ASC2023: Hindsight, Insight, Foresight

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How to get there and what to expect


Global misinformation may seem a modest threat in comparison with, say, all-out nuclear war – but it is no less deadly in the long run because it disables the very quality on which humans most pride themselves. The ability to think, understand and act rationally.

Julian Cribb AM, founding ASC President

Last updated: 04 February 2023

Hindsight, Insight, Foresight (February 15-17 2023) will bring together those who work, research, study, or have an interest in the communication of science all together under one dome … the Shine Dome in Canberra.

At the 12th National Conference, the hope is that we can all take stock of the impact of the past couple of years and reflect with the goal of informing our approach to the challenges of the coming decade.

The program will be established in broad overlapping streams, to provide opportunities for everyone to engage with the speakers most relevant to their interest, as well as with others across the sector. The pillars of activity include:

  • communications & public affairs,
  • academic research,
  • outreach & engagement,
  • policy development & advice,
  • education & training, and
  • literature & arts.

As a foundation to these professional pillars, we hope to delve into critical issues for our sector, from the inclusion of global and Aboriginal knowledge systems to expanding diversity and equity, and increasing general appreciation of science communication expertise.

We will also take time during the conference to further progress the forward-looking strategic plan for the Australian Science Communicators.

The program is now available, yet it is still subject to change.

ASC2023, Hindsight, Insight, Foresight will be held at the Shine Dome in Canberra, ACT.

Main page | Welcome reception | Gala dinner | Post-event | EMCR day | Program | Talks, panels & workshops | Speakers | Buy tickets


Code of Conduct & COVID-19 policy

The world is still in the midst of a pandemic, with the impact of COVID-19 reaching far into our community. We recognise that in 2022, COVID-19 was the third largest killer in Australia, and that cases are continuing to rise this year.

Our COVID-19 policy is pragmatic considering impact our event policy can have in the context of the national policy and the environment we are all in prior to and after the event. We will continue to monitor the situation, and follow the advice from health officials in the ACT. Our policy aims to reasonably minimise the risk of transmission:

COVID-19 is primarily airborne, and dilution and filtering of air significantly reduces the risk of transmission. One of the key reasons we have chosen the Shine Dome as the venue is the large air volume inside the venue and wide seating arrangement in the main theatre. Where possible we will also be opening doors to increase fresh air circulation. We know that this is not preventative of transmission, but does drastically reduce the risk.

Vaccines drastically reduce the chance of death from COVID-19. We thoroughly recommend conference attendees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, however that best applies to your personal health situation. Organisers will not seek to check your vaccination status, but reserve the right to exclude anyone who advocates anti-vaccination sentiment during the event or confronts others about their vaccination status.

Masks drastically reduce the risk of transmission, especially when worn by those who are infectious. The conference team will have masks available on site for anyone who wishes to further reduce their risk of transmission. We respect (and many of us explain) public health measures, but we also recognise the Levinasian value of direct, face-to-face engagement. Everyone, whether they are wearing or not wearing a mask, will be treated with the utmost respect at the conference.

While the virus is primarily airborne, hand hygiene is still important. There are hand sanitiser stations available around the building, but remind everyone that soap and water is more effective if you have a particular concern around coronaviruses.

Rapid Antigen Tests detect the vast majority of infectious patients. If you have any reason to believe that you may be positive for the virus, we request that you perform a RAT prior to attending, and even if it is negative that you strongly consider wearing a mask during any times indoors or near others. If purchasing a RAT is not possible for you, the conference team will have limited stock available, but you must reach out before turning up requesting one.

We especially encourage anyone who is at all concerned that they may be unwell with COVID-19 to refrain from attending the conference. While we no longer have an offical online option, we will do what we can to ensure you retain access to the conference content.

While at the conference, all guests, organisers and staff are subject to the Code of Conduct policy of the venue.

Important Dates

N.B.: Dates are subject to change. Make sure to check back to this page for updates.

Abstract submission

The abstract submission form is now closed for talks & workshops – you are still welcome to submit a poster.

There are options to present a case study or research talk, facilitate a panel discussion, run a workshop, and share digital posters. While workshop submissions have officially closed, we still invite you to contact us if you have any interest in running a workshop, especially for mid- to advanced-career members.

And if you have an idea to run something outside the box, just get in touch and we’ll see if we can fit it in.

Head to the form to enter your abstract and some details. Note that for confirmation of your presentation or session, you must have acquired a conference ticket.

Get in touch at asc2023@asc.asn.au if you have any difficulty with the form.

Tickets

Tickets are available at the membership site. Significant discounts are available for ASC members, and are auto-applied. Ensure you are logged in to make sure you are getting the best price available.

Normal ticket: $1549.90 Early bird: $1161.75
ASC member ticket: $1259.60 Early bird: $944.70
Student member ticket: $1007.60 Early bird: $755.70

Note that the early-bird discount of 25% off is automatically applied and will expire on 31 December. Update: Early bird tickets are no longer available.

An additional 10% off is available for corporate members purchasing more than 3 tickets prior to January 16.

Note that due to a quirk of the membership system, GST is only applied at the end of the cart. The above prices are the full fees.

NB: all talk and workshop presenters will need to have a paid ticket for confirmation of their presentation in the program.

Catering at the venue and for the conference dinner is included in the ticket price, with dietary options available.

Should you wish to invite guests to accompany you to the conference dinner, there are additional tickets available for individual purchase ($253). This is actioned by clicking ‘save and add additional attendee’ on the ticketing form. Get in touch if you have any difficulty with the form.

Note that any ticket purchase after 6 February is not guaranteed to have catering available.

