ASC2018 - 11-15 Nov, Sydney

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Kickstart Science

When: Wednesday 14th November, 8:45am – 9:45am
Where: L3, Level 2 to the left of the registration/foyer area, down the hallway and through the doors on the right
Hashtag: #W5

The Kickstart Science workshops are aimed at HSC Science students and teachers and are designed to meet the demand expressed by teachers in response to previous and upcoming changes to the HSC Science syllabus. Parts of the syllabus requires equipment or expertise in areas that many schools may not be able to provide. Kickstart workshops give HSC students a chance to do experiments and demonstrations of key ideas in the syllabus that are difficult to do in the classroom.

Kickstart Science makes HSC Physics accessible for students and teachers. The experiments and demonstrations have covered aspects of the core and optional HSC Physics syllabus all in the setting of real teaching laboratories. Classes spend two and half hours going through our experiments in small groups. Each group has its own casual academic tutor and covers many dot points of the syllabus in depth. Worksheets are provided for all students and teachers.

The case study will introduce the Kickstart Science outreach program from the University of Sydney Faculty of Science, including how it is run and how it has changed in its history. We will cover some of the unique aspects of Kickstart Science including justification of how it is designed, reporting on how it is received by students and teachers and how it is held within the faculty of Science. We will also include challenges and future work.

Session

Case studies: Education

Presenter

Tom Gordon, Senior Science Communicator, University of Sydney, Faculty of Science

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Students Blogging Science: A Case Study that Measures the Effectiveness of Communicating Science to Public Audiences

When: Wednesday 14th November, 8:45am – 9:45am
Where: L3, Level 2 to the left of the registration/foyer area, down the hallway and through the doors on the right
Hashtag: #W5

ASC2018 asks, “How do we know whether any given effort in communicating science among public audiences is effective? And by which aims and objectives are those efforts measured?”
This case study answers these questions by examining the effectiveness of view stats from student blogs that were created as part of an assignment in a first-year university science communication paper. In 2017 the Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ) published a discussion paper that asks public audiences to consider the medical, legal, ethical, cultural implications of gene-editing healthcare technologies in New Zealand relevant to four given case scenarios (sickle cell anaemia, breast and ovarian cancer, cardiovascular disease, improving athletic performance). Students were required to write a series of blog posts targeted to public audiences in response to the RSNZ discussion paper. In post #2, students were prompted to communicate their position on one of the discussion paper case scenarios while addressing one or more of the four considerations. After publishing their posts for public view, many students noted significant high/low percentages in their blog view stats from audiences located both locally in New Zealand and internationally. The blog view stats are the focus of this case study, which help gauge and measure where public interests lie regarding new media platforms as an accessible means to science communication.

Session

Case studies: Education

Presenter

Susan Rauch, Lecturer, professional writing (science and technology), Massey University, School of English and Media Studies

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A comparison of two techniques for visualising antibiotic dispensing over time: the run chart versus Nightingale’s rose diagram

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

Background
Data visualisation is the broadly-applicable science of communicating information via graphical representations. The conventional technique for visualising drug dispensing over time is the run chart – a graph of data over time measured in a line. An alternative to the run chart is Nightingale’s rose diagram[1], which shows areas in a circle over time measured in a clockwise direction. No known studies have used Nightingale’s rose diagram to visualise drug dispensing temporally. Antibiotic use fluctuates with the seasons and, in modern society, is closely monitored over time because overuse enables infectious disease-causing bacteria to develop antibiotic resistance. In modern public health, it is important to visualise antibiotic use in a way that is understandable to health professionals, researchers, government officials, and the generally public. This study aimed to compare two techniques for visualising antibiotic dispensing over time: the run chart and Nightingale’s rose diagram.

Methods
Dispensing data were sourced from Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule Item Reports[2]. For each month in 2017, data were extracted on number of systemic antibiotic (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical 5 code J01[3]) prescriptions dispensed in Australia under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme or the Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Antibiotic dispensing over time was visualised by producing run charts in Microsoft Excel 2013[4] and Nightingale’s rose diagrams in AnyChart[5], with stratification by drug class. These data visualisations were compared visually and with respect to elements ranked in order of decreasingly accurate perceptions of absolute quantity[6-8]: 1. position (common scale); 2. position (non-aligned scale); 3. length/direction/angle/slope; 4. area; 5. volume/density/curvature; 6. shading/colour saturation/colour hue.

Results
In the run charts and Nightingale rose diagrams, antibiotic dispensing increased from the lowest levels in January and February (the Australian summer) to peaks in August (the Australian winter). The investigator observed that Nightingale’s rose diagrams were eye catching and accentuated the seasonal component of the data. With regard to the accuracy of perceptions of absolute quantity, the run chart attained the highest score of 1 for position (common scale) whereas Nightingale’s rose diagrams scored lower: 3 for length and 4 for area.

Conclusions
When one is visualising antibiotic dispensing over time, choosing Nightingale’s rose diagram over the run chart gives accentuated seasonality but less accurate perception of absolute quantity. These two data visualisation techniques may complement one another. If one were to present these plots together or incorporate the run chart’s numeric scale into Nightingale’s rose diagram, then there could be improved communication of information on antibiotic use (or overuse) to health professionals, researchers, government officials, and the general public.

References
1. Magnello ME. Victorian statistical graphics and the iconography of Florence Nightingale’s polar area graph. British Society for the History of Mathematics Bulletin. 2012; 27: 13-37.

2. Australian Government Department of Human Services. Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule Item Reports. Available at: http://medicarestatistics.humanservices.gov.au/statistics/pbs_item.jsp [Accessed 8 August 2018].

