ASC2018 - 11-15 Nov, Sydney

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The breathtaking circus of photosynthesis: communicating the most important biological process on Earth

When: Wednesday 14th November, 2:40pm – 3:40pm
Where: L2, Level 2 to the left of the registration/foyer area, down the hallway and through the doors on the right
Hashtag: #W17

Photosynthesis is probably one of the most misunderstood and undervalued of the biological processes by the public. Perhaps this misunderstanding is due to the difficulty to show and engage the public with an imperceptible process that takes place within microscopic structures inside leaves.
This poster will show a group of displays focused on photosynthesis that we have been developing in the past two years, as part of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis. This small exhibition of photosynthesis has been used in public events to engage the public with a topic that, despite its importance in our lives (we will either asphyxiate or die of hunger if it stops), is rarely presented in the form of interactive, visually appealing displays.

Session

Case studies: Visualising science

Presenter

Natalia Bateman, Communications officer, ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis

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Beyond Panels: Better Events for Controversial Science

When: Monday 12th November, 1:55pm – 3:25pm
Where: L1, Level 2 to the left of the registration/foyer area, down the hallway and through the doors on the right
Hashtag: #M11

Real-life events are a golden opportunity where interested, diverse groups of people gather around an issue or idea. As science communicators in a time of divisive rhetoric and online filter bubbles, how can we curate events that are rich, engaging and able to examine the nuances of complex subjects like climate change, health science, and more?

Right now, panel discussions are a go-to format for science events, especially on controversial topics. The format, despite its popularity, is structurally flawed: rarely do panels achieve depth of dialogue, enable true audience input, or change hearts and minds. Many alternative formats exist, and this session will include two micro-events to showcase more interactive approaches, leaving participants with practical know-how they can use right away.

Session Producer/Workshop Facilitator

David Robertson, Lecturer, Monash University

Presenters

Djuke Veldhuis, Director of the Bachelors of Science Advanced, Monash University

Eleanor Reynolds, Education Officer, ANSTO

 

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Tell me a Story

When: Wednesday 14th November, 8:45am – 9:45am
Where: L1, Level 2 to the left of the registration/foyer area, down the hallway and through the doors on the right
Hashtag: #W3

Storytelling is an intrinsic part of human societies and cultures. Whether through the many and varied art forms, religion, architecture or media, the influence of storytelling is everywhere. Stories reflect and reveal values, dreams, desires, fears, prejudices, knowledge and wisdom. Stories capture our pasts and envision our futures. Storytelling is often said to define and bind our humanity; it is possible that humans are the only animals that create and tell stories.

In essence storytelling is about making sense of the world, which is probably why stories so fascinate humankind. If you tell your audience a story with integrity, the chances are you’ll gain their support, create a following and inspire them to believe and act. A story gives people a reason to care about what you have to say.

Our team is using a ‘show and tell’ format to explore storytelling in just some of its wondrous diversity, selecting genres and technologies highly relevant to science communication. Between us we explore the power of the narrative and performance to engage and inspire, and the development and use of technology (including artificial intelligence) to turn scientists into expert communicators. We demonstrate and discuss why good story telling matters and is essential to effective science communication.

We are not only interested in more effectively engaging with the audiences we have, but also in connecting with new audiences including the ‘less science-engaged’. We are all experimenting and innovating in this space and have some great stories to tell!

Session Producer/Presenter

Sheryn Pitman, Programme Manager Inspiring South Australia, South Australian Museum

Presenters

Michael Mills, Creative Director, HeapsGood Productions

Andy Stapleton, CEO and Founder, verbalize.science

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Crafting Stellar Social Media Videos

When: Wednesday 14th November, 11:55am – 1:25pm
Where: Theatrette, Level 2 behind the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #W11

As science communicators, data is at the heart of everything we do. But how do we convert that data into informative, entertaining, and most importantly, shareable content?

In this 90-minute session, we will take a look into why your organisation should be making social media videos, how to convert raw data into informative entertainment, and dissect exactly what makes up a great, scientifically-sound social media video, without resorting to cats on Roombas.

Presenter

Nelli Huié, Digital Communications Manager, The Climate Council

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A small mouse study? Or, the most important discovery for pregnant women since folate?

