists of Australia, National Science Writers, the Royal Society of Victoria, Nerd Nite Melbourne, Laborastory Melbourne, University Science Societies and more.

Event-holders will be given the opportunity to briefly talk about their shows and we will be giving away door prizes (including free tickets to The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared, out on 21 August) and National Science Week ‘goodie-bags’ to create a fun networking experience.

Please RSVP via Eventbrite

Victorian 2014 special general meeting

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15 April 2014
6:00 pmto8:00 pm
6:00 pmto8:00 pm
6:00 pmto8:00 pm
6:00 pmto8:00 pm

Missed the ASC conference? Haven’t yet caught up on all your podcasting? Join your ASC Vic colleagues and share the best bits of the conference together.This is your chance to continue discussions started at the conference, chat to your fellow ASC Vic members and have a say in the ASC Vic branch committee.

Continue reading →

Inspiring Australia update: Poo Power! is ready to light the world

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The range of projects funded by Inspiring Australia’s Unlocking Australia’s Potential program is breathtaking, with a spread across animal, vegetable and mineral topics. Here’s news about one project that combines at least two of the three.

 

 

 

 

While cleaning up after your dog, have you ever thought, ‘What a waste of perfectly good dog waste!’? Probably not, but Duncan Chew has.

Self-described ‘dog poo entrepreneur’ Duncan Chew was among the recipients of an Inspiring Australia grant in 2012. His project, Poo Power!, uses science to address the issues of how can our cities and communities live more sustainably, and further what do we do with the 1,350 tonnes of dog waste produced in Australia annually?

The answer is to light the world (or at least urban parks of Melbourne) with Poo Power! The project will see a series of biogas generators turn dog waste into energy for lighting up Melbourne parks, at the same time as engaging audiences on the issue of ‘what is waste?’, and the potential opportunities posed by reassessing waste management practices.

So, as part of the Sustainable Living Festival, Duncan Chew and Melbourne filmmaker James Boldiston will be presenting on the project and its various arms at noon on Saturday 16 February 2013 in ‘The Big Tent’ at Federation Square.

And as part of the wider State of Sustainability program, a second Poo Power! event will be held at Village Rivoli Cinemas on Thursday 21 February 2013 at 6:30pm, where James Boldiston’s humorous documentary, Dog Poo: The Truth at Last, will receive its Melbourne premiere.

Full event details and ticketing are available at www.poopower.com.au . For more information about Poo Power! or for media requests, contact the team at info@poopower.com.au .

This Inspiring Australia initiative is supported by the Australian Government through the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education in partnership with the Yarra Energy Foundation.

Inspiring Australia update: Museum Victoria Launches Field Guide app

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Developing purpose-built apps is potentially a very powerful tool for science communication. But the apps arena is still new to us and apps can be very expensive to create, test, promote and/or market. Are any ASCers working on apps that they can talk about? Here’s news of a new science related app and a teaser for an upcoming app partially funded by Unlocking Australia’s Potential grant round earlier this year.

For those divers and snorkelers amongst you, Museum Victoria today launched the Bunurong Marine National Park Field Guide app in conjunction with Parks Victoria.

The app documents over 300 species found in and around Bunurong Marine National Park, a park comprising over 2,000 hectares spread out along six kilometres of Victorian coastline. Museum Victoria has also previously released the Field Guide to Victorian Fauna, which provided images and details of over 700 species found throughout the state.

In combining new media with their existing resources, Museum Victoria is expanding its audience reach at the same time as making its content accessible anywhere, anytime, to Australians with a dedicated or just cursory interest in our native environment. It is envisaged that the app will be used not just by individual users, but by other educative institutions such as aquaria, schools and wilderness groups, helping to inspire a love of science and nature in more Australians.

Those of you who are interested in the app should also keep an eye out for Museum Victoria’s next mobile device app – the Field Guide app to Australian Fauna. In partnership with other state and national institutions, and with the support of federal government Inspiring Australia initiative, the app will provide images and details of over 800 species found across Australia.

The Bunurong Marine National Park Field Guide app is available for free download from iTunes and Google Play.

 

Victorian Branch

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VICTORIA

The Victorian Committee of the ASC promotes and supports science communication by organising professional development and networking events for local ASC members. We invite knowledgeable and relevant professionals to speak on current issues relating to science communication.

Previous Events

The Brain That Repairs Itself?
Tuesday September 13 2011

Dr Clare Parish and Dr Lachlan Thompson, from the Florey Neuroscience Institutes, gave a special talk to ASC members about the latest treatments for neurological conditions including stroke, motor neuron disease, Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Stem cell therapy offers a contemporary way forward for people seeking treatment for these neurological conditions.   Clare and Lachlan are trying to stop brain degeneration by placing genetic material directly into a cell, delivering signals to tell the cell to stay alive.

Novel sci-comm activities targeting adults
Tuesday 2 August 2011
The Victorian re-science team ( www.re-science.org.au ) has been piloting novel events in unusual venues and everyday environments which target adult audiences. Whether it is scientists presenting at the local fruit ‘n’ veg market or a drama & science performance at Melbourne Anglican Cathedral these ideas are novel experiments in science communication.

Communicating science in a crisis
Tuesday 5 July 2011
Ed Sykes from the Australian Science Media Centre and Dr Mark Quigley, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch to discussed how scientists, science communicators and the media dealt with this year’s natural disasters. What are the lessons for future reporting?

Science Centric 2010
Bring along your colleagues and friends for a social evening, a chance to meet Melbourne’s leading science communicators and to find out about ASC future activities and plans.

What do the public really think?
How easy is it to conduct a survey? What can surveys reveal? And how can we use them to better direct our communication efforts. A discussion on public surveys, polls and focus groups with speakers from the academic, private and government sectors.

Bushfire Science: communicating in an emotionally charged environment
Using the Black Saturday bushfires as a case study, panellists discussed the role of scientists, science communicators and the media in communicating science in an emotionally charged environment.

Brochures, banners and budgets. Oh my!
A designer, a publisher and a typographer provided insights about design matters and the sometimes complex journey in producing printed resources such as public brochures, banners and annual reports.

 

Web 2.0: A practical info session for science communicators
A fascinating discussion on the world of Web 2.0 with experts and academics speaking about the possibilities for science communicators.

Science Centric 2009
A “meet up” for science communicators and their mates held at the Three Degrees Bar and Brewery in central Melbourne.

Movember – Science communication and men’s health
Health communicators, scientists and staff from ‘Movember’ led a panel discussion on how we might better communicate the science of men’s health issues.

ASC Victorian Committee (2010–2011)

President: Ian Muchamore  vic_president@asc.asn.au

Vice President: Laura Miles

Treasurer: Jason Major

State Representative to National ASC Council: Maia Sauren

Committee Members: Niall Byrne, James Hutson, Adrienne Jones, Vivienne Lee, L.E. Ohman

Updated September 2011