3. World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology. ATC/DDD Index 2018. Available at: http://www.whocc.no/atc_ddd_index/ [Available at: 12 August 2018].

4. Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, USA.

5. AnyChart, St. Augustine, FL, USA.

6. Cleveland WS and McGill R. Graphical perception: Theory, experimentation, and application to the development of graphical methods. Journal of the American Statistical Association. 1984; 79(387): 531–554.

7. Cleveland WS and McGill R. Graphical perception and graphical methods for analyzing scientific data. Science. 1985; 229(4716): 828–833.

8. Shah P and Miyake A. The Cambridge handbook of visuospatial thinking. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2005.

Session

Case studies: Visualising science

Presenter

Michael Leach, Adjunct Research Associate, School of Rural Health, Monash University

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Bridging the Gap between Science Communication Theory and Practice

When: Wednesday 14th November, 8:45am – 9:45am
Where: Theatrette, Level 2 behind the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #W2

Internationally, science communication scholars and practitioners have been discussing the need to bridge theory with practice for mutual benefits. This session will bring together leading science communication scholars and practitioners  to discuss with the audience critical questions such as:

  • Who are the theoreticians and practitioners?
  • Are there really barriers between theory and practice, or is this a myth?
  • If there are barriers, how might these be overcome?
  • What examples are there of theory and practice connecting?
  • What are the future opportunities for scholars and practitioners to work together?

Session Chair

Jennifer Metcalfe, Director, Econnect Communication

Presenters

Dr Michelle Riedlinger, Associate Professor, University of Fraser Valley, Canada

Mr Toss Gascoigne, Visiting Fellow, The Australian National University

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Impact and Engagement: What can Australia and the UK Learn from Each Other?

When: Monday 12th November, 11:55am – 12:55pm
Where: L1, Level 2 to the left of the registration/foyer area, down the hallway and through the doors on the right
Hashtag: #M8

The landscape of science communication and public engagement (PE) in the UK has changed dramatically in the last decade; many people now speak of an increasing ‘impact agenda’ in the higher education sector, which has led to many considering science communication and PE as being integral to the research process. The introduction of the Research Excellence Framework (REF), and subsequently the inclusion of Impact Case Studies, has had a significant influence on this by enabling academics to demonstrate both the social and economic impacts of their research. These changing attitudes has seen higher education institutions develop the infrastructure for delivering PE activities, such as professional staff responsible for coordinating and delivering PE, and many UK bodies awarding funding provided impact can be shown. With the introduction the Excellence in Research for Australia and now the Engagement and Impact Assessment will there be a similar shift in attitude towards PE in Australia? This interactive session will compare and contrast the approaches of both countries and harness collective knowledge to make an action plan that science communicators can use to help further integration of PE into academia. Participants are strongly encouraged to share their own experiences and bring along examples of successful case studies.

Session Producers/Workshop Facilitators

Lizzie Crouch, Senior Coordinator of Engagement, SensiLab, Monash University

Djuke Veldhuis, Course Director, Global Challenges, Monash University

Workshop Facilitator

David Robertson, Lecturer, Monash University

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Pixcells: when digital art meets science

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

We are exceedingly good at extracting information through visual processing. Studies have shown that the brain can identify images seen for as little as 13 milliseconds – a rate of more than 75 images per second. As science communicators, the image is a powerful and universally accessible form of knowledge transfer. As the complexity of scientific understanding unfolds, visual science communication will play an increasingly important role in education, policy and public engagement, and will no doubt inspire the scientists of the future. This presentation highlights the value of science-trained artists and where to find them locally.

Session

Case studies: Visualising science

Presenter

Andrew Lilja, Techincal Director and Co-founder, SquareCell

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Case studies: Visualising science

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

How we “see” science is very important in how we communicate it. The attention span of people in this day and age is a lot shorter than it used to be so grabbing someone’s attention with a great visual is invaluable.

Hear from the speakers about how they are bringing the sight of science to the masses.

The session is structured into three 15-minute talks and will wrap-up with a 15-minute Q&A for delegates questions and comments.

The session will include the following talks:

Session Producer

 

Session Chair

 

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Little Bang – Bright Sparks: Delivering a national priority through local collaboration

Little Bang Discovery ClubWhen: Wednesday 14th November, 8:45am – 9:45am
Where: L3, Level 2 to the left of the registration/foyer area, down the hallway and through the doors on the right
Hashtag: #W5

In an era of ‘false news’, a growing mistrust of ‘the expert’ and almost universal access to unfiltered advice from the internet of all things, the need for a science-literate community has never been more important.

The ability to critically assess information starts early and needs to become one of the pillars of education: reading, writing, arithmetic and CRITICAL THINKING.

Science communicators and educators can work smarter to better engage and sustain community understanding of how science works in producing evidence-based knowledge. The resulting democratising of knowledge, and the ability to discern trusted sources, enables better decision making for individuals, and the community as a whole.

This case study involves a series of science engagement initiatives that utilise the exisiting trusted and nationally distributed network of public and school libraries. By working in concert with this ‘third space’ we have a unique opportunity to influence a generation of children, their families and whole community outside the status quo of home, school and the workplace.

The overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic response from librarians and participating families is evidence of the scalability and sustainability of these low-cost programs, with measurable impact on attitudes and understating of science.

Session

Case studies: Education

Presenter

Adam Selinger, Executive Director, Children’s Discovery Museum Ltd

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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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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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Questions? Please contact Kali on asc2018@asc.asn.au.

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