When: Tuesday 13th November, 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Where: Theatrette, Level 2 behind the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #T9

(Work in progress/preliminary findings)

Introduction: News media reporting of scientific research is often derived from press releases rather than from journal articles. Press releases are quicker and easier to understand than the increasingly complex language used in scientific journal articles. Additionally, press releases are more easily accessible than scientific articles which can initially be under embargo and once published, often only accessible via subscription or payment to the journal publisher. Since it is known that news media coverage of scientific research is often based on press releases rather than on journal articles, it is important to investigate and understand how the translation process occurs from the journal article to the press release to the news media reporting. We chose to investigate this specific case study because it received controversial news media coverage and we sort to understand the translation process that led to this contention.

Methods: An in-depth qualitative text analysis was undertaken to compare a journal article (published in the New England Journal of Medicine), the corresponding press releases and all of the subsequent online news media reporting. The journal article, the two press releases and the 60 online news media articles (sourced from Google news) were imported into NVivo version 12. Each document was read multiple times to identify common themes for text analysis. An inductive approach was used to code each of the themes in the documents. The themes were labelled, and quotes were selected to represent each theme.

Preliminary results:

  • Many news media articles copied sections of the press release word-for-word.
  • Many news media articles did not clearly explain the study published in NEJM.
  • Few news media articles sourced independent commentary of the research outside of the quotes published in the press release.
  • Some news media articles omitted the role of mice in the study.
  • Some news media articles made potentially harmful clinical recommendations about vitamin supplementation for pregnant women which were not supported by the NEJM article.
  • The misrepresentation of the study in the news media had an international reach.

Conclusion: As news media reporting of scientific research has the potential to impact human behaviour (in ways that can be both beneficial and harmful), it is important that news media coverage of scientific research is clear, balanced and accurate. Whilst it is not possible to determine if the misrepresentation of the NEJM article in the news media reporting was a direct result of the press release, we can hypothesise that in line with other research in this field, a more objective and representative press release may have resulted in more balanced news media reporting.

Session

Case studies: Lessons from the experts

Presenter

Georgia Dempster, PhD Candidate & Senior Ethics Advisor, The University of Melbourne

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Case studies: Cultural Institutions and Festivals

When: Tuesday 13th November, 9:15am – 11:15am
Where: Theatrette, Level 2 behind the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #T3

Cultural Institutions and Festivals play a major role in communicating science. They have access to large numbers of students and the public and have great influence over what is presented. Find out what the speakers are doing in this space.

The session is structured into 85-minutes of talks and will wrap-up with a 35-minute Q&A for delegates questions and comments.

The session will include the following talks:

Session Producer

 

Session Chair

 

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Engaging Regional Communities with Science – the Power of the People

When: Monday 12th November, 11:55am – 12:55pm
Where: Theatre, Level 2 down the stairs to the right of the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #M7

How can we bring science to where people go? Find out how Inspiring Australia fosters lasting collaborations with regional communities to take science to new audiences. Learn how to grow science engagement activity and infrastructure through working with established networks. Discover what works and what doesn’t, the importance of working in partnership with local communities and understanding stakeholder needs.

Science engagement from the ground up – the NSW experience
Building STEM capacity in a rapidly evolving, global innovation system requires national effort on many levels – particularly at the grass roots. Inspiring Australia’s NSW Regional Science Hub network offers a low-cost response to this challenge. With modest funding support that is matched by partner investment, Science Hubs involve hundreds of organisations that come together at a local level to share skills and explore scientific issues. This capacity building approach helps increase scientific literacy through the delivery of creative and engaging public programs led by local communities. Discover how Science Hubs take the lead to create, collaborate and connect scientists with a diverse public, through festivals, events and programs that provide rich and memorable experiences for people of all ages. 

Finding our way through discovery and creativity – the SA experience
Inspiring South Australia has experimented with a number of regional engagement strategies and has found a few to be especially effective in engaging communities with science. Its regional Science and Arts Working Together program is designed to tell the stories of science through the arts, bringing together science and arts organisations, groups and practitioners to create fascinating projects that feature local stories and discoveries while engaging the community in the development and in the telling. Another effective regional program is a partnership between Libraries SA, the Children’s Discovery Museum and Inspiring SA that equips librarians to deliver science programs to 3-5 year olds. Covering a range of concepts, Little Bang Discovery Club empowers both children and their accompanying adults as co-learners and collaborators in the investigative process.