Increasing access

We are aware that people may experience a range of barriers to attending live events such as this. While our resources are sorely limited, our aim is to address those barriers wherever possible. Rather than offer specific grants such as childcare or travel, the team want to hear directly from anyone for whom access might be improved. This will enable us to seek out and develop appropriate support, targeted towards individual requirements.

Please keep in mind that the organising team is small, and resources accordingly limited. If you identify a barrier that you anticipate may prevent you attending, please let us know as soon as possible. The more time we have, the more likely we’ll be able to develop a solution or support. Reach out via asc2023@asc.asn.au so that we can discuss how we might facilitate your attendance.

How about hybrid?

Update: unfortunately, we did not reach our threshold to be able to offer online access for the conference.

There is still a little time for us to coordinate something if you’ve just not been able to get around to purchasing a ticket, or asking for online support. Please reach out to us via asc2023 @ asc.asn.au.

We appreciate that there will be an interest in online access for the conference. We want to pursue hybrid options, but for this to be financially feasible we need to generate adequate funding to employ the additional technical staff required. We are, therefore, offering online-conference tickets at a price commensurate with the cost of supporting online engagement along with other venue and operational costs.

Normal ticket: $1330.00
ASC member ticket: $1040.00
Student member ticket: $832.00

Online tickets will be available until January 16. If by this date the online option is not well enough subscribed to cover the cost of delivery, we will give purchasers the option of converting their online ticket to an in-person ticket or receiving a full refund.

Regardless of whether we end up with enough interest to be able to afford making ASC2023 hybrid, we are looking forward to a suite of events online through the 2023 calendar year.

Social events and professional development

We’re also putting together a couple of social events (the rough outline listed above). If you’d like to support the coordination of such an event, please enter your details here and the team will be in touch.

Note that separate social program add-on tickets are available for family or friends not attending the conference who you would like to invite to come with you ($50.60). Social program add-ons do not need to be linked to a conference-attending member.

There is a professional development session running as a satellite to the conference, targeted to those with a science background who are entering the field of science communication. Go here for more details.

About Canberra

Weather

Located inland, Canberra experiences widely ranging maximum and minimum temperatures. February is the second warmest month of the year, with typically warm, dry days reaching highs of 28°C and lows of 14°C, on average. With 13.5 hours of sunlight per day and only occasional light rain, humidity averages around 50%.

Accomodation and travel

UPDATE: We have secured accomodation discounts for anyone booking accomodation.

QT is offering a significant ‘special offer’ by visiting this link. Select QT Canberra, enter dates from 14 Feb – 17 Feb, and the number of people and click GO. Click I have a code and in the Block Code field ender ASC2023. Click update and the special rate will appear on the rates screen.
Alternatively, you can call the reservations team (+61 2 6267 6244 reservations_qtcanberra@evt.com) and quote the block code ASC2023.

Novotel Canberra is offering a ‘special offer’ by booking via this link. They have made the rate available for any stay length between 13 and 17 Feb (inclusive). These rates are subject to availability.

Ovolo Nishi Canberra is offering a 15% discount by using the promo code OVOLOXBIZ – this code will be valid for the conference dates by booking online. Again, this rate is subject to room availability.

If you’re travelling by air, you will be landing at Canberra Airport, a 20 minute journey from the city centre and the conference venue. The airport has hire car options, an Uber pickup spot (~$20), taxi rank (~$25), as well as a public bus ($5) (Rapid 3) that operates 7 days a week and departs every 15 or 30 minutes on weekdays and weekends respectively. There’s a ticket machine at the airport within the arrivals hall.

Bus transit is available from Melbourne or Sydney, and you would arrive at the Jolimont Centre near the city centre. This is a 10-15 min walk from the conference venue. Cost of fares from Sydney average around $40 one-way and take 3-4 hours. Melbourne transit can be found at around $80 one-way and takes over 8 hours.

If you’re booking accomodation, we recommend looking around the New Acton, Acton, Turner and Braddon area. All are within reasonable walking distance from the Shine Dome venue and offer a range of price point and style. We are currently attempting to coordinate an accomodation package with local hotels, but we do recommend that you go ahead and book your accomodation as soon as you’ve decided you’ll be attending ASC2023.

The inner city area of Canberra is mostly flat, so transit by walking is reasonable comfortable. The ACT also has e-scooters for casual hire that can make getting around faster. Some places of accomodation provide bikes. The light rail and bus system are connected, and day tickets are available for less than $10, with unlimited use of the system. A hire car may be more suitable for anyone hoping to visit some of the more distant sights, such as Tidbinbilla National Park or Mount Stromlo Observatory.

February and March are festival months in Canberra, so you may find it worthwhile to stay a few days past the conference to explore the region or partake in The National Multicultural Festival (17-19 Feb).

Volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to support your community, and we truly value the contribution our volunteers make. We are offering heavily subsidised tickets to volunteers, commensurate with the amount of time donated. If you are interested in volunteering, please enter your details here and the team will be in touch.

Sponsorship

We thank the Australian Academy of Science for their generous support, without which we would not be able to host the conference in this beautiful venue. We highly recommend the Dome as the ideal venue for events such as conferences and meetings, and we encourage anyone planning future events in Canberra to check out their website.

You’ll note there’s not a huge number of sponsor logos here. If you or your organisation has an interest in sponsoring the conference, there will be a range of opportunities. Please send us an email at asc2023@asc.asn.au


Main page | Welcome reception | Gala dinner | Post-event | EMCR day | Program | Talks, panels & workshops | Speakers | Buy tickets