ASC2018 - 11-15 Nov, Sydney

by

The Rescue Project Podcast – Stories of Kind Acts of Environmental Rescue

When: Wednesday 14th November, 10:20am – 11:20am
Where: Theatrette, Level 2 behind the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #W6

**Have you ever rescued a riverbank? A tract of bush, an eroded beach, a waterway, some farmland, a garden or a native tree? A native animal or bird? What do you feel as you tend to tired earth, or engage with the intrinsic value of an old-growth giant, or as you look into that creature’s eyes? And, in some way, do these things rescue you?**

The Rescue Project is citizen storytelling in online and podcast form.
Launched in early October it is a public invitation to contribute a 500-word story to the Rescue website – a collaboration between Landcare Australia and Gretchen Miller/UNSW. The stories are currently growing there with opportunity for anyone to read and respond.
The next stage will be The Rescue Project Podcast, beginning production in early 2019 – 10 of the stories read aloud by the writers and set to sound. The podcast series will also include an audio documentary focusing on one special habitat rehabilitation site selected from the uploaded stories.
“Rescue” is an organic, living website, changing by the day and inviting its contributors to feel a part of something bigger. It functions as an online clubhouse for discussion of the personal power of taking action to benefit habitat, animals and the humans who get involved. The intention is to reflect the rich experience, both practical and psychological, that engaging with environment brings, building a deeper recognition of how little things can grow bigger ones.
https://landcareaustralia.org.au/rescue

Session

Case studies: Environment and community engagement

Presenter

Gretchen Miller, Rescue Project Director/Producer, Media Consultant, Gretchen Miller Media

by

TasAgFuture: Mobilising Tasmania’s agriculture and food sector to help determine future scientific research

When: Wednesday 14th November, 10:20am – 11:20am
Where: Theatrette, Level 2 behind the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #W6

TasAgFuture is a social research project that is informing future research to support prosperous and sustainable agriculture and food sectors.

Through the TasAgFuture project, the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) has mobilised the Tasmanian agriculture and food sector to have their say in the sector’s future through in-depth interviews and an online survey. As a result, agrifood peak bodies, the State Government and TIA will better understand goals of the sector, and the research, development and extension (RD&E) needs into the future.

This presentation outlines the strategy and impact of TasAgFuture’s communications through the traditional media, social media and stakeholder engagement – a significant contributor to the project’s success.

Session

Case studies: Environment and community engagement

Presenter

Claire Baker, Research Communications Officer, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) – a joint venture of the University of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Government

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

Pint of Science – the evolution of the Australian festival

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

What better way is there to learn about cutting-edge research than over a brew?

Well, it’s nothing new … it’s science in the pub. It’s been done before, and we’d almost be brave enough to guess that almost all the science communicators at the 2018 ASC conference are pub-science veterans. So how is Pint of Science anything more than just another pub event? What makes us different? And why do volunteers, speakers and venues want to get involved?

In this talk, we’ll pull apart what makes Pint of Science unique by looking at the ways the festival engages its audience, speakers, volunteers and sponsors. In doing so, we will outline the recent evolution of the Australian festival and conclude with some forward thinking about how Pint of Science will continue to contribute to the broader Australian science communication landscape.

https://www.pintofscience.com.au

Session

Case studies: Cultural Institutions and Festivals

Presenter

Dr Tom Carruthers, Senior Content Producer, Australian Academy of Science and National Director, Pint of Science Australia

Jirana Boontanjai, National Director, Pint of Science Australia

by

The Art and Science of Collaboration – Three Case Studies on Finding Innovative Partnerships for Science Communication

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

You have a message and you know who you want to reach, but you have little to no budget or resources. Partnerships are often the best way to maximise your science communication efforts, but how do I make it happen?

From the world’s largest museum to the smallest of conservation non-profits, organizations big and small face this very same problem. Micaela Jemison will present three case studies from her time at the Smithsonian Institution and Bat Conservation International (USA) to shed light on the process of finding the right partners and the potential benefits and pitfalls of these collaborations.

The case studies span a range of corporate, government/non-profit and media partners, as well as individual collaborators you may not expect. The result is an annual North American bat conservation campaign reaching more than 24 million people, integration of conservation science messages into one of the world’s most popular online games for kids, and a virtual reality experience bringing a “Batnado” to the rest of the world.

