Resources from “Best Practice Boothing” NSWk Masterclass

ASC-WA held an ASC members-only, free masterclass in the lead up for National Science Week. This masterclass explored case studies, group discussions and handy hints for members to get the most out of their booth and informal engagement strategies in the lead up to and during events like Perth Science Festival.

ASC-WA President Renae Sayers says:

I’m happy to report a valuable session we had on the 27th of July and we’re keen to share the resources for those who could not attend or live stream in.
Attached are the presentations, reports and notes from discussions that explored case studies and handy hints for science communicators to get the most out of your booth and informal engagement strategies in the lead up to and during events for National Science Week (and beyond!).

A huge thank you to our presenters who gave up their time and expertise during this busy period, and our WA members in attendance. It was lovely to catch up over a glass of wine and cheese as always!

Featured:

  • Professor Leonie and Richard Rennie – sharing the outcomes from the evaluation report of ‘World Biotech Tour’ zone at 2016 Perth Science Festival, highlighting visitor impressions from exit surveys after experiencing a range of activities, exhibits and displays.
  • Sarah Lau, Communications Manager Dept of Water – Communication pearls of wisdom and getting staff on board for the best booth experience.
  • Josh Richards, Mars One candidate and science communicator – sharing his impact metrics from publicity feats and media.
  • Carmen Smith, Executive Officer Western Australian Coordinating Committee for National Science Week (WACC)

Covered:

  • Identifying and targeting your audience, outcomes
  • Visual and participation hooks, conversation starters
  • Common pitfalls and troubleshooting
  • Social media pre, during and post event

We wish you all the very best for this exciting time, and look forward to crossing paths with the plethora of phenomenal WA events.

Warm regards,
ASC _WA

 

Download the documents below.

Analysis of the Perth Festival Exit Survey Report Engaging your staff in engagement activities – Sarah Lau Evaluation of the World Biotech Tour JR – Quick & Dirty Social Media Perth Science Festival Impact Report. FINAL Toolkit – for science communicators – Inspiring Australia

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.

Event review: The Laborastory

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.

 

Pre National Science Week Mixer

Kick off your National Science Week with a bang at the Markov in Carlton Thursday 13th August from 6pm!

Your ASC Vic are once again hosting a celebration mixer event on the eve of the big week. Part social, part networking, part informative, part entertainment, this is the chance to get together, have a drink, win a lucky door prize and hear from the event holders themselves about what will be happening during national science week!

This year we are taking our mixer to the next level with international guest, Yvette d’Entremont, aka SciBabe. Cost is free, but we would love it if you could register through our Facebook event, so we can keep track of numbers.

If you are an event holder and you would like to come along to spruik, please drop an message to our President George Aranda. We are also happy to hand out promotional material if you have any.

Time: 6pm

Date: Thursday 13th August

Place: Markov, 352 Drummond Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3053.

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 

 

Event review: Served with a sprinkling of science

Organisations involved in food production, processing, distribution and policy face considerable challenges and opportunities as a result of a range of forces, including globalisation of food systems, growing consumer expectations, economic growth and demographic shifts (particularly in developing countries) environmental issues including climate change, and the growth of chronic diet and nutrition-related diseases.

In response, an interdisciplinary research group at the University of Adelaide is working to develop new research projects in the area of ‘Making ‘good’ food: interdisciplinary approaches to understanding food values and policy’.

National Science Week provided the perfect opportunity for the team to explore how people make decisions about novel foods that have scientific, social, environmental and economic dimensions. The team’s successful bid for funding with an SA Community grant in conjunction with National Science Week allowed them to hold an event “Served with a Sprinkling of Science” What would you put on your plate at which they could collect data, in real time, from the audience using the KeepPad™.

Speakers for the event were each allocated a topic:

  • Martha Shepherd, Galeru and ANFIL (native foods)
  • Tony Lufti, Greenwheat Freekeh (ancient grains)
  • Rachel Burton, ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls (GM foods)
  • Bob Gibson, FoodPlus University of Adelaide (functional foods)

for which they discussed cutting-edge food research currently underway from scientists and other experts.

By allowing the audience to participate directly in the event, the team gained valuable insights into how the audience make decisions about novel foods that have scientific, social, environmental and economic dimensions.

Event organiser Heather Bray said, “We wanted to do two things. We wanted to find out what people think about food made with science, as well as finding out if events like this can engage people in the issues.”

The event was a great success, with the organising team gathering a number of novel and significant data sets which they are hoping to publish – keep your eyes peeled for that in the near future.

‘Served with a Sprinkling of Science’ was also showcased recently at the joint meeting of the History of Science Society and the Philosophers of Science Association in Chicago, USA, as an example social engagement.

Organisers would like to thank ASC President Joan Leach for the brilliant job she did hosting and facilitating the event – her contribution meant that they could sit back a little and monitor how things were going, a key factor in the events huge success!

 

 

 

 

Dinosaur Island

20 August 2009
6:00 pmto8:00 pm

Join palaeontologist and educator Scott Sampson for a guided tour of Cretaceous West America. 100 million years ago it became an island. On this diminutive landmass a spectacular array of giant dinosaurs evolved: from horned, duck-billed, and armoured plant-eaters to meat-eating tyrannosaurs and smaller “raptor-like” predators.

Date: Thursday 20 August 2009
Time: 6pm for 6.30pm
Location: Redback Brewery 75 Flemington Rd North Melbourne

RSVP James Hutson (james@scienceinpublic.com.au or 0405 131 747)

Scott is a Canadian palaeontologist who has a dual position at the University of Utah as Research Curator at the Utah Museum of Natural History and Research Associate Professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics.

Sampson was the primary scientific consultant and on-air host of a four-part Discovery Channel series called Dinosaur Planet, and is presently serving the same pair of roles in a PBS children’s series called Dinosaur Train, produced by the Jim Henson Company.

Sampson has recently shifted his focus towards science education and is arguing for radical changes in education as a key factor in resolving the current sustainability crisis.

Further reading:

Scott’s University of Utah page
Scott’s Edge.org bio