Tag Archives: science communication

scicommunity: A Web-Based Platform for Community and Communication in Science

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Who are the people in your community?
From my own childhood, and reinforced by more recent viewing with my own children, I recall a Sesame Street ditty showing the value of community:

‘Oh, who are the people in your neighbourhood,
In your neighbourhood, in your neighbourhood;
Say who are the people in your neighbourhood–
The people that you meet each day?’

The melodic answers included familiar faces such as the postman and the firemen; those you could count on to be around each day for a friendly conversation and to discuss issues that affect the community.

As science communicators it can sometimes be difficult to work out who your neighbours are, what your community is. Many of us work in relative isolation on small projects with limited budgets and under time constraints. Heads down and bottoms up, we find little time or opportunity to touch base with each other.

However the launch of the Inspiring Australia strategy in February 2010 provides plenty of incentive for us to forge community. Recommendations from the report refer to the need to conduct community-based activities, to generate collaborative projects, to share information, to raise awareness in youth and under-served groups of opportunities in science and research.

Recently we have been working on a new online resource, dubbed scicommunity, aimed at bringing together these recommendations for Australians conducting science communication and engagement activities.

Inspiring community in science communicators
The goal of scicommunity then is to provide a free online meeting place for Australian science communicators who create a log-in profile, through which a sense of community may be created.By providing a space for people to share their initiatives, scicommunity will open up new collaborations and identify opportunities for outreach and engagement. To this end, and with support from the Inspiring Australia initiative, we recently developed a test site for scicommunity and submitted it to a pilot run. Our current focus is to develop it further and optimise functionality to achieve the following outcomes:

  • easy login and intuitive navigation;
  • facilitate pathways for communication;
  • provide mechanisms to keep informed of community activities;
  • encourage the identification of opportunities for collaboration and mentorship; and
  • allow the identification of gaps in the material and audiences being targeted by science communication.

A role for social media in scicommunity
An additional feature of scicommunity which we are exploring is the use of social media as a community builder.

It’s hard to ignore the presence of social media tools such as Twitter. Whilst Twitter can be a forum for banal chit chat if you allow it to be so, it has emerged as a powerful communication tool for professionals in many fields. In the 2010 Andrew Olle lecture, Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger listed 15 characteristics of Twitter which make it an effective tool for communication and information sharing. Of interest to science communicators may be the following:

  • Twitter creates communities;
  • Twitter is a series of common conversations;
  • Twitter changes the tone of writing;
  • As a search engine, Twitter rivals Google;
  • Twitter is a formidable aggregation tool;
  • Twitter is a great reporting tool;
  • Twitter is a fantastic form of marketing; and
  • Twitter has different news values.

A more detailed discussion of these issues and other features of twitter can be found in this Guardian newspaper article: Why Twitter Matters for Media Organisations (Alan Rusbridger).

You might imagine then, that scicommunity users could create conversations and communities using Twitter as a platform. Capturing these conversations using a hashtag like #scicommunity and supplementing them by further information about our interests and initiatives through the scicommunity website will enable further relationships, collaborations and projects to occur.

Welcome to the community!
Over the Christmas break you’ll no doubt be spending time in your own personal communities and neighbourhoods just like the gang at Sesame Street.  As you start 2011, we invite ASC members to keep their eyes and ears open for the launch of scicommunity, and we hope that it provides you with new ways to connect with each other as a community of science communicators.

scicommunity (www.scicommunity.net.au) is being developed by Kristin Alford, Sarah Keenihan and James Hutson at Bridge8 Pty Ltd, www.bridge8.com.au.

Follow us on twitter: @kristinalford @sciencesarah @jameshutson @scicommunity

What has trust got to do with it?

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Science communicators strive to make science understandable, if not engaging.  Yet, our impact depends on far more than clarity.  When discussing the dangers of climate change or the benefits of a water conservation strategy, we need to have people listening to us, believing us, and heeding what we are saying when they make decisions.  In other words, we need people to trust us.

Trust, according to research in marketing, reflects our perceptions of someone’s competence and their benevolence.  We ask ourselves, does this person know what they are talking about, and are they inclined to be helpful to me?