Session

Case studies: Cultural Institutions and Festivals

Presenter

Micaela Jemison, Science Communicator, Smithsonian Institution

by

Public Perceptions of Science and Opportunities for Informal Learning

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

Alice E Williamson1, Chiara O’Reilly2, Tom Gordon3, Chiara Neto1

1School of Chemistry and Sydney Nano Institute, The University of Sydney
2Museum and Heritage Studies Program, The University of Sydney
3School of Physics, The University of Sydney alice.williamson@sydney.edu.au

Abstract

Science education is frequently singled out as a priority goal for Australia (Office of the Chief Scientist, 2014). To date, much of the focus has been on formal education – expanding capacity and strengths in schools and higher education to ensure that Australia is prepared for the future of employment and research (Tytler, 2009).

In recent years, science festivals and special public events focused on science have rapidly grown around the world (Bultitude, McDonald, and Custead, 2011). These events engage diverse audiences and seek to make science accessible (Council et al., 2009). They can play an important role in breaking down traditional resistance to topics by opening up discussions and expanding community awareness and supporting lifelong learning (McCallie, et al., n.d.)

This study seeks to explore the role of informal learning environments for science in Australia. Through the participation in, and surveying of science festivals and one-off science programming outside of traditional learning environments, we seek to better understand the ways that these events succeed or fail in engaging the community with science. By examining why people attend and what they gain we aim to explore the role that these events can play in shaping and developing contemporary attitudes to science.

In this paper we will share insights from the pilot stages of our project, findings from our surveys at three informal events and our future goals.

Session

Case studies: Cultural Institutions and Festivals

Presenter

Dr Alice Williamson, Lecturer in Chemical Education and Outreach, The University of Sydney

by

Trust Me, I’m a Scientist: A Case Study about Science Communication, Co-design and Community

When: Wednesday 14th November, 10:20am – 11:20am
Where: Theatrette, Level 2 behind the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #W6

As most science communicators and scientists know, even the most engaging and carefully-crafted communication will be ineffective if your audience doesn’t trust you. As Victoria’s environmental regulator, the Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) is acutely aware of the importance of trust, particularly when it communicates and engages with communities.

In early 2014, a fire at Hazelwood Mine burnt for 45 days, covering much of the Latrobe Valley region in smoke. As a result, community confidence in EPA and the Victorian government was low both during and immediately after the fire.

Since then, EPA has worked closely with Latrobe Valley communities to strengthen relationships and improve how it communicates its science. This work cumulated in the roll out of a ground-breaking co-design process in 2016, which relied on extensive input from community, scientists, engagement experts and a science communicator. The primary task of a community panel was to design an air monitoring network to complement EPA’s existing air monitors in the Latrobe Valley.

In this session you will hear how a co-design process helped build community trust from the point of view of a science communicator. I will:
• show you how science communication improved the community’s understanding of air pollution and helped build community trust
• share my challenges and triumphs of working side-by-side with scientists and community
• explain how lessons learnt through a co-design process have made me a better science communicator.

Session

Case studies: Environment and community engagement

Presenter

Catherine Healy, Science Communication Advisor, Environment Protection Authority Victoria

by

Communicating the True Nature of Science: A MAAS Collection Set

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

Those who work in science research and communication understand that the scientific process is rarely linear: the road from hypothesis to discovery often involves setbacks, false leads, and diversions along the way; and new knowledge more often comes in the form of incremental progress than in major breakthroughs. We also understand the value of ‘blue skies’ research, and that the applications of this research may sometimes be indirect, or not emerge until decades later.

These are difficult concepts to convey, however, and while science outreach events like the Sydney Science Festival have helped to increase the public’s engagement with science (SSF reports 2016, 2017), recent research has also shown that these events may be reinforcing common misconceptions about scientific process, misleading the public’s perception of science as absolute and certain, instead of the tentative and evolving endeavour that it actually is (Kingsley et al., 2017). Media reporting too tends to over-simplify the process for the sake of headlines and storytelling (see e.g. Sumner et al. 2014), both of which suggest that additional approaches to science communication are required if we wish to convey these ideas.

The MAAS collection contains an estimated 500,000 objects, including a strong representation of science, technology and engineering artefacts, many of them related to Australian inventions and research (see MAAS Online Collection & MAAS Collection Development Plan, 2015). These objects provide a physical manifestation, in the form of familiar, everyday objects, of the long-term benefits of pure research in all of our lives, and demonstrate how research in fields as obscure as astronomy and quantum physics has practical implications in areas ranging from medicine to modern technology. In this talk I will present a set of scientific objects, drawn from the MAAS collection, which can help communicate these ideas, and the potential for developing this set into an online resource or a full exhibition.

Session

Case studies: Cultural Institutions and Festivals

Presenter

Sarah Reeves, Assistant Curator, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences

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