ASC2012 – you *know* you want to go. Here’s why!

27 February 2012to29 February 2012

On the web, your colleague in the office down the hall is as close as the one from the other end of the continent – but wouldn’t it be nice to catch up with all of them in more than 140 characters? In person and in one place? To chat about what they’ve been up to and even get to know all those colleagues you didn’t even know you had? ASC2012 is the place to do exactly that. From February 27 to 29 science (and) communication professionals from all over Australia come together at Sydney’s Masonic Centre to discuss old and new media, past and future campaigns, established and beginning careers…

All chief scientists, including the big cheese of Australian science himself, Ian Chubb, will offer their account of the current state of science and policy in Australia – followed by generously timed Q & A sessions. Of course, among all these celebrities, the communicators’ own perspective on science, politics and lobbyism will not be neglected either!

A wide variety of professional development sessions, many of them in interactive workshop format, will provide new tools for even the most seasoned science communicators. Sci Comm newbies, on the other hand, will find inspiration from other young professionals and tips from veterans during a speed mentoring event.

Among many others we’ll find sessions on the development of professional communication plans, how to spot and fix common problems with science writing and how to communicate clearly and concisely (in three minutes, to be precise…). Yet another session instructs scientists how to manage their relationship with the media – and ensure their work is represented the way they want it to be.

As a matter of fact ASC2012 won’t stop short of new or less common media. We’ll learn about the value of computer games and there will also be a serious look at social media in science communication. The program even boasts a science-art exhibition.

Finally, having all these communication tools is very useful, but how can we know that our strategies are effective and the message reaches the target audience? ASC2012 has a solution for that, too. Several presentations and workshops deal with the evaluation of science communication. Yes, even ASC2012 itself will be evaluated – live on stage!

ASC2012
Getting science where it’s needed
Sydney Masonic Centre
27 to 29 February

View the detailed conference program here.

 

This entry was posted in Latest news, NatConf by Achim Eberhart. Bookmark the permalink.

About Achim Eberhart

Achim Eberhart holds a degree in Biology from the University of Tübingen, Germany and a PhD in Zoology from The University of Melbourne. He has always been enthusiastic about communicating science to a general audience and currently works as a freelance science writer.

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