2017 ASC Grants Program recipients

After another year of high quality applications and a rigorous review process, we are pleased to announce the following winners of the 2017 grants program:

The ASC Professional Development Grant worth $600 was awarded to student member Shanii Austin.

Shanii will be using the grant to assist in attending the 2018 Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) Conference in Dunedin, NZ. The conference will run from 3-8 April, 2018, and is hosted by the University of Otago.

This will be her first conference that discusses current science communication research, which will give her valuable insight into the latest developments in my field, as well as the opportunity to network with the global science communication community. She has also submitted an abstract to speak at the conference, so is hoping to share some of her ongoing Masters research about live science shows.

We look forward to hearing all about it when she returns. So keep an eye out for her article in Scope come May.

How did Shanii sum up SciComm in one tweet? #scicom: how to take complex info, make your audience excited by it, and empower them to share it with the world

The Peter Pockley Grant for Professional Development in Investigative Journalism worth $600 was awarded to Viki Cramer.

Viki will be using this grant to attend the Monthly Masterclass “The secrets of good science writing” presented by Jo Chandler, 24 November 2017 in Melbourne.

Viki specialises in writing about the environment, and is excited to spend a day learning from an award-winning journalist who also writes about the environment.

She hopes to gain from the class how to write great pitches for Australian publications that run science-based pieces. She expects to learn how to better balance science, character and context for both short articles and features. Her ultimate outcome is that she successfully pitches to The Monthly.

We wish her all the best and also look forward to hearing how the Masterclass went in December.

How did Viki sum up SciComm in one tweet? #SciComm: telling clear and compelling stories about science that capture the imagination, challenge ideas and create momentum for change.

The MD Writing and Editing ‘Writing a Journal Article’ e-Course was awarded to student member Ravindra Palavalli Nettimi.

Ravindra is a PhD candidate at Macquarie University (and one of two new national web editors for the ASC) and is excited to hone in on his journal writing skills through undertaking this new e-course led by Malini from MD Writing and Editing. The timing is good as he is currently preparing three manuscripts for scientific journals and believes the training could be a great help.

How did Ravindra sum up SciComm in one tweet? #Scicomm is an art that uses stories & emotions to make #science and its process accessible to everyone while engaging more people in it 

Read about Ravi’s grant experience here.

A big congratulations to all the 2017 grant recipients and we can’t wait to hear all about your professional development and possibly entice other members to undertake similar courses in the future.

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to submit an application, and we wish you all the best for future years.

Ian and Miriam

ASC Grants Program co-managers

2017 ASC Grants Program now open

Better late than never!

We are proud to again launch the ASC Grants Program, now in its fourth year.

This year, three grant opportunities are on offer. Two, worth up to $600 each, are specifically focused towards professional development.

One of these is fairly open to interpretation – anything (within reason) which improves your skills in the SciComm sector. The Peter Pockley grant is more specifically focused towards enhancing your investigative journalism skills.

Previous ASC PD grant recipients have undertaken short writing workshops, used the funds to travel overseas and last years recipient used the funds to support herself to travel to Iceland to undertake and international writing course.

Previous Peter Pockley grant receipts have used the funds to learn more about podcasting, and one recipient even used it for travel funds to organise an internship with ABC Radio National’s The Conversations program – a great idea and opportunity.

The possibilities are endless, as long as you are a current financial ASC member and your application is related to developing your skills – we are all ears!

We are also very proud to again be partnering with Dr Malini Devades, from MD writing and editing, who is offering one member the opportunity to take part in her brand new journal writing e-course worth a total of $400+GST.

Do you struggle to find time for writing? Do you spend endless time revising draft after draft? Or are you just not confident in your writing skills?

Wouldn’t you love to be able to write your journal articles faster, creating a good first draft that you then efficiently revise and copyedit, ready for submission?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, then this opportunity may be just what you need. In this 8-week e-course, you will be given the tools you need to write a clear, concise and compelling journal article. You will be applying everything you are learning to your own journal article and will have deadlines to motivate you to get it done!

Interested in applying for the above three opportunities? All the application forms and further information are available via www.asc.asn.au/grants and all questions can be emailed to grants@asc.asn.au and we’ll get back to you with an answer.

Get in quick as it is a short round this year and applications close September 29 at 11:59 AEST. Eligibility requirements are emphasised on the grants page but we do ask that those who receive a grant are able to use it within the financial year and as part of accepting the grant, you write a short article for the Scope member e-newsletter so we can hear about what you got up.

