ASC2018 - 11-15 Nov, Sydney

by

Stereotypes: A Choice

When: Monday 12th November, 10:25am – 12:55pm
Where: L2, Level 2 to the left of the registration/foyer area, down the hallway and through the doors on the right
Hashtag: #M6

Does gender matter when it comes to science communication? What about intersectionality? This session will explore how identity and demographics can influence opportunity for science communicators (and professionals within STEM more broadly) and what strategies can be employed to target self-perception and reframe gender stereotypes. This interactive session is designed to get you thinking and talking to others in the field in engaging, thought provoking activities.

Presenter

Merryn McKinnon, Lecturer, Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, The Australian National University

 

 

by

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

 

by

Disruptive Sci Comm; How the Arts can help Scientists Escape Deficit-Model Communication

When: Monday 12th November, 10:25am – 11:25am
Where: L1, Level 2 to the left of the registration/foyer area, down the hallway and through the doors on the right
Hashtag: #M5

The deficit model is deficient. Facts are dead. Feeling is the new thinking.

Meet the science communicators that are harnessing the arts to connect with their audience in a non-educational way. Although many scientists see the way the arts appeals to the emotional side of their audience as anathema, these are examples of science pitched straight at the heart and soul. But does it succeed? And what is success anyway?

Come prepared to take part, heckle and debate with:

Dr Phil Dooley, musician and storyteller for Phil Up On Science. He wants to know what Schrodinger’s cat thinks about still being a box 100 years later.

Craig Cormick, fiction writer and immersive science communicator.

Heather Catchpole, co-founder Refraction Media, who poetry to encapsulate ideas using minimum words and maximum effect. With poetry, humour and music she hopes to create empathy towards science.

Michael Mills, stage performer and alter ego to the singing palaeontologist Professor Flint who has been connecting local communities to their prehistory through music and storytelling.

Dr Michael Leach and Rachel Rayner who will challenge us to debate and create our own science-inspired visual poetry. If the right energy is supplied – swing dancing – Rachel may also undergo a phase transition from solid to liquid to gas.

David Harris, science communicator and artist. It’s an uneasy truce…

by

Sydney Science Festival in Review: Audiences, Motivations and Modes of Engagement

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

Featuring more than 200 events in 2018, the Sydney Science Festival (SSF) celebrates and showcases Sydney’s diverse and multidisciplinary science and innovation community through a program of talks, hands-on workshops, exhibitions and family events exploring all areas of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM). Since its inception in 2015, the Sydney Science Festival has seen yearly growth and is the largest science festival in Australia happening during National Science Week. In 2017, the Festival attracted more than 70,000 audience members to science events throughout Sydney and more are expected in 2018*. The 2018 Sydney Science Festival presented a diverse program of events ranging from large hands-on free family events in parks, lunchtime talks with experts to performative science-themed events for intergenerational audiences. The growing momentum behind the Sydney Science Festival demonstrates an appetite for meaningful opportunities to meet experts and learn about science in formal and informal social settings.

In this proposed case study, I will present the results of 2018 Sydney Science Festival report and audience evaluation, highlighting audience profiles and discussing what motivates audiences to attend the Sydney Science Festival. This will provide insight into the effectiveness of Festivals and similar programs and will identify future opportunities to engage with new and returning science audiences.

*2018 results currently being collected

Session

Case studies: Cultural Institutions and Festivals

Presenter

Catherine Polcz, Program Producer (Science), Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences

by

Designing methodologies with impact: A critical view on research

When: Tuesday, 13th November 9:15-11:15am
Where: L2, Level 2 to the left of the registration/foyer area, down the hallway and through the doors on the right
Hashtag: #T5

Different approaches and processes can be implemented as part of a research project – but the best approach is the one that will get you the most accurate assessment! Even using the right approach does not guarantee valid findings – It has to be the right question!
This workshop will address best practice approaches to designing research programs that combine scientific rigour with practical efficiency. We will look at the philosophy underpinning different approaches and how and when different techniques should be used. We will conclude with a discussion on how published research should be evaluated.

Presenter

Clifford Lewis, Lecturer, Charles Sturt University

Australian Science Communicators

About ASC.

@auscicomm

ASC on Facebook

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

Acknowledgements

© 2018 Australian Science Communicators

Editor Login.

SPONSORED BY

SUPPORTED BY

TRADE EXHIBITORS