Session Producer, Session Chair, Presenter

Jackie Randles, Manager Inspiring Australia NSW, Inspiring Australia

Presenter

Sheryn Pitman, Programme Manager Inspiring South Australia, South Australian Museum

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The making of AMOSS – a living science style resource

When: Tuesday 13th November, 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Where: Theatrette, Level 2 behind the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #T9

‘Sulfur’ versus ‘sulphur’, ‘prevalence’ versus ‘incidence’ – before the Australian manual of scientific style (AMOSS) came along, science and technical writing was a Wild West of duelling styles and lone rangers…

This presentation takes you behind the scenes of Biotext’s quest to bring together scientific conventions from a wide range of disciplines and aspects of science communication in one style manual. Its team’s considerable experience with the limited science-specific content in other Australian style resources helped Biotext see the huge potential benefit of an interactive, online style manual for an Australian audience.

Learn about the 3-year journey undertaken by Biotext’s experienced writers, editors and designers to develop AMOSS, and its publication as an online resource, in partnership with Macquarie University. Explore the structure and main features of AMOSS, and its accessibility as an online resource. This presentation is ideal for the same groups identified as potential users of AMOSS: academics, researchers, students, government employees, science communicators, editors and journalists.

Session

Case studies: Lessons from the experts

Presenter

Dr Julie Irish, Principal Health Writer and Editor, Biotext

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University of Sydney Mathematical Research Institute Launch

When: Monday 12th November, 6:00pm
Where: Sydney University

The University of Sydney will be launching its Mathematical Research Institute at 6pm on Monday 12 November. The institute will be led by world-renowned mathematician Professor Geordie Williamson, who this year became the youngest living fellow of both the Royal Society and the Australian Academy of Science.

It aims to be a high-level mathematical resource for all of Australia and be considered with similar regard as the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Bonn and the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton.

ASC Conference attendees who would like to report on or blog about this launch – or who are particularly focused on the mathematical sciences – are invited to attend the event.

Please send enquiries about attending to Marcus Strom marcus.strom@sydney.edu.au

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Community Perceptions of Coastal Hazards in New South Wales

When: Tuesday 13th November, 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Where: Theatre, Level 2 down the stairs to the right of the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #T8

Much is known about the physical nature of coastal hazards in New South Wales (NSW) and management interventions available to mitigate their impacts. However, much less is known about social dimensions of communities and coastal users who are, or may be, affected by these hazards. This project aims to assess existing understanding and perceptions of coastal hazards by the NSW ‘coastal community’, specifically relating to inundation and erosion caused by coastal storms and sea level rise, by analysing sources of information and the level of trust regarding these sources.

A multi-tiered survey instrument was disseminated between November 2017 and April 2018 in order to gain information on a cross-section of the NSW coastal community. A total of 1065 survey responses were obtained from teachers (n=355); surf life saving club members (n=307), coastal accommodation visitors (n=237) and managers (n=61), indigenous communities (n=22), ‘frontline’ coastal residents (n=23), and coastal management professionals (n=60).

Results show that most NSW coastal users have a good understanding of coastal erosion and inundation, their associated consequences, and the various hard and soft solutions available to manage their impacts. However, some confusion exists regarding the future rate and impacts of sea level rise on the NSW coast and a significant number of respondents indicated they would still buy, and live in, a house at risk of coastal erosion and inundation.

This study highlights several important differences in perceptions and opinions of coastal hazards between coastal users and coastal management professionals in relation to different coastal environments and the best methods to communicate and educate the coastal community. The results from this study will be freely available through an online resource pack of information targeting various types of end users.

This project is funded by the NSW Department of Justice and supported by the Sydney Coastal Councils Group, Office of Environment and Heritage and Surf Life Saving New South Wales.

Session

Evidence-based scicom: Research exploring knowledge, beliefs and perceptions

Presenter

Anna Attard, Research Assistant and Masters Student, University of New South Wales

Co-Author
Robert Brander

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