It is often hard for members of our audience to tell if we are truly competent because we often know more about the topic than they do.  There is rarely a test that they can run beyond checking our track record or relying on our reputation.  Similarly, how can they assess if we will be helpful to their cause or aligned with their values?  Yet, people decide whom to trust every day.  Theorists suggest that these assessments of trust occur through a series of cycles propelled by inferences.

Renowned organizational behaviour theorist, Prof Chris Argyris of Harvard Business School, proposed a ‘ladder of inference’ model to describe the steps that we take to make decisions.  His ladder includes: (1) selective attention; (2) recall of seemingly relevant experiences; (3) making assumptions; (4) inferring outcomes based on the observations and assumptions; and, finally, (5) acting on our conclusions.

A similar process in the course of ‘experiential learning’ was identified by well-known educational theorist, Prof David Kolb.  Kolb noted that we go through learning cycles that involve a concrete experience, observation and reflection on what happened, efforts to generalise from these events, and development of experiments to undertake – employing new strategies that might gain the outcomes that we want.

The study of rhetoric adds consideration of logic, emotion, and character to the mix.  Discourse analysis and linguistics bring in assessment of person, information, and the nature of the interaction, including its ritual elements.   In other words, actor, text, and context.

These theories suggest that a decision on whether to trust someone results from multi-step, cyclic processes involving selective attention, judgments about whom and what are relevant – where emotions can play a role — and inferred conclusions.  That makes the job of a science communicator a lot more than just being ‘clear’.  Trust me …

Want to know more?  The ASC NSW chapter has asked me to host a roundtable discussion early in 2011 with ‘experts’ on trust from a range of fields, far beyond ‘the usual suspects’.  Trust is an area that is ripe for discussion and research.  Stay tuned for details.|

Will Rifkin, PhD
Director, Science Communication Program
willrifkin [at] unsw.edu.au

“What services do science institutions really need from a science communication company?”

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In collating the replies I’ve allowed some duplication to provide different ways of expressing an idea. I leave one brief yet relevant and guiding reply as the last word.

Some services are specific to science communication companies while others could be provided by general communication and marketing companies. Expect some overlap.

A science communication company can help science institutions to:

  • identify their various audiences and the needs of each audience
  • prepare a communications strategy that involves feedback from their audience (e.g. regular phone surveys; product review, other evaluation methods)
  • provide creative, well-informed help with ways to explain difficult science and science-related concepts to particular audiences (e.g. risk, climate change, uncertainty)
  • develop and deliver the messages and media suited for each audience (e.g. design and content of media releases, websites, social media, exhibitions, all print material, multimedia, public and educational programs, radio, etc)
  • help train scientists to communicate their work, empowering them with the skills and tools needed to engage audiences and key stakeholders
  • edit (e.g. putting together the Strategic Plan and proofing)
  • prepare a communications plan and collateral for a specific event (e.g. science conferences, workshops)

Thanks to Sarah Lau (ASC National Secretary and Media and Communications Coordinator, ChemCentre), Clare Mullen (Industry Liaison and Communication Manager, Climate and Water Division, Bureau of Meteorology) and Carrie Bengston (Communication Manager, Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics, CSIRO for contributing to the above.

Thanks also to Jenni Metcalfe (Director, Econnect Communication) for pointing me to http://www.econnect.com.au/services.htm for her list of science communication services. Here is my summary of Econnect’s services:

Engaging the community – designing, implementing, analysing and evaluating community and specialised engagement programs

Research – into target audiences trends, issues and recent relevant research

Planning your communication – review, determine and test communication strategies

Building collaborative teams and networks

Training in communication skills – dealing with media, giving presentations or speeches, skills in engaging communities

Writing and publishing – writing stories that reflect the interests and information needs of your audience for various media

Writing for the web – is different to writing for print. Sci-comm staff can join research or field expeditions to write feature articles.

Editing – substantive edit (content, coherence, flow, structure, and suitability of language) or copy edit (correcting errors)

Interpreting science, and natural and cultural attractions – developing exhibitions and interactive displays, visitor centres, walking trails and signage

Managing the media – conference media management, organise and/or promote events, develop and implement media strategies

The last word goes to Julian Cribb (Principal of Julian Cribb & Associates):

“You might add “not waste the public’s money” (by producing science which nobody wants to adopt)”. In reply to my follow-up question, “Do you think many scientific organisations would appreciate and adopt such advice?”, Julian answered, “The ones that care about getting re-funded do!”