Good luck with your applications

Ian and Miriam

Co-managers, ASC Grants program

The outcome of the 2016 ASC Grants Program

Now in its third year, we again had a number of high calibre applications submitted into our Grants Program. We only wish we could award everyone who applied and of course thank all those members who took the time to apply for the grants and internship on offer.

After a peer-review process, we are pleased to announce that the recipients of the following ASC Professional Development Grants for 2016 are:

The ASC Professional Development Grant worth $600 was awarded to Lydia Hales. Lydia will be using the grant to attend the 2017 Iceland Writers Retreat. The Writers Retreat includes five workshops, a welcome dinner, receptions, and writing tours. The workshops are capped at a maximum of 15 people, with an emphasis on interaction between the featured authors and the attendees. Read about Lydia’s adventures in Iceland here.

The Peter Pockley Grant for Professional Development in Investigative Journalism worth $600 was awarded to Kylie Sturgess. Kylie will be using the grant to attend the CAL writing creative radio workshop in Katoomba during December. Kylie is keen to extend her audio skills in long form format and the science documentary field, and we felt that she was a worthy recipient of the prestigious Peter Pockley grant. Hopefully we’ll be able to reap the rewards of Kylie’s PD come the new year.

The MD Writing and Editing Coaching Program was awarded to student member Sarah Bradley. Sarah wants to undertake a PhD in the future and hopes that through this experience she can write more clearly and in a form that is easy to understand. We are sure she’ll benefit from Dr Malini Devadas tuition, and again thank Malini for offering this experience to our members.

The Cosmos Media Internship was awarded to Andrew Stapleton. Andrew plans on starting his internship in mid-late January, 2017, where he will gain invaluable experience from other writers and editors and learn the ins and outs of one of Australia’s most respected science magazines.

“While it was a difficult choice, Andrew’s passion for science magazine journalism and engaging new audiences, along with his science background and keen interest in developing his skills, led us to conclude that he’d be the best fit for this internship.”

— April Reese, Managing Editor, COSMOS Magazine

Please join me in congratulating our members on their awards and we look forward to hearing about their PD in coming weeks and months through the Scope e-newsletter.

Once again a big thank you to our 2016 sponsors and we look forward to working with you in the future to provide further opportunities for our members.

Thanks,

Drs Ian McDonald and Miriam Sullivan

ASC Grants Program Co-Managers

Grant Round Open for Inspiring Australia – Unlocking Australia’s Potential

The Federal Government’s Unlocking Australia’s Potential grants are about inspiring people with science.

$5 million is available across three categories for projects delivered over the next three years.

Projects will represent a national mix of activities involving a variety of audiences, geographic locations and scientific topics. The grants round aims to inspire a program that focuses on priorities such as – but not limited to – youth, Indigenous communities and regional Australia.

Applications are sought in the following categories:

  • Up to $5,000; typically for individuals or small organisations.
  • Up to $45,000; for high impact science engagement projects at regional or national level.
  • Up to $500,000; for organisations and partnerships delivering high impact, nationally significant projects.

Each category will have the same eligibility and selection criteria and grant selection process, but with different levels of detail required.

Grant applications will be assessed by an independent selection committee, with successful projects expected to be announced by May 2012. Applications must be submitted online between now and 29 February (4:00pm AEDT) 2012.

Comprehensive guidelines are available or you can call 02 6270 2803 for more information.

Apply online by 29 February 2012

Guidelines, Frequently Asked Questions and How to Apply can all be found here.

New science communication grants

A great opportunity awaits two fortunate project groups. The availability of two Sustainable Science Outreach Grants from DIISR’s Science Connections Program (SCOPE) has just been announced.

Two $50,000 grants are available for science communication programs for regional and remote communities that combine science with social science/arts and make use of local content and partnerships.

Details are on the Science Connections Program (SCOPE) web site:

https://grants.innovation.gov.au/SCOPE/Pages/Elements.aspx#sustainable

Geoff Crane, from Science Communication and Strategic Partnerships at Questacon, Canberra, asked me to promote these grants to ASC folk. Geoff‘s contact details are email: gcrane [at] questacon.edu.au, Ph +61 2 6270 2880, web: http://www.questacon.edu.au

Cheers and good grant application writing,

Jesse Shore

ASC President