Jesse Shore
National President

Liquid Learning’s National Science Communication Officers’ Forum – ASC free pass

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I’m pleased to announce that the ASC member selected for the free pass to attend the Science Communication Officers’ Forum is Anneliese Gillard of Victoria. It is never easy to choose between worthy candidates and I thank the other applicants for their interest.

I phoned Anneliese to get more information about her than the 25 words of the application for the pass. She joined the ASC this July and is taking advantage of networking opportunities by attending ASC events in Melbourne. She works as a Project Manager at a small Biotech company.

Anneliese is also keen to get involved with the ASC generally, and to provide assistance to the ASC Exec or to the Victorian branch committee with forthcoming events. She says it’s a great opportunity to meet and get to know the amazing set of people who seem to make up this organisation, as well as for her to get active in science communication, albeit from a slightly different angle.

She is looking forward to the two full days of professional development sessions of the forum. I’ll ask her to write an article for the membership about her experience. It would also be good to hear from other members who attend the forum.

Jesse Shore
National President

National Science Communication Officers’ Forum, Melbourne

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ASC is supporting Liquid Learning’s National Science Communication Officers’ Forum to be held 29th & 30th November 2010 at Marriott Hotel, Melbourne.

This is a well structured professional development event with networking opportunities and has an impressive range of speakers including several ASC members. Dr. Rob Morrison, ASC vice-president is delivering a half-day work-shop on the 1st of December 2010.

Liquid Learning offers a 10% discount off standard registration fee to all current ASC members.

Also there is one free delegate pass to the event for a current ASC member. To apply for the free pass write in 25 words or less why you want to attend the event and email it with your full contact details to Kali Madden at office@asc.asn.au by 21 October. The ASC Executive will make the selection and I will inform the winner promptly.

For full information and registration information see http://liquidlearning.com.au/llg08/November/

Cheers, Jesse

Jesse Shore

President, Australian Science Communicators, 2010

http://www.asc.asn.au/


‘Why is it so?’

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“Why is it so?!” is a science catch-cry from 20 years ago whose time may have come again. Those of us familiar with Julius Sumner Miller’s science programs on ABC TV (http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/whyisitso/) from 1963 to 1986 or his 1980s Cadbury commercials have his catch-phrase, “Why is it so?” etched into our minds. Sumner Miller would demonstrate some surprising physical phenomenon, exclaim “Why is it so?” and then go about exploring and revealing the underlying science.

I recently attended the National Steering Committee Meeting on Developing an Evidence Base for Science Engagement in Australia. This group is part of the action to implement recommendation 15 of the Inspiring Australia report, “That the national initiative support a program of research in science engagement – such as baseline and longitudinal and behavioural studies, activity audits, program evaluations and impact assessments – to inform future investment decisions by government and its partners.” As part of our discussions we concluded that around 10 of the 15 recommendations required evaluation to determine their potential or realised effectiveness.

At the end of the meeting we realised the widespread need and importance of evaluation and related measures but wondered how to get our message across to the decision makers in the funding agencies. How do we cast the last of 15 recommendations, the one which sounds like an arid accounting activity, as the foundation for most of the rest of the report? “Recommendation 15 is the Julius Sumner Miller question,” I said. Perhaps we can sell evaluation to the money people as the justification to ask ‘Why is it so?’ to every question of expenditure in the report.

Evaluation has many purposes. In the context of science communication it measures whether our activities change the way people engage with science. We observe a phenomenon of audience behaviour and ask “Why is it so?”. Then we investigate using a reliable way to gather and measure evidence and seek to formulate the science of what is happening. Evaluation may be a form of ‘market research’ but its potential is far beyond the meanings associated with that term. Evaluation is still in its early days.

I’m pondering whether evaluation will be to science communication as peer review is to the scientific process. Science communication has some peer reviewed journals but science communication research is a small part of our overall work to make science accessible. Perhaps not everything needs to be evaluated there are plenty of activities that would benefit from a rigorous evaluation of expectations and outcomes.

Peer review evolved gradually with the scientific process over the last few hundred years. I suspect that evaluation and the wider field of evidence based measures are at an early stage of the development of their species. They will mature through advancements in behavioural psychology, the use of increasingly insightful interview techniques and a deeper understanding and more rigorous application of statistical analysis.

I welcome your thoughts on this. All comments will be carefully evaluated.

Jesse Shore
National President

What counts in science communication?

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These days many science awards, although being primarily for research, also require evidence that the candidate has played a role in science communication.  Because of ERA descriptions and other measures of research and publications, most judges can evaluate the strength of a researcher by using clear and agreed indicators (peer-reviewed publications, citations, ARC grants, patents etc), but it is harder for them to evaluate the submitted claims about involvement in science communication. How does “subject of media interview” compare with “gave presentations in schools,”  or “participated in National Science Week” with “delivered several talks for Rotary” and similar?

Sometimes the standard of competing entries is so high that the perception of good science communication can be a deciding factor in who wins or loses an award. As science communicators, we can help in this process by detailing some of the activities embraced by the broad brush of science communication and giving them a rough hierarchy (at least within categories) to show what we consider to be significant work in our field and help to have that recognized within the nation’s science awards.

The following is neither comprehensive nor prescriptive, but may start the ball rolling. It has received some input from experienced science communicators already, but science communication is such a broad field that there will be other activities that we will have missed, and there are varying activities and awards in different states.

The final list will be audited by the executive, but remain open for suggestions.  Please send any to rob.morrison [at] flinders.edu.au One note of warning: it is impossible to get down to very fine detail so a huge list of headings will not help.  Please use existing headings where possible, adding examples to show what such a heading might be interpreted to include. Of course, if there is something new to be included which does not fit an existing heading, then please submit it.

Significant Achievements in Science Communication

This list is neither comprehensive nor prescriptive, but gives some guidance as to the relative importance of various science communication activities when considering these in science awards. No section is considered more important than another but, within each section, those items of higher significance are placed higher in the list. Please note that awards etc are those that specifically  recognise science communication, not science research.  Allowance should also be made for the fact that various awards, activities etc may be available in some states and territories and not in others.                                                                                                                               (Updated: 1 July 2010)

SCIENCE  COMMUNICATION  AWARDS

National Awards
* Eureka Prizes for Science Communication (especially Science Promotion; Science Journalism, People’s Choice)
*  Prime Minister’s Prize for Teaching
* National Media Awards for Science Journalism (Michael Daley, Walkley etc)
*  National Teaching Prizes
*  National Unsung Hero of Science Award (Aust Science Communicators)

# There are many awards made by particular societies and agencies. It is impossible to list these but, in general, the more significant the body, the more significant the award.

State Awards
* State Science Excellence Awards: eg SA Science Educator of the Year (School , Tertiary, Community)
* Tall Poppies Awards
* Unsung Hero of Science Communication  (SA only at present)
*  State Media Awards for Science Journalism (eg Archbishop of Adelaide Media Citation; Margaret Tobin Award for Mental Health journalism etc)
*  State-based teaching prizes

# There are many awards made by particular societies and agencies. It is impossible to list these but, in general, the more significant the body, the more significant the award.

SCIENCE COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES

School
* Initiation of Community/School Science Activities (eg Double Helix, naturalist societies etc)
* Executive/Committee of state educational organisations:  ( eg State Science Teachers’ Assocn etc)
* Participant in Scientists in Schools Program
* Occasional school presentations

Community
* Executive/Committee of state organisations:  (eg National Science Week, Australian Science Communicators SA)
*  Significant public science presentations (eg Thinkers in Residence, Festival of Ideas, National Science Week etc)
* Chair/organiser of significant Community Science Event or Conference
* Regional Program/presentation of science to community

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA

* Author of commercially published popular science book (Field Guide, Textbook etc)
*  Writer of substantial open broadcast Television or Radio documentary (may be more than one part)
* Author of science book for schools (commercial publisher, Primary reading program etc)
* Chapter in book as above
* Writer of regular column or presenter of regular series/segment  (mainstream media, science journal etc)
*  Subject/Author/Presenter of significant story/broadcast  in national popular science journal/media outlet (Cosmos; Australasian  Science, Sky and Space; Catalyst; The Science Show, Ockham’s Razor etc)
*  Included in database and used as expert commentator in media by Australian Science Media Centre
*  Subject of significant story in national mainstream media
*  Subject of significant story in state media  (Feature story;  Feature in Education Pages)
*  Subject of story in local media
*   Subject of story in regional media

OTHER

The field of science communication is a young and growing one. Many initiatives within it are similarly new, and not incorporated in the categories above that refer to more conventional activities. They may well, however, provide evidence of significant contributions to science communication.

International Year of Biodiversity (IYOB)

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The United Nations has declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity (IYOB), a year-long celebration of biological diversity and its value for life on Earth. Throughout the world, individuals and organisations are promoting biodiversity.

Biological diversity – or biodiversity – is the term given to the variety of life on Earth and the natural patterns it forms. We share the planet with as many as 13 million different living species including plants, animals and bacteria, but unbelievably only 1.75 million of them have been named and recorded! The biodiversity we see today is the fruit of billions of years of evolution, shaped by natural processes and, increasingly, by the influence of humans. It forms the web of life of which we are an integral part and upon which we so fully depend.

In Australia, national events are being coordinated by the Council of Australasian Museum Directors (CAMD) with funding from the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR). The Western Australian Museum and the Australian Museum each host a part-time IYOB Coordinator, to make this initiative happen. Based at the WA Museum in Perth is Teresa Belcher, coordinating WA, SA and NT events. Looking after events in NSW, VIC, QLD, ACT and TAS is Val Gregory, based at the Australian Museum in Sydney.

During 2010, museums across Australia are working with people and communities to discover, celebrate and promote biodiversity, and encourage participation in biodiversity events all around the country. There have already had three Rounds of funding for grants where over 30 organisations have been awarded up to $5,000 to hold community events.

To promote what’s going on around Australia, a ‘biodiversity hub’ website has been developed (http://www.biodiversity2010.org.au/) to advertise events and allow people to have their ‘say’ to show the difference they are making.

The site is gradually growing in size, but we encourage YOU to visit and make a contribution. There is an easy-to-fill-in form which allows you to ‘Add an Event’, making your event part of our searchable calendar, that is also promoted more widely throughout Australia via our Biodiversity Bulletin.

In addition, we are encouraging people to create a ‘story’ about their activities that relate to biodiversity. This may be about specific research in biodiversity – some of you are working on identifying those 11 million plus species yet to be named while others may be looking at the bigger picture by working ecosystems and climate change. You may be involved in a conservation group and could write a feature about a threatened species. You may be involved with community eco-education projects to help clean up our beaches, parks and reserves where wild plants and animals live. Perhaps you are doing your bit at home to increase the biodiversity in your neighbourhood by making wildlife more welcome in your backyards by providing water, food, shelter and privacy. You may have built a frog pond or introduced plants that attract more insects. We’d like to hear about all of these things, because, as you can see, every small step helps!

We’d also like see photos and videos that can be uploaded to our site via Flick and YouTube. Lastly, you may like to interact with us on Twitter (@bio2010aus) and use the hashtag #iyob2010 to promote your events and work further. Or send us an email and we can do this for you. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Teresa Belcher- teresa.belcher [at] museum.wa.gov.au

Val Gregory – valerie.gregory [at] austmus.gov.au

Evaluating Effectiveness ASCSA event Adelaide July 19 2010

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19 July 2010
6:30 pmto8:30 pm

On Monday 19 July we held an event at the Science Exchange on evaluating science communication activities.

A key challenge of science engagement activity is showing your effectiveness and measuring success.  How do we know that our programs and activities are making a difference?  Do we have the impact we desire?  Are we engaging with the right audiences? How do we evaluate what we’re doing?  At the July ASCSA meeting we’re inviting several people from community engagement/education programs, including science shows, museums and science events, to share their experiences of how they go about evaluating their programs.  This event will be relevant to anyone involved in community engagement/education programs, and we’d especially love to see you if you’re involved in planning a National Science Week event for August this year.

A podcast of the evening is now available at http://www.riaus.org.au/science/whats_on/past_events/audio_recordings.jsp

Some references on evaluation:

RCUK:  http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/per/bestprac.htm
Beacons for public engagement: http://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/sites/default/files/EvaluatingPublicEngagement.pdf
National STEM Centre: http://www.nationalstemcentre.org.uk/res/documents/page/STEM_Does_it_work_revised_Oct_09.pdf

New science communication